Can You Do Too Much Therapy?
This isn’t a question I hear often, but I do get it once in a while, and I’ve witnessed quite a few instances of “too much therapy.”
We go to therapy to heal, learn, and grow, but sometimes it can be tempting to buy into the idea of “fixing” ourselves once and for all, and understandably so. How wonderful would it be to no longer have to deal with the parts of ourselves we don’t like, to have our problems resolve, never to return?
If we get stuck on the idea of fixing ourselves and feel driven and determined to accomplish this, we can end up in a situation where we might be pushing too hard for results. This push for results can be detrimental to our healing because our brains need time to consolidate, integrate, and apply what we’ve learned. If we’re constantly forcing it, we don’t get the chance to step back, reflect, and experience the changes.
If you’re anything like me, you can get caught up in accomplishing, pushing, and always wanting to move forward. We need to take time for fun and play, which in itself can be healing. It’s ok to not always be working on yourself.
The following are some indications that you may be doing too much therapy:
You’re feeling progressively worse (ex: increasing anxiety) from week-to-week, without some relief.
You’ve run out of words or reached your therapy goals but continue the sessions.
You dread your therapy sessions.
Your external life is not improving.
You feel over-reliant on your therapist.
You aren’t working towards specific goals; you just continue going in order to vent.
The goal of therapy is to help you heal, and for you to gain the skills you need so you eventually don’t need your therapist anymore. If you’re not moving in that direction, that’s a good time to re-evaluate.
Life ebbs and flows and we can’t go all-out indefinitely, it’s not sustainable, whether in therapy or anything else. Allowing for this and know that not fighting against the ebbs and flows is less exhausting than trying to deny or push through them. The therapy process takes time and patience and can’t always be done all at once.
My Own Time-Out
A few years ago, I took my own break of sorts from writing, blogging, and posting on social media. Constant immersion in the topic of mental health can be challenging, and I needed some time for new projects, my own healing, and more importantly, fun! My words had run out and I knew I needed to turn inwards for a while.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned and experienced during this time off as I start to blog again. Some of the things I’m planning on writing about include:
My substantial recovery from chronic pain and illness through a neuroscience-based brain retraining program, the Dynamic Neural Retraining System. I’ve learned a lot about the brain, and the incredible power we have to change the course of our lives (and health).
The new therapies I’ve incorporated into my practice. I’ve done a large amount of training over the past several years and I’m now a Certified Master Accelerated Resolution Therapy Practitioner and a Certified Befriending Your Body Teacher. I’ve had additional training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Internal Family Systems, disordered eating, attachment theory, and various other trauma-informed therapies.
Spoken Out Stories, a documentary series by Jeff Monnery of Monnery Films, in which I participated.
Various other topics that affect many of us including disordered eating, body image, relationships, managing emotions, book recommendations, and more.
In the meantime, in 2023, I created a presentation series for Dr. Ric Arseneau, a physician who specializes in chronic complex diseases. The presentations are based on my book, Aches, Pains, and Love: A Guide to Dating and Relationships with Chronic Pain and Illness and and those videos can be found on my book page.
Going forward, I’m in the process of revising and updating my book, Aches, Pains, and Love, which will be re-released later this year. Then it will be on to the next book!
I’m happy to be back and connecting with you again.