Has therapy actually helped?

[Abouttime1978]

Sorry just looking for other people's stories about undergoing therapy (probably psychotherapy).

I've been taking anti depressants but had to stop as all 7 types give me horrendous digestive issues that don't settle down.

I had a difficult childhood and difficult family relationships so the NHS feel I need psychotherapy which they don't offer.

Happy to go private but just wondering how long it can take to work so I can prepare myself for the long haul!

Several years ago I underwent therapy. [Work issues and elderly parents, Social Services etc etc caused my problems originally]
The first therapist I saw I could have decked! She suggested having a soak in a perfumed bath with candles around it. WTF???
The second one was much better and at one session asked me if I had never loved my Mother. This was something I had never thought of - and I later realised it was true. I hadn't loved her. He spotted it during our conversations and it was a real help for me to get things into perspective. I think it took 2/3 years for me to get better but we are all different.
Good luck.

Yes, it has helped me massively. I've had lots of childhood issues and am having Gestalt psychotherapy. It has been a really slow process for me though, but worth it.
I think the most important thing is finding the right therapist for you.

Psychotherapy is available on the NHS, but provision is patchy and waiting lists can be several years long. Have you seen a psychiatrist? Some services are not available without a referral from them.

Psychiatrists are also able to prescribe medications that GPs cannot. There are definitely more than seven options available.

Yes it does. Just having someone you can say anything to helps. Have you asked your doctor about one of the older antidepressants? The usual SSRI ones don't suit everyone and though Tricyclics do come with their drawbacks, if you can convince someone to prescribe them, they do work.

Thanks everyone, that really helps.

My GP doesn't think I'm bad enough for a psychiatrist referral, so I thought I'd try some psychotherapy and see how it goes.

My husband has some private health cover so using that for now.

I'm just so fed up of trying different antidepressants which work with my mood but make me feel physically rubbish. X

I had to make an attempt at suicide before I saw a psychiatrist and it still took nearly a year to be treated. Therapy is a much better solution if you can afford to go private.

Yes therapy really has helped me as it gave me a lot of insight into myself and my relationships. I have gone from believing myself to be defective to accepting that my default settings, which I can now identify and deal with, are a product of my upbringing and a subsequent abusive relationship. I'm actually quite a different person to the person I believed I was, if that makes sense.

I'm much happier in myself these days. I had a mixture of psychotherapy and person centred and I found both helpful in different ways. It took a few years and trying out a few different therapists though.