Did you know that sometimes in therapy you can feel worse before you feel better? Say what?? I know, I know. It sounds like an oxymoron. Why would someone choose to go to therapy to feel better, but sometimes feel WORSE?
Hear me out. Imagine you have a deep wound from an injury. Do you just slap on a Band-aid without cleaning or treating it? Hopefully not, or you’d run the risk of infection and doing more damage in the long run. To properly treat the wound, you would cleanse the area and apply something like Peroxide (ow!) and then bandage it to properly heal.
Now, lets use this analogy to explain therapy. Imagine you have an emotional wound. You slap on a Band-aid as a quick fix (perhaps that Band-aid is alcohol, avoiding feelings, serial dating, binge eating, etc) and eventually the emotional wound gets worse. Now you’ve decided to seek therapy. Meeting with a therapist and talking about your emotional pain can be equivalent to ripping off a Band-Aid and pouring on the Peroxide. It can hurt! However, it is a necessary step to truly healing.
It is important to understand that therapy is a process. Sadly, there is no miracle cure, no magic wand, and no quick fix. Fortunately, the very act of opening up in a safe place, to a person who makes you feel heard, validated, and cared for can have healing qualities in itself! Whether it is me or another therapist, I hope that you find someone you feel safe opening up to on your healing journey. Are you ready to rip off the Band-Aid? Life is tough, but so are you! #YouGotThis