AFTER the psychologist/psychiatrist appointment

[TheBigBlue]

Just curious.

I always feel so drained & emotionally overwhelmed after my appointments, that all want to do is curl up in bed & cry.

At the very least, I’ll nap on the lounge. I know I’m using sleep as an avoidance, but I can’t seem to break this cycle.

I just had a Telehealth session with my psychologist & as soon as the video call ended I just wanted to burst into tears. And now all I want to do is sleep for hours & hopefully the emotional pain will be less when I wake up.

Does anyone else experience something like this?
Has anyone managed to break the cycle?

I know I should get up & do something to distract me from these thoughts but I can’t quite bring myself to take the first step. As soon as this is posted I am going to roll over & go to sleep

[Sophie_M]

Hey The Big Blue, 

What you are experiencing is totally normal - talking about how we are feeling and working towards better mental health is a challenging and taxing thing to do. We hope that you are proud that you are making an effort and seeking support. 

We would encourage you to keep up the appointments and discuss how you are feeling when they finish. Those professionals are in the best place to help you plan some strategies going forward. 

Feel free to come back and update us on what you learn and maybe share it with the community if you feel comfortable. 

Kind regards, 
Sophie M

[Croix]

Dear TheBigBlue~

I'm afraid htat therapy can be exhausting, emotionally draining and very upsetting, so I'm not in the least surprised after each session you simply want to curl up cry. It's a natural reaction, though probably not the best as it leaves you in that state for longer than you might otherwise and also make your next session feel almost a threat.

I'm not that organized normally, however when faced with a similar problem I've tried to plan in advance, partly to have something for me to look forward to for after the session, and partly to give me a change of mental pace once it's over.

I tended to be more emotionally exhausted rather that physically, so would plan on being outside, preferably with my partner walking the dog (not something that can be done under lock-down of course), or having something realy good to eat (such as a combination of chocolate and ice cream) followed by a movie I'd been saving.

It can be hard to make that mental transfer frm the effect of the session, even to things that are nice. I can most often get around this by using the free smartphone app Smiling Mind which - after practice - is excellent at breaking my chain of thoughts and leaving me calmer and more inclined to go to the fridge, or outdoors or whatever I've prepared.

https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app

There are umpteen exercises there to cater for just about anyone. I need a lot of 'nagging' to concentrate and there is one that exactly suits me. It might well be that first step you talked about.

I've not read your previous thread so do not know your circumstances -my apologies. Do you have anyone in you life to help at these times?

Croix

[mocha delight]

Hi thebigblue I always feel physically tired, exhausted and drained after my appointments with my psychologist.

[geoff]

Hello TheBigBlue, thanks for your comment because it doesn't matter how long someone has been on this site, tomorrow may be very different and that's what we never know and certainly can't predict the future.

There is a word describing this and only know because that's what I was told a long time ago and it's called 'therapy hangover', because if you feel like you've been knocked down, emotionally or simply need to go lay down for about a week, and although it may be unpleasant, instead it could be doing you good in some hidden way.

After you wake up you might be feeling better, only until your mind starts to expand and then you could be back to square one, and even having the ability to write this can be very taxing on you and you're entitled to go and lay down, hoping people will respond back to you.

Talking by telehealth may uncover hidden problems which you may have known about but being able to hide these away, simply because they are a cause for you to worry about by yourself, now you have the chance to talk about them, aloud with another person who only wants to know more about you.

It's not easy to do something after this because you feel worn out and just don't have the energy, that's what this illness does to everyone, whereas once before we could open up a new jar but now we don't have the strength to do so, this has to be built up slowly when we are able to.

Try and distract yourself on something in the past you were capable of doing, this doesn't mean you have to actually go out and do it, just think about and as soon as it begins to turn negative, stop thinking about that and try something else.

To answer your question, yes, this always happened to me and know how you feel.

Take care.

Geoff.

[Doolhof]

Hi The BigBlue,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am sure a lot of us here can relate to what you are saying.

In the past I have gone for a walk after my sessions and tried to listen tot he chatter in my head for a while, accept all those confused thoughts and then try to move on. I will try to look around me and concentrate on what I am looking at.

Sometimes I have found it helpful to write down all the negatives that are running around in my head until I have run out of things to write. I then fold up the paper, look at it later if I think it is beneficial or throw it away.

Crying is a great release. Maybe you could do that then maybe think about what has made you so upset and consider what you want to do with those thoughts.

I like the idea others have mentioned about having a plan for what to do after the sessions.

If you really can't cope and feel like you need to sleep, can you snooze for an hour then get up and do something productive or creative?

Therapy can be hard work! Congratulations to you for reaching out for help! Regards form Dools

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi TheBigBlue,

Thank you for your post. Yeah, this is absolutely something I can relate to. I call them my therapy hangovers.

I've been in therapy for years and most of the time I feel totally exhausted and wiped; how long have you been in therapy for?

One of the things I do now is just try to rest and be nice to myself after therapy. There is nothing wrong with a sleep if that's what you need. Or maybe some tv time, journalling, playing some games. Ideally, a little self-care time can help you recharge.

Do you find that you feel a bit better after a sleep? If those feelings aren't easing, it could be worth bringing this up to your therapist. Sometimes it can be exhaustion (which is totally normal), and sometimes it can be being disregulated, which is different- especially if you're talking about trauma or something hard.

rt

[Guest9337]

G'day TheBigBlue. I too have felt that way.

I believe the health provider needs to know how you feel after those sessions. Ethically they are obliged to respond to how you react to the session. That ethic develops from the principle of "ahimsa" namely do "no harm". If they are a genuine health professional they will respond helpfully to the knowledge of "emotional overwhelming after session."

If they don't know the extent to which those sessions impact you, they cannot respond to it accurately. They might assume everything they're doing is sweet and perfect and change nothing in their delivery and you might keep experiencing overwhelming sensations.

They are supposed to be helping you with coping with that emotional overwhelming. Not provoking you beyond your comfortable capacity repeatedly. Don't hide their error from them!

One simple way to inform them would be to provide a print out of your post.