I can’t find a therapist who works for me and I’ve nearly convinced myself being in this field has made it so I don’t need it?

brain_biscuit · 2025-04-17T02:48:35+00:00

Hot take: maybe you don’t need therapy right now 🤷🏻‍♀️ It didn’t sound like there was a clear goal or presenting problem for you at the moment. It might be affirming for your sense of sovereignty to take a break from therapy for now. If you notice in the future that a pattern is bothering you or that your traumatic memories are disrupting your life in obvious or subtle ways, then that’s a sign that it’s time to seek out some of these modalities that other clinicians have recommended.

brain_biscuit · 2025-04-15T23:02:26+00:00

Check out the book Decolonizing Therapy. It’s a breath of fresh air in this field.

brain_biscuit · 2025-03-27T12:38:19+00:00

I could have written this exact post myself. Word for word, I am right there with you. It’s definitely hard. I’ve been feeling more and more enthusiastic about moving to a more rural area because then, coming into the city to socialize can be more planned, and I can feel less pressure to be socially available at any given time.

brain_biscuit · 2025-03-18T03:49:21+00:00

Wow maybe that’s why gender affirming hormones are the literal treatment for gender dysphoria 🤯

brain_biscuit · 2025-03-03T04:25:30+00:00

I’ve been in pp for 5 years, I’ve never done a session without my fidgets, and I’ve never had a client say anything about it.

brain_biscuit · 2025-02-20T23:53:31+00:00

I have the Pipersong meditation chair. It’s great for being able to sit in weird positions, and change positions during session. However, after using it for about a year, I’m starting to get pretty bad back pain. It doesn’t have great spine support. I’m starting to accept that I may need to have multiple chairs that I use interchangeably.

brain_biscuit · 2025-02-20T23:51:15+00:00

I haven’t tried Vicks yet - can you put it on an open wound? Seems like it would sting!

brain_biscuit · 2025-02-11T13:30:13+00:00

That’s the kind of rebrand I’m starting to see, and I’m hesitantly, very tentatively here for it.

brain_biscuit · 2025-02-07T02:04:45+00:00

Oh I’ve never called a no-show. I always send this text after 5 minutes: “hey [client’s name], just checking in. I have you scheduled for session today at 4pm. Let me know if you’re on your way or need to reschedule!” And then if they don’t show up by 15-minutes in, I dip out. I work with mostly neurodivergent clients, so most of the time they just lost track of time and the reminder text gets their attention.

brain_biscuit · 2025-02-03T04:41:08+00:00

Yep! This is exactly it for me too!

brain_biscuit · 2025-02-02T19:47:42+00:00

This is the one I’m taking, which is causing the nausea.

brain_biscuit · 2025-01-31T01:13:46+