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Teaandpugsleys Damage to therapeutic relationship :(
  • replies: 6

Hey everyone, newbie here! I was hoping to gather a few opinions on how to work with damage to a therapeutic relationship. I've been seeing my current psychologist on a weekly basis for a bit over two years. I also saw her for about six months when I... View more

Hey everyone, newbie here! I was hoping to gather a few opinions on how to work with damage to a therapeutic relationship. I've been seeing my current psychologist on a weekly basis for a bit over two years. I also saw her for about six months when I was ten. (I'm now in my mid twenties) In between the time I saw her, I became extremely unwell with generalised anxiety disorder, Anorexia Nervosa and depression, which was triggered by my brain being so starved. After years of inadequate treatment (mostly inpatient) and getting a little better on my own, I went back to my current psychologist, who has been an excellent fit for me ever since and I have become more well, confident and happy than I have ever been. However, after about a year of treatment, during times of extreme distress in sessions, my psychologist let me sit next to her chair on the ground and she may put her hand on my shoulder. I'd become very childlike and want to be close to her. Sometimes she'd give me a hug if I asked. But at the beginning of this year, she told me she this couldn't happen any more. She was very diplomatic in explaining why (she was fulfilling a caregiving role outside of her role as my psychologist, meeting needs that can't be met in therapy, my personal connection to her getting in the way of our work, etc) At the time, I had a fairly dramatic meltdown that resulted in a trip to the ER. The following week was hell with massive surges in emotion like I had never felt. But I eventually settled and got back to an equilibrium. Only I've noticed that I'm definitely feeling different in regard to my psychologist. I don't feel anywhere near as close to her. I don't feel much emotion in her presence any more, whereas I used to feel a sense of safety and care. I logically know she still cares for me, but emotionally, I just feel empty. I'm able to still work with her on my issues on a rational, much more distanced level but I miss the warmth that was once there. I had to see a different psychologist within the same clinic today due to my usual one being away and the difference was made very clear. I could feel the one I saw today (who I've seen a few times before) was much more open with me and it helped me feel safe and supported. My usual psych is now so closed by comparison and so am I I feel I may be somewhat guarding and protecting myself from her emotionally. I never thought I would feel the need to do that. Help? Opinions? Thanks. -Teaandpugsleys

Girlbond_007 Coming off medication
  • replies: 5

Today is day two of coming off one type of medication I have been on for 5 months. Feeling anxious and have an upset stomach. Trying to breathe and assure myself it is just the medication but I am kind of scared I will go back to being the anxious an... View more

Today is day two of coming off one type of medication I have been on for 5 months. Feeling anxious and have an upset stomach. Trying to breathe and assure myself it is just the medication but I am kind of scared I will go back to being the anxious and depressed mess I was before hand. is anyone else going through withdrawal if so do you have any tips for me on how to stay calm? thanks in advance

Traveller73 Acupuncture anyone?
  • replies: 6

Just wondering if anyone has tried acupuncture for anxiety, what feels like, cost? I have a book at home which says if you hold the lower joints baby finger and ring finger similtaneously with other thumb, anxiety decreases,thumb inside palm side of ... View more

Just wondering if anyone has tried acupuncture for anxiety, what feels like, cost? I have a book at home which says if you hold the lower joints baby finger and ring finger similtaneously with other thumb, anxiety decreases,thumb inside palm side of hand. I have tried this a few times and think it works. Chinese pressure point. So has anyone had success? ​

Lost_Girl Insomnia caused by SNRI and sleep cycle - help
  • replies: 3

Hi all, The SNRI that I take for depression caused by chronic pain has given me some side effects. The worst of which is insomnia. I was without pain relief for sometime and barely slept at all night or day. Now I have painkillers that make me drowsy... View more

Hi all, The SNRI that I take for depression caused by chronic pain has given me some side effects. The worst of which is insomnia. I was without pain relief for sometime and barely slept at all night or day. Now I have painkillers that make me drowsy and this is assisting with sleep but I can't seem to fall asleep until about 2 hours before I am due the antidepressant. My sleep cycle is dozing from 4am to 6am when I have to take my meds then sleep from 6ish to 1 or 2pm. I desperately want to change my sleep pattern back to something more reasonable but am struggling. I have tried: - body scans to help relax which do help me feel relaxed but I still can't sleep. - stretching exercises from my psychologist to aid sleep, again I feel relaxed but can't sleep. - Relaxing music. - Lying in bed waiting to fall adleep. - Ensuring all devices are off and early, ensuring hydration. - Tv and reading (how I would normally feel tired when well) -Sex -Melatonin Tablets Exercise like walking is not a good option for me at the moment as I have dizzyness and pressure in my head as well as the painkillers making me very drowsy. I have been advised by the neurologist not to take sleeping tablets. I would love to hear thoughts on; - methods on getting to sleep - how to change sleep cycle times - anyone else who has had insomnia caused by antidepressants and your story and anything you did that helped. Thanks so much, any help would be appreciated. Kind regards, Carol

Fluttershy2 Initial reaction to medication - please help!
  • replies: 1

Hi, I started a new medication for the 3rd time. Took half a tab yesterday and half a tab today. Yesterday I felt very nauseous and light headed, today it is so much worse, I feel like my whole body is floating and I can't even keep water down, have ... View more

Hi, I started a new medication for the 3rd time. Took half a tab yesterday and half a tab today. Yesterday I felt very nauseous and light headed, today it is so much worse, I feel like my whole body is floating and I can't even keep water down, have thrown up 8 times. I know things get worse before they get better, but has anyone else had these types of reactions and continued with the medication and improved on it? I've got friends who have had minimal side effects and great success on meds..but I am struggling..

