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Scared to stop going to therapy

Susanna4568
Community Member

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting so I'm sorry if my post is not following any forum rules or etiquette.

I started seeing a psychologist last year after dealing with anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts and procrastination. I had so many physical symptoms of anxiety, couldn't be home alone or by myself at all, and felt like I didn't know myself anymore. I was basically overanalysing and worrying about anything and everything. I was overthinking my entire life which was causing me to deal with so many different OCD themes and I experienced graphic, detailed intrusive thoughts.

Fast forward 6 months and my psychologist said that if I feel comfortable, I don't really need to come back to see them anymore. I am definitely doing much better; I have a good understanding of my mental health and how my brain reacts to triggers and certain situations. I can be home alone and no longer feel like I am about to "lose my mind".

Despite my improvement, I feel really scared to stop going to therapy. I constantly feel as though I am about to tip over the edge and lose myself again. I worry that if I do go back, my psychologist will think I am overreacting and am wasting their time when they could be seeing other patients who are struggling much more than I am.

I guess I would appreciate some advice on what I should do. Do I have to be completely better to stop going to therapy? If I start to feel terrible again, am I allowed to go back and see my psychologist even if they have already given me all the tools I need to cope?

11 Replies 11

Matchy69
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member
Hi Susanna I want welcome you to the forums and making your first post.
When I saw my phychologist I started seeing them every week and then it dropped to every fortnight and then to a month so I was weaned of these sessions which made it a lot easier when I did stop seeing her.And I always was told I could see her if I needed to.Which did happen I got a new mental health care plan from my doctor and a new referral.
I think you should discuss with your therapist that you feel ready but scared to leave and discuss your concerns with them.
Take care,
Mark.

Croix
Community Champion
Community Champion

Dear Susanna4568~

As Matchy69 says your best plan is to talk it over with your Psychologist. Firstly the offer was 'if you were comfortable' and by the sound if it you re not realy confident of the change as yet. While you do acknowledged that you have gained insight into your condition and can be home alone you have reservations.

It is a frightening thing to stop therapy after you have gotten used to it and derive a feeling of security from it. So I'd suggest a tailing off period, going less often, but still going sometimes, until you are ready to try on your own.

The other thing to remember is that life is not always the same and you circumstances may change, or something particularly upsetting occur. This is pretty normal and taking action by going back to your psych for further support is quite acceptable. In fact most therapist will understand and are prepared to assist if necessary and there is no question of wasting their time. If you need them that is enough in itself.

I have found I've been surprised when a course of treatment has come to an end how I've managed -better than I anticipated despite worrying about it in advance

Is there anyone in your life you can talk to about how you feel, a family member or friend who will just listen and care? Trying on your own is so much harder

Please let us know how you go

Croix.

mocha delight
Community Member
Hi susanna4568 before I answer can I ask how often do you see your psychologist?

Petal22
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi Susanna4568’s,

I had ocd and have now recovered from it....

from reading your post it sounds like you are getting caught up in your ocd cycle......... have you recognised what your cycle is?
I did ocd therapy and during my therapy I was taught how to recognise when I was falling into my cycle and how to dis engage..... once you can learn to do this the worry fades away because we don’t go that far into our cycle 😊

reassurance is one compulsion for ocd

You can learn to break free of your ocd cycle 😊

Thank you very much for your reply Matchy69! 🙂

I think you are right, I should definitely discuss this at my next appointment with my psychologist. When they mentioned stopping, I just kind of accepted it and assumed that 'that was it', so I would like to discuss this further with them. I also appreciate you sharing that you eventually got a new referral as I wasn't sure if this is something I could do 🙂

Hi Croix, thank you for taking the time to reply!

Thank you very much for your advice regarding how stopping therapy can be scary as it become a source of security; this is definitely the case with me. I would like to talk more about this with my therapist when I next go back. Thank you for also reminding me the fact of how circumstances can change and that I may find myself in a place again where I need to go back to having sessions more frequently. I hadn't really thought about it in that way, so thank you 🙂

Hi mocha delight, thank you for your response.

I was previously seeing my therapist every week, and up until now I have been seeing them once every 1-2 months 🙂

Hi Petal22, thank you so much for responding.

I think you may be right, this could very much be apart of my OCD cycle. Since I have dealt with OCD for a long time, it is so ingrained into me that I do sometimes find it hard to differentiate between what is OCD and what is just general worrying. In some ways, therapy is a form of reassurance/a compulsion as it allows me to gain some relief from my anxieties.

I will mention this when cycle when I see my psychologist to discuss my future plans with them, thank you for this perspective! 😊

Hi Susanna I think you worried most about not being able to see your therapist once you stopped.But their won't be any problem seeing them again if you need to.I hope all goes for you and your therapist can put your mind at ease for you.

Take care,

Mark.