In just a few weeks, I will be ending therapy for a while! I have been with the same therapist for just over 5 years. I initiated the change because I’m feeling that I have enough tools to be able to handle my life on my own. For both of us, we felt accomplished and sad.
I would recommend therapy for everyone because it gives you a chance to talk out and process behaviors and ideas that you normally would not discuss with your partner or your friends. If you haven’t been in therapy for a while or if you’ve never sat down with a counselor, it really isn’t what you might be thinking. In my opinion, good therapists ask you good questions that lead you to conclusions which will make your life better or negative behaviors that you want to change. You are doing all of the work, and the therapist is there to just guide you as needed. I guess that can be a little intimidating for some people, but I have found that it has caused me to evaluate my life more. Since I’m the one who is responsible for working through the session, I’m more likely to do that same process on my own. And this is why I’ve been able to work my way out of therapy.
Along with getting off antidepressants earlier this year, finishing therapy at this time is another huge step in my recovery journey. Now that I have taken this time to focus so much on myself, I feel that my next step is to start giving back, which scares me to death because that requires vulnerability. It’s a lot easier to sit back and work on myself, but a lot more difficult to be ready and available to reach out to others in their times of need. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes as that part of my life develops.
Harry L. Estes 