Jaxon Medication, quitting and side effects
  • replies: 2

Hi all,I have been taking medication for approximately 10 years now. I didn't realise how powerful it was until my doctor told me that it was now a restricted drug and he would no longer give me a script for it. I though it would be a good time for m... View more

Hi all,I have been taking medication for approximately 10 years now. I didn't realise how powerful it was until my doctor told me that it was now a restricted drug and he would no longer give me a script for it. I though it would be a good time for me to stop taking it. Even though I am taking a very minor dose of once every evening, the withdrawal symptoms were so powerful I had to visit another doctor who gave me a script. Since then I have spent a lot of time on google and have learnt that this drug has very strong side effects when trying to stop cold Turkey. I am looking for advice from anyone else who has been taking this drug and would like to stop. I now know that just stop taking it is not an option for me right now, as it would be too difficult for me, especially as I work in a stressful work environment. Look forward to any replies.Jaxon

Spiltbean Professional Malpractice - The need for greater accountability
  • replies: 3

Having been battling with a pervasive and complex personality disorders for over a decade now, I feel more like a guinea pig, rather than a patient receiving the appropriate level of health care. I feel that clinicians are guessing as to how to treat... View more

Having been battling with a pervasive and complex personality disorders for over a decade now, I feel more like a guinea pig, rather than a patient receiving the appropriate level of health care. I feel that clinicians are guessing as to how to treat my illness, to my financial detriment, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I understanding that mental health is a tricky area, but it is not existential, it is a science! As such it does not justify why patients have to continually pay for services that are ineffective, that we receive no benefit from. The financial loss should be shared equally, between therapist & patient. As a society would we tolerate surgeons who were 'guessing' as to how to perform an operation? Would we pay them if an operation was not performed successfully, and our suffering continued without explanation, other than 'this is tricky'. If a therapist claims they can assist with a complex disorder, but then several months later on, you find out that they are clearly out of their depths, they should refer their client on to someone else, and at the very least offer partial/full refund for services they did not deliver. Is this not a breach on consumer law? I would really like to gather support for this issue, any thoughts?

gracebucket Remembering to take medication
  • replies: 4

Does anyone have any tips on remembering to take their medication? I'm at a relatively stable point provided I actually take my meds, but forgetting to take them pretty much rules out two or three days. The ones I'm on are marked with the day of the ... View more

Does anyone have any tips on remembering to take their medication? I'm at a relatively stable point provided I actually take my meds, but forgetting to take them pretty much rules out two or three days. The ones I'm on are marked with the day of the week, which is useful for knowing in retrospect, but doesn't really work as a reminder. I've also considered an alarm but my sleep schedule is really out of whack and my timetable so inconsistent that I don't know how useful that would be... Thank you for any ideas.

Lauren1992 Is increasing your dosage for your medication for anxiety a bad thing?
  • replies: 3

I have been taking my medication for about 3.5-4 months now. The last 3 months have been the best 3 months since i had anxiety which started back in January 2015.Recently i have felt a little anxiety coming back. I don't know if this is because my bo... View more

I have been taking my medication for about 3.5-4 months now. The last 3 months have been the best 3 months since i had anxiety which started back in January 2015.Recently i have felt a little anxiety coming back. I don't know if this is because my body is immune to the medication OR if it's because of my personal issue which has come back into my life (my ex-boyfriend) in the last month.I am going overseas to work next month for 6 months and i finally felt as though i was in a happy place and everything has come together and i was finally better.I don't know if i am thinking about it too much. I don't know whether to increase my medication or just see how i go. I am no longer speaking to my ex-boyfriend as it just creates anxiety for me. I am scared if i increase my medication that i am not getting better and i will forever be on medication which makes me upset.If anyone can please give me advice about increasing medication and if it's a good or bad thing. My doctor is wonderful and she is really positive about it. But i feel like she is just being positive so i don't worry.Thanks guys xxx

Qualifying Red Flag Online help programs - has anyone used "ecouch" or "moodgym"?
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone, I had my first visit to my new psychologist yesterday, she is lovely and the appointment went well. I am not able to get back in to see her now until 6th May so I asked her whether she had any suggestions about anything I could look at o... View more

Hi everyone, I had my first visit to my new psychologist yesterday, she is lovely and the appointment went well. I am not able to get back in to see her now until 6th May so I asked her whether she had any suggestions about anything I could look at online, by way of homework. She suggested "ecouch" or "moodgym", which are free and have modules that can be worked through in a self-paced manner. She said they are both excellent but of the two, "ecouch" has "softer sides" I am just wanting to find out if anyone else here has participated in either of these online and if so, what your thoughts are? Thank you, Red