My IgG was negative before my trip and positive now though?

This seems very weird.

A few questions: 1. What modality of therapy do they practice? CBT? EMDR? Trauma-focused stuff? Analysis? Psychodynamic? What can you tell us about the type of psychotherapy? 2. Are you in the US? Paying out-of-pocket or through insurance? 3. Is this an a single psychiatrist/psychotherapist in a private practice or a clinic?

Hmm curious now what the story is??

I also get anxious calling! But I wrote out a script to say for leaving a message or what to say if someone picked up and then just made a checklist so I could get a little dopamine hit every time I could check off a call. Avoiding these things tends to make us more anxious, I think just going for it and calling will help you see that it’s not so bad 😊

The lack of reply really sucks, especially when you’re struggling and need a therapist! My advice here is to actually call and leave a message or send an email from your email address and then follow up a couple days later if they haven’t responded (as opposed to sending a message through Psychology Today). These two options make you sort of stick out a little more and seem like a likely client rather than someone who is just sending out a million messages. Sucks, but worked better for me.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this pain. But I think you already identified some of the issue here. You’re yelling at yourself, beating yourself up for it. All that’s doing is making it more painful!

What’s so wrong with being in love with your T? They won’t act on it, nothing will happen, and that can be painful. Let yourself feel that and be compassionate that it sucks and it does hurt. But can you try to allow yourself to just be in love and enjoy the time you can spend with her? It’s only been a month, you can get through this. The key with hard emotions is to stop fighting them, stop struggling, and try to just surrender yourself to them. That doesn’t mean you act on the feelings, but you accept them, understand them, and have compassion for yourself for where they’re coming from and the ways you want to act but can’t.

NAD. How are you sitting when you are taking your BP at home? Is your arm in the same position as when you get your BP taken at the doctor/hospital? If you lean that arm down or have it lower than normal, that will make your BP seem higher (and having it up high will make it seem low).

NAD. This sounds like dissociation. Did you have anything stressful happen? Anything that could bring back some negative memories or remind you of someone or something in your past?

Just saw that it was as you finished your workout. Was it a normal workout? Did you go harder than usual?

I think it’s one of those moments where someone is just saying a true statement and we read it in the wrong tone because Reddit.

A cat allergy is actually an allergy to a protein in their saliva called Fel d 1. This food brand contains another protein which binds to that protein, changing it so we are no longer allergic to it. It’s possible it has some ingredient that’s supposed to reduce dander, but the main way it works is through this protein binding.

This is why you can be very allergic to some cats and not to others - they produce different amounts of the enzyme in their saliva. I have a cat who produces little so I’m fine, but have a friend whose cat I can’t be around without stocking up on antihistamines.

Also recommend talking to her and telling her this.

It can be a couple things. Maybe she’s new and uncomfortable, so she’s laughing out of that discomfort. Maybe she doesn’t realize and will change it. Sometimes it feels like someone is laughing or we draw conclusions that aren’t totally accurate, so telling her might help her figure out what kind of response actually would be helpful. Or maybe she’s not a good therapist and you need to find someone else. Unfortunately, the only way to really figure it all out is to talk about it.

So this is one example of why it’s not a good idea for two friends (or relatives) to have the same therapist. If you live somewhere where there are options, I would encourage you to look for another therapist or explain to your therapist that you are friends with someone who said they had the same therapist and so you are looking for referrals to someone else (hopefully the therapist would neither confirm or deny knowing your friend to protect confidentiality but be happy to provide you referrals).

That being said, it’s true that the therapist is responsible for confidentiality and not you. You are allowed to share anything that happens or is said in sessions, as is your friend. Neither of you would be in trouble for sharing anything. You also wouldn’t get in trouble for lying to your therapist, but lying is just harming yourself and preventing yourself from getting what you need. I would encourage you to share everything with the therapist, either this one or the next one you find.

As far as your friend, tell them whatever makes you most comfortable. Therapy is a private thing, you are allowed to talk about things there without having to confess to it outside the room. I have discussed moments with friends where I felt annoyed by someone and my therapist and I have explored why I felt that way and how to respond in the future. I would never need to tell anyone about that. If you don’t want to lie to your friend, that’s fine and good, but I think that’s a perfect example of why you need to find a different therapist.

I got to college and the smell and taste of beer would always make me sick. I definitely associate it with my father, but I didn’t have the memories of CSA until recently.

I would drink hard liquor and go overboard in college, loving the feeling of not caring what other people thought, but that faded once I left. Now I drink a glass of wine here and there on a special occasion but I have no desire to drink or enjoy alcohol and I really can’t stand to smell beer.

Books. And when I was really little, hiding in the closet between a couple comforters.

I appreciate that. It’s also reality… I’m pretty overweight, don’t make an effort to look nice, very far from conventionally beautiful. I’ve had a couple guys attracted to me, but it’s always after we get to know each other as friends and feel something more, not based off looks. I’m okay with that, I’d rather be liked for who I am and not what I look like. Lauren is insanely beautiful and probably gets comments like that all the time. I imagine it makes her feel unsafe more than anything else, it’s creepy and weird. Just wish my mother didn’t have to make that the first thing she sees in a person and how she judges them.

That definitely sounds super frustrating. I would honestly say everything you wrote here, just walk in the next appointment and say you’re angry because __. And see where that conversation goes. She may or may not agree and refund the fee, and at that point it’s all up to you. For me, if this were a new therapist and she became defensive or was super strict, I would probably find another therapist, because I’m not someone who cancels unless I have to and this does seem like a double standard. But if you feel it’s a good fit and don’t have other options, you might have to just deal with it. But it’s important to share your feelings and hopefully experience a good response.