how long did it take therapy to work and what changes did you see in yourself?

6 comments

1. It doesn’t just “click” and you feel better. It’s a constant thing. It took about 3 months of 1 session per week for me to be really comfortable with my therapist, and for her to understand me. That’s when I started to feel the tables turning, and around 6 months in I really started to feel more awareness and some relief. But it’s an ever-changing, evolving thing. Some weeks feel like I’ve made a great deal of progress, some weeks I feel stuck. It takes time. It’s the big picture of it that matters.

2. I just had an epiphany one day after a session. I didn’t see them for long though, maybe a month.

3. When my ex partner and I did therapy, I get a notice in myself right away because I was ready to make a change and I felt motivated.

   Before that I was seeing a therapist for one year and didn’t start to notice a different about a year after. Not to say I didn’t improve on that year but after a year I looked back and realized how much I had slowly changed and who I was in that moment

4. Lots of people look at therapy like taking a course of medication, where the therapist ‘solves’ your issues.

   I always think of therapy as like having driving lessons.

   The therapist can’t make changes to the way you think. You are the only one who can do that.

   They can give you ideas, or pick up on what your existing habits are, but ultimately, it is your choice when, or indeed, if, you want to make any changes.

   It also depends on the type of therapy.

   Some therapies just offer a space for you to explore your own thoughts, but don’t suggest any ways to change them.

   Other therapies offer ideas for actively changing your thoughts (for example, CBT).

   I think your age makes a big difference as well, because the development of your brain is still changing very fast when you are under 25 or so.

   I had couples therapy once, and quite honestly, it was just frustrating, annoying and completely unhelpful to me. It was just someone sat there, listening, for the most part.

   On the other hand, I’ve changed the way I think *a lot*, as the result of reading a lot about it and trying different things out over the years. I am now a lot more content, and more robust mentally. It is very nice and has made life a lot better.

5. I’ve needed to go for over 11ish years to deal with some extreme PTSD. It doesn’t happen immediately. It takes time depending on your ailment, and also depending on your compatibility with your shrink.

   Before therapy, I dropped out of uni, had frequent panic attacks, suicidal episodes, self harm, anxiety attacks, was afraid of sleep, afraid of specific cars/smells/places, etc.

   After therapy, I’ve graduated uni, no longer get Panic attacks when confronted with most specific cars/smells/places, didn’t kill myself, no longer self harm, was able to get married and start a career. I still have episodes of depression, nightmares arent as frequent so less fear around sleep, am able to be intimate with my husband without panicking, and I can manage anxiety when it happens most of the time.

   It took me all those years to get here, and I’ve never been prouder of my progress. It happens slowly, but the rewarding outcome is so worth it.

6. therapy is just that — therapy. It takes effort for *you* to implement changes for the better; therapy alone won’t cure you….*you have to make the necessary changes in your life/yourself and consistently work at it in order to get, and then feel, better*.

   I was in psychotherapy and meds for close to 2yrs or maybe just over 2yrs (Zoloft + regular weekly sessions). My psychiatrist slowly got me to my therapeutic dose which I stayed on for the duration of my weekly sessions and after about 15 months, we dialed the sessions back to once every 2wks after which, he slowly dialed down my meds and eventually weaned me off.

   but between my sessions, I worked hard to learn my triggers, set my boundaries and made vast changes to my life in order to manage my depression/anxiety.

   It’s been about 8 or 9yrs since then and I’ve been doing excellent; I’m happy, healthy (mentally and physically) but all of this, to this day, does not come without effort on my part.