Ava Make Up Essentials

How do I convince myself I need to make a therapy appointment when I hate the phone and hate therapy?

It's pretty much my last resort. I'm bipolar and meds alone aren't doing enough. However, I hate calling people, especially strangers, and once I get into therapy my mind freezes up and I can't speak much.

Public Comments

1. omg. like get your mom to call for you, and also to attend the therapy sessions with you. thats what i do with my mom.
2. by self flattery. say i am eloquent, i am amazing, i am wonderful, yeah, i'm the best! you'll gain a lot of confidence by doing that. trust me on this!
3. yea get someone else with you and get someone else to call
4. Just know it's for your own good & make yourself do it. The call only lasts a few minutes, and who knows, maybe you'll really like the therapist.
5. Consider the alternative.
6. your well on your way to recovery, you are asking for help from complete strangers.just take a deep breath and do it for yourself and keep in mind the goal you are trying to accomplish[make yourself a better person]
7. do a background check on potential therapists, or the rapists. See which ones are honest and humble, you might find none of them are them choose the least evil one and go with that. Need some pills.
8. Underplay the significance of what you're doing. About hating the phone, well, think of doing it as if you were a robot on automatic pilot and don't let yourself foresee a lengthy conversation. You must make calls here and there for mundane stuff, pretend this is one. They answer, you just ask for an appointment for an initial consultation. As for the therapy, I know many who froze up for quite a few sessions. Just a few words exchanged, or feeling you're in a safe non-judgmental place, will eventually work. If you speak nothing, or perhaps later, very little, you would still have made progress. But the bottom line is, don't look at a long difficult process, look at sessions one at a time, where not much will be exprected of you in the beginning.
9. Ask someone to make an appointment on your behalf, AND WRITE DOWN THE DETAILS, time place, etc. Either use voice recordings, made at home, or write down what you want to say, but many therapists want to hear you say as much as possible, so use these as starters, and reminders, mostly. Closely examine the http://1-800-therapist.com website, and use the locators, in section 1, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and phone book. Personally, I'd opt for a psychologist who believes in only recommending minimal necessary medication, if at all, because they don't issue prescriptions, so are considerably less likely to be involved with the rewards, and inducements offered by sales reps from "big pharma": the large drug companies, to psychiatrists (there are links to, or articles on how psychiatry has become corrupted by money from drug companies, and "how doctors are being manipulated", in section 1: worth reading!). It's important to not only feel comfortable with your therapist, but also to know about their qualifications, and the type of therapy used (read section 1). Some people are in therapy for many years, and pay a small fortune in fees, so recognise that therapists may have a vested interest in keeping their patients coming back. It pays the rent, and permits them to feel that they are fulfilling a useful function in life. For this reason, I believe that, unless there is a need for a specific type of therapy, such as Dialectical Behavio(u)ral Therapy, for Borderline Personality Disorder, or EMDR therapy, for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it is a good idea to start out with a psychologist who uses Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, which often can accomplish all it is capable of, in 6 months, and to fix that time limit in the first session. In that way, the therapist knows that there is only a limited window of opportuntiy to do what they can, and there is no unconscious motivation to attempt to draw things out. If, at the end of that time, you believe you could benefit from a little more therapy, then you can extend it, but I'd advise the therapist a few weeks before the final session, in case they are considering taking on a new patient, leaving you "high, and dry" committed, and without options, except to find someone else. Learn to assess, and rate your therapist, after a while: sometimes it's better to move on, and find someone who you feel can help you more, but not if you've just reached an unpleasant part of the therapy, which part of you would rather avoid. See bipolar disorder, at ezy build, below, in section 10, and take the quiz, if unsure, and if the results are positive, ensure you get an expert diagnosis from a mental health professional, not doctors, who are much better dealing with physical ailments, and don't diagnose complex disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder often enough to develop any real expertise. Bipolar disorder usually involves major mood swings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over many months, or a matter of years, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling). I'd take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements in the winter months, (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won't need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult, to achieve. If you decide to use allopathy, (modern Western medicine) I recommend trying Lithium Carbonate, or Lithium Citrate. (regular tests are necessary, for these) before trying the other mood stabilisers, but if you aren't good at taking medications regularly, drinking adequate water, and keeping up your salt intake, something else, such as Lamictal, may suit you better. Check out "lithium" at http://www.drugs.com/, and http://crazymeds.us/ and always research medications first, (read, and keep the labels/information sheets) so you will be aware of the risks, and on the lookout for side effects. (Personally, if I wasn't bipolar type 1, and didn't experience hallucinations, or serious delusional states, I know I'd first try the orthomolecular, and Omega 3 fish oil supplements, vitamins, minerals; a herbal remedy, such as St. John's wort, and a mostly raw food diet, for several months. I'd aso eat in accordance with my "nutritional type". Enter that term in the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com/ If not considerably improved, after several months, consult your primary mental health care provider: you may be one of those who need medications to prevent this progressive illness from getting even worse. If bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic medication may also be needed. Everyone should take the Omega 3 supplements, or preferably "krill oil" for its other health benefits: use the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com/ . Some people refuse medication, using supplements, and a selective, mostly raw food diet (I do not recommended trying this, if bipolar 1, unless you aren't troubled by hallucinations, or delusional states). Maintain the treatments for the depressive phase, in section 2, at: http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Some topics in section 10 include: treating bipolar disorder with supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies. As with all medications, there are risks, and the possibility of side effects, which is why I inform people of the alternatives, to see if they can cope sufficiently well, without resorting to medications. Don't use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe, anytime. It is not unknown for those discontinuing medication, and trying the alternative treatments, (which are not quick to work) to lose their jobs, because of unacceptable behavio(u)r, so I'd start 1 week before vacation, and closely monitor the situation, and use medical advice.