Should I Ditch This Person?

Absolutely you should ditch this therapist, if he or she is not helping, why go to them. If they are wanting to you take meds and you are against it, why continue seeing someone that is going to push this on you. I would ask nicely if they could refer you to someone else, perhaps someone that has the background as you mentioned, since therapist know more therapist, a referral from them would be better than skipping through the yellow pages.

I have been through many therapists in my life and most of them don't really do anything to help you. I talked to my family doctor about this almost ten years ago, and we agreed that he would start counseling me(He had been my doctor for over twenty years). It has worked out better than I could have ever dreamed. Maybe it's because I trust him with my life, or because he took care of all of us when my children were growing up. And he doesn't charge nearly as much money as the so-called experts.

Personally in my opinion, these days one won't find many doctors or therapists who don't or aren't going to try to push some form of medication onto their patients. It really drives me batty, because some things medication just won't "cure". I think you should do whatever you feel is the right thing for you. If you feel this therapist is not working, than ditch the therapist and continue on with the treatment and ultimate "cure" that fits you best.

Hi black cat. I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with agoraphobia for many years already. I can feel for you as well as the others who have this concern. I am not the kind of person who always listen to what all my doctors said. I had taken a brief medical studies during my University and until now, I continue to do researches regarding health issues. I seriously hate taking the conventional type of medicine. I prefer the natural approach or taking a good regular herbal supplement. If you feel that the doctor can no longer be of any help to you instead of forcing you to take the medicine, then by all means look for another one.

Dont' apologize for being long winded as you put it. That's what mylot is for,lol.Anyway,in all seriousness,if your therapist isnt' helping,dont' go.It's a waste of your time and the insurances money.I would definitely try another course of action. Good luck!

I have this problem myself. You're right. It is a stupid problem. Isn't there that part of you that knows you're being silly, but then there's that stronger part that says you can't go do normal things??? Crazy. Well anyway, I'm glad that you were able to afford to have a therapist who makes house calls. It's also good that that therapist was able to help you develop the skills you need to learn to cope with your phobia. Are you still able to put some of those skills in place? It sounds like you would be able to. Maybe you just need to try to do it yourself (although I know this is hard, if not next to impossible). From personal experience I know that if you "have" to get out of the house for reasons such as meetings or work, it's easier to fight against the phobia. It sounds as if the therapist you have now is not a good fit. Seems as if this person is not doing you any good, nor is this person responding to your wishes. You need someone that will listen to you, take what you have to say to heart, and then help you with the tools and skills you need to help yourself. If this person is a "pill-pusher" you might want to find someone else. I do think meds can help, but I do not think they are a quick fix or should be taken lightly. I see a therapist in her office. She listens, has empathy, and responds appropriately to all of my needs. She has been able to give me a lot of insight as to what has caused my condition(s), and what I can do to help fix them. I have seen other therapists in the past that have been of no help whatsoever. I say, find a new therapist, so you're not wasting your hard-earned money!

My reply to you yes you should as you say you can do all that yourself to be honest These People think they know it all because they have had the training but they don't they are not us they don't know what it is like they don't know how it feels and these People including Doctors need to start realizing that before telling us what to do and not to do

If you don't feel confertable with this therophist then i would get ride of him and find some one who you do feel is helping you and is more confertable to be with. I try to listen to my gut instint on subjects like this. You shouldn't be feeling let down with your therophist like you do. It's not you it's just that you feel he's not helping you. So find someone who will help you with the problem. It's not a stupid problem alot of people have this believe it or not. I can't seem to get my mother to leave her house that often because she's scared to go any where. My gram was like this. She lived in an upstairs appartment most of her life and she just got to scared to go outside and sit on the front pourch. She only did her shopping once a month because she needed the food and when she went out she made sure that she got back asap because she was scared of the people around her. She never wanted to do anything about it though. She was even scared when some one walked down the middle of the road and locked her doors as soon as she noticed them. So it's more commen then you think. Good luck with fighting this fear that you have.

I say ditch the fool. If he isnt helping you why go to him? And forget about him if he wants to put you on meds. I think your doing good you dont sound like you need any meds. Hey listen you can come to me and wont even charge you! Hows that? Deal? No seriously I wouldnt go to him anymore. Try looking for someone else. It took me forever to find a good family doctor and I just found one last year. Im keeping him. They are out there.

Hi Pyewacket, I have to say if you follow the money and make those in such positions accountable for their actions you'll see that the system encourages people to do what they should not. 1. The lawyer suggesting you see the therapist, 2. The therapist not engaged in your recovery 3. Being asked if you'd like to take medications, in a pushy way... The thing that bothers me is that until there is a change in social behaviors, (probably the reason that you have these attacks) then you likely will never be fully healed. You know that going to a therapist in order for them to make a living they need you to keep comming back, so follow the money on that one... And of course the meds have their own money trail to follow... Never give up on yourself and I see these types of forums as helpful for everyone... :) Peace and Blessings, Sincerely, Gary

I think if you feel like this kind of therapy is not doing any good, then you should quit going. You could try to find someone else within that practice and see if there is a difference. I can't blame you for not wanting meds. They do not fix the problem directly, only depress it temporarily so that you can get a sense of normality in your life. Since you are embarked on the journey of discovering the laws of attraction and self awareness, I will suggest something to you along those lines. I have no knowledge of your problem or what it involves. And for whatever reason, some 30 years ago you came to be having these panic attacks. So by going to doctor after doctor, you have in some way been telling yourself that you have this problem and that you are in need of help. Everytime you visit the therapist and talk about your problems, you are reinforcing to yourself that there is a problem. By talking about your panic attacks and the related difficulties, you, in effect, have attracted more of the same because you have focused on the problem. Whether or not you agree, staying focused on the problem brings more of the same. Why not try focusing on the solutions? I am sure you know what the solutions are. And that probably includes getting out more often and taking larger risks. I know you are in the process of making this change. The laws of attraction are very real and work on a vibrational level. Whatever thoughts and EMOTIONS you are thinking and feeling, you are then sending out into the universe as forms of vibrations. Those vibrations attract to you whatever it is that they are in harmony with, that is the substance that forms from the energy your are sending out. For whatever reason, you have been sending out strong virational patterns, backed by emotions, that have connected to their vibrational equals in the universe. That attraction has brought you a life of panic attacks and a life of being afraid to venture outside. All I am saying is that the vibrational forces you are sending out have attracted to you in some way the life you now live and the feelings you have about your life. Since for so long you have focused your energies on being "ill", you have actually, on some unknown to you level, attracted more of feeling ill....in this case panic attacks. And it is likely that up until recently, you never realized that you could change your focus and that you didn't have to accept a life filled with a sense of fear and occasionally panic attacks. I know this may seem confusing, but this is how life works for all people. Most of us may not understand how we do it, be in fact we get in life what we are in vibrational harmony with. The idea is to send out focused intentions that are purposely created by ourselves to attract whatever it is we really do want in life. Most of what we are attracting is done on a level of consciousness that we are not aware of. We are on automatic pilot because we are not aware of what our thinking is about. We never realize that we can change our thinking and our lives. So to get more of what you want in your life, you can attract it by becoming in harmony with it. Your solution to your problem is to think and feel emotionally that you are well and that you can go out into the world and do whatever it is you want. By thinking with a positive purpose, you will increase you vibrational energy toward what you want. In others words, stop thinking and focusing on what you don't want (to be ill) and focus your intentions on what you do want (your choice). As I see it, by folling through with visits to the therapist, you are only continuing to attract more of the same. You are going in circles in a sense. Perhaps if you break that chain and give up therapy for a while, you may be able to get past it for good. I am not saying that therapy never helps anyone, but for many it become a career and nothing seems to improve beyond a certain point. I hope you can understand this and that I have made some sense. But now that you have gone on a mental diet, you have decided to take some actions and have already seen good results. There is nothing to stop you from completely overcoming your fears. And to do that, aviod bringing them into your thinking as much as possible. If you can increase your awareness, you will know when you are feeling fearful. Then you quietly dismiss these thoughts as not serving you, and replace them with thoughts that do serve you. I hope to see you one day standing at the Grand Canyon and feeling that you have overcome your greatest fears as you are traveling around the country.

