Posted by m3 on February 15, 2002, at 0:59:55
I have a question for other people in talk therapy (guessing there are at least a few on this board). I just went for one of my fifty-minute hours, and my shrink and I were talking about how restless I felt and how I was tired of being depressed and tired of being in therapy (background: I've been seeing her for about 11 mos, we generally get along pretty well).
Toward the end of the session she took up the theme of whether I was angry with her because the treatment has been ineffective (this has come up before). I told her that I didn't directly feel that way, though it might be causing some of my restlessness. We continued to discuss it, and she again asked if I was annoyed with her. I got the idea she wanted me to be annoyed with her. She kept pushing me in that direction. I finally became annoyed because I felt manipulated. I accused her of manipulating me, and she didn't exactly respond.
Nobody likes feeling manipulated, and I accept that it sometimes happens in therapy, but I really feel disrespected and betrayed right now.
So my question for the community of the being-shrunk is, is this fair? Am I supposed to play along and try to accept that she has the right to do things like this? Has this ever happened to you? What gives?
poster:m3
thread:18297
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020214/msgs/18297.html