I have to confess something. And it’s not easy for me to do. But,
here goes nothing.
I have never engaged in regular therapy or counselling.
 |
| Photo by John Hain via Flickr |
I did connect with a counsellor over the phone once, through my dad’s EAP benefits. I was young and terrified. I was confused about what was going on inside my head. And this woman was awful. She minimized my concerns and silenced my voice. Needless to say, I didn’t call again.
About a year later (I think), I connected with another
counsellor in my hometown. She was nice. I met with her 3 or 4 times. She
helped me come to a few realizations. Then, for whatever reason, I stopped
going. At the time, I probably blamed it on my busy schedule. I was in school
and working a meaningless job, both full time.
If I were you, I would be questioning me. My credibility. My
stability. My expertise. Who the hell am I to tell you, or anyone, about
Depression? About therapy and counselling? About how to cope?
I don’t
really know why I’ve never gotten help.
Have I been afraid of what I might find? Have I been afraid
to look at myself? Have I been afraid or unwilling to do the work to get
better? Have I been skeptical of the potential benefits of therapy? For fuck
sakes, I went to school to become a counsellor and practically dedicated my
life to the profession. And I haven’t even done the work myself. How can I sit
here and tell other people what it’s like and what they should do to help
themselves? I’m a fucking hypocrite.
Maybe I just never thought I deserved to get help. I always
had a sneaking suspicion that all of the pain and misery I lived with every
single day was deserved. I used to joke that I must have been Hitler in a past
life to deserve this suffering. With that in mind, maybe I just thought this
was my burden to bear. I thought I wasn’t worthy of wellness and happiness.
I think it’s time. I think it’s time that I break down this
last bit of the wall that I was holding onto for dear life. It’s time to allow
myself to access the means to get better. It’s time to get help.
The first step will be getting my blood work done, and
following up on the results with my new Family Doctor. Then, incorporating some
supplements into my diet (like iron and vitamin D). Then… finding a therapist.
What have been your experiences with therapy or counselling? Share and comment below.
Much love,
Rain
You are making a major deal, a novel, about a mental illness that probably 5% of all your readers endure. You are not only the only one to be scared, but also the one who has to be working and feeding children and dogs. It's good what your doing, but quit the drama.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, it has taken me some time to figure out how to respond to this comment. I am sorry if you did not find this post helpful. I would like to gently point out, though, that there are a lot more than 5% of people in our society that are living with Depression. I would invite you to look at the stats, because they are staggering. And even if it is only 5% of the population experiencing Depression, I can say with some certainty that much more than 5% of my readers endure it. Why else would they be reading a blog about Depression?
DeleteI think you should follow through with this, see if it's beneficial, chalk it up to an experience and decide for yourself how useful it is too you. Then share, that's sometimes all you can do is share, it may help more then you.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteI've only been to chat counselling once. I think it helps to have great friends who have been what you're going through. This support group can function as your counsellors when you need such. I don't see anything wrong with not going to a counsellor though. I think we deal with depression or whatever it is we're going through differently.
ReplyDeleteThanks, SuperLux! You're right, we do all deal with our Depression in different ways.
DeleteDon't be so rude on you. Who am i to judge you on what you did ? Therapy is a choice among thousands of choices. It is not an obligation. You have the courage to help yourself and to help peoples (cause, yes, you can help through your own expression) by writing about how you live with depression. That's a lot more than a therapy, it is courage.
ReplyDelete