Stories
Panic
Anxiety Education
Management Services
Yes, there are some "not very good" therapists out
there. And yes, there are very good therapists out there for people
with an Anxiety Disorder. Refer to Chris
Edwards Interview to review the guidelines we can use to choose
an appropriate therapist. Remember, your
recovery is the Number One Priority.
Annie recounted the following tale:
She was referred to a Psychiatrist who was working out of her own
home in Annie's local area. This psychiatrist had cleaners come into
her home at certain times of the day. The first session with this
psychiatrist was hard to assess, commented Annie. "I couldn't
hear a thing which was said because of the constant droning of the
vacuum cleaners around us. Also the cleaners would walk through the
room whenever they felt and so there was no privacy."
Believing she should give this therapist a second chance, she
booked in for a session that was earlier, thinking she would avoid
the cleaners this time. Annie turned up early and was told by the
household help to sit on the back steps until the therapist was
ready for her. Sitting there, she became aware that she could hear
every word being said inside. The therapist was with a young man who
was obviously having some major emotional problems. Annie shifted
position in embarrassment. She was left waiting for an extra
half-an-hour until finally the young man left.
The psychiatrist emerged from the house, greeting Annie with
"I should be back in half-an-hour, I've just got to run down to
the travel agent." Annie was left dumbfounded. What did she do?
... wait or leave?
Yes, she left. A couple of days later, she received a note from
the therapist. The note read "Sorry I missed you, hope you are
feeling fine." As Annie said later, What a gall of this
person?! It was just lucky I wasn't feeling suicidal!!
And then there was...
A young lady goes to her therapist for her normal weekly one-hour
session. She has been going for quite some time and is feeling
frustrated by her lack of progress. Usually the therapist is late
and leaves her waiting for up to 20 minutes.
Finally, she enters the room, the therapist poised behind his big
leather desk. Just as she starts to address the issues for this
week, he jumps up and tells her to hold that thought. He just had to
dash out and talk to a colleague for a minute. Forty-five minutes
later, he returned to the room as if nothing had happened. In
recounting the story, the lady wondered whether he did it
deliberately to test her. What the test was, she didn't know. What
do you think?
Waiting for the "best"
Rebecca had 6 months on the waiting-list before she saw a
reputedly terrific Psychiatrist. At last, the day came for her
appointment. She was kept waiting 2-hours before being ushered into
the room. The psychiatrist's initial questions revolved around what
she had been experiencing. Then he asked what she was fearful of.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, you are fearful of something aren't you?"
replied the psychiatrist.
"Sure" Rebecca replied "these god damn panic
attacks. That's what I've been telling you."
"No, no .." continued the psychiatrist. "There
must be something that you are scared of .. elevators, dogs,
spiders."
"Well, I guess when I was a kid I was scared of spiders, but
I don't see what that has to do with the panic attacks .."
"Great" said the psychiatrist "now we are getting
somewhere."
That was the end of the session and so an appointment was set for
the next week. Rebecca felt she needed the help, so returned
promptly on time for the next appointment. This time she only had to
wait 45-minutes. When she entered the consulting room, she noticed a
jar of spiders sitting on the desk. The psychiatrist told her for
this session she would sit and watch the spiders until her fear of
them was alleviated. She would sit at a distance and then get
closer-and-closer. He left the room, leaving her to contemplate what
this would do to help with the panic attacks she experienced--even
when not one spider was in sight. At the end of the session (of
course, she couldn't leave early, it would appear rude) she got up
and never went back.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies
though...
Paul had the wrong idea about what therapy was for. He, in
effect, became the "perfect" patient. Every session, he
came back and told the doctor how much better he was getting. He
talked in glowing terms about how much the doctor had helped him. In
actual reality, he was getting worse. Eventually the therapist had
no other option but to release Paul from treatment, congratulate him
and to let him go. Paul had no other recourse but to go - how could
he tell the therapist the truth now.
Meg had her first appointment with a Psychiatrist. She worried
about what he would say about her. Before she went, she tried to
calm herself and was poised, cool and collected. She entered the
consulting room and sat "relaxed" and spoke in terms that
diminished her actual experience. At the end Meg asked the
psychiatrist: "Do you think I am having a nervous
breakdown?"
He looked over his spectacles at her and replied: "I don't
think so ..."
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