People Who Have Been To Therapy Are Sharing The Most Profound Things They Learned, And I’m Writing These Down
People who have been to therapy are sharing the most profound things they learned:
1. “You’re trying to rationalize something said by an irrational person. You won’t make sense from nonsense.”
2. “‘Is this harming you, or is this just uncomfortable?’ Not every difficult situation is harming us; sometimes, it’s just a stretch, and those are uncomfortable. If it’s uncomfortable, it’s likely teaching you something and would be worth working through. I’m high-strung with anxiety, so this helped me calm down and look at difficult situations more objectively.”
3. “We judge ourselves by our intentions, but we judge others by their actions.”
4. “Respond, don’t react.”
5. “If someone can’t or won’t meet you halfway, that doesn’t mean you go further. One hundred percent of the time, that will lead to resentment.”
—u/rainynotes
6. “Your anxiety is not evil or an enemy. It’s like an overprotective friend trying to keep you safe because it once saw you hurt. Don’t fight it. Prove it wrong.”
—u/Laura5013
7. “The normal amount of suicidal thoughts is zero.”
—u/TTLSeaj
8. “Your ability to cut people off and self-isolate is a trauma response to never having anyone to depend on when you were young.”
9. “I never ever realized this before, and it’s going to make me seem like an idiot, but it was profound to me. ‘You aren’t compatible with everyone.’ I used to think that I could make a relationship work with anyone as long as the effort was there. But she opened my eyes to realizing that what makes someone special is when you both are compatible with each other because that’s actually a very rare thing to find.”
—u/neoIithic
10. “When I came back from Iraq, I was not in a good place. I was dealing with some serious PTSD and started to withdraw from the world. Finally, I saw the VA was offering free mental health therapy for returning vets, so I gave them a call. The therapist came out to my place, and we talked for a bit, and then he said something that made me think there was light at the end of the tunnel for the first time. ‘You know, you’re not half as crazy as you think you are.’ That one sentence helped me find my way back. I’ll never forget that.”
11. “‘You loved them, I don’t doubt it, but did you actually like them?'”
12. “Forgiveness of another person is not a necessity to move on, despite what people say. But you DO need to forgive YOURSELF for not being able to forgive the person who wronged you. Otherwise, you’ll hold on to anger forever. Once you let go of THEM, forgiveness aside, your life is much better.”
13. “She pointed out that a lot of the things I do or don’t do that I hate about myself are coping/survival mechanisms. They were important to surviving a shitty upbringing, and now that I’m safe, they aren’t needed. Unlearning these traits/habits is hard. It’s not my fault and allow myself to recognize that.”
—u/kmk89
14. “‘People are not finished products.’ It’s really helped soften my outlook and attitude toward others and myself.”
—u/yekirati
15. “You don’t have to wait for something terrible to happen before you change your behavior.”
16. “Not profound, but she noticed I was very hard on myself and asked me if I would talk to others the way I talk to myself.”
Did any of these resonate with you? Have any others to add? Share them down in the comments.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
These entries have been edited for length and clarity.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