Well after reading through your discussion- I think you pretty much answered this one yourself- Should I ditch this yutz? Lol—I say YES! He isn’t helping you – you feel uncomfortable with him- how is this helping? Why not stop seeing him- keep trying things on your own—taking little steps- and then if all else fails and you think you need to go again- choose a different doctor. It’s too bad you can’t get the one again that was so good years ago- Have you checked- maybe he takes Medicaid now?

I think you pretty much answered your own question. He's not doing anything for you and he's not addressing your needs. I have gone through several therapists and I finally found one who was trained in western medicine, but was raised with eastern philosophy. She was able to help me develop better coping skills without all the continious analytical nonsense. It was short-term and it worked...without medication. There are wonderful therapists out there and so many that no one should have to get stuck with one that isn't a good fit and this one just isn't so I say kick him to the curb.

First of all I clap my hands at you for the times you can get out of the house. I think you are brave. I dont suffer from your affliction but it sounds like it has been a very long struggle. I have been depressed since I was the age of three and wanting to die. Can you imanage a three year old wanting to die, well this was me and it did not get any better all my life. I now have a life at the age of 48. I do not wish I could die. I will tell you I am on medication for depression. If I go off the medication I cannot function, I turn into this ball of crying hopeless nonfunctioning mass withou a life. I do not know what medication the doctor wants to put you on but I can tell you from my own expirence ther are meds out there that do not make you a zombie, I have been on several until we found the right one, I also can tell you from being an RN I have seen good things with good meds. I have seen some meds that will turn you into a zombie. If you decide to do the med thing be careful. It might be time to get a new thearpists. It is too bad that you cannot get the one back you had before. I realize how money problems are, it is not easy living on a fixed income or low income. Good Luck girl friend.

I don't know if you've made a decision yet - I'm getting caught up today though I hope - but I think that yes you should ditch him. He's not helping you as he should be and if you've told him how you feel about medication and yet he still tries to push them on you then he doesn't respect you. Your old therapist reminds me a lot of a character from a movie called Mumford. He did something similar for another character in the film and she was 'cured'. Some of the actors that are in it are: Loren Dean, Hope Davis, Jason Lee, Ted Danson & Martin Short. If you haven't seen it I recommend it:)

Don't apologize for being long winded :) You needed to explain the situation so others could understand. Personally from what I'm reading you should ditch him and find someone new. If you are calling him a yutz then he's not helping you and you have no respect for him so obviously there isn't much chance of things changing. Get someone you can trust and respect, someone who will be able to assist you. Meds might help but if you don't want them then there should be other ways to assist you besides just pushing them at you. Your time would be better spent at finding the right one for you and letting this guy help those he can.

hmmmn yeah i see where u coming from i got u when u said yeah uih hu definately so yeah i feel u seriousely i feel this connection and i got touched when u said ...yeah so ditch for sure

You are such a strong and intelligent woman Pye and I think you've already ditched this guy inside your head. I don't think medication is the answer for you. I think you are doing fine with your mental diet. I really look up to you and admire you ...in fact, your mental diet has made me resolve to do better than I have been. You've made me realise that I can achieve things if I set my mind to it. I finished my household chores I had to do today. It took me 3 days and I was peed off today when I kept getting interrupted. My mantra kept drifting to the forefront of my mind..."you can do better" and it's working. I'll be tackling more chores tomorrow and I'm pleased with the strong stand I'm taking. YOU inspired me to do this. I've even started work on a painting! I know you have the power and strenth and resloution to overcome your problems. Yo go girl. Brightest blessings.

I don't know much about phobia and how to treat it, but you are only getting this person because your lawyer advised you too, right? I mean after it's all over with the lawyer thing, you can switch therapist, you just have to take time to find the one that you like. You didn't say your lawyer specified a certain therapist, so I guess all he needs is that you see a therapist, not necessarily the one you are seeing right now. Just a thought!

Reread your own discussion. I think you have already made your decision. You don't need our advice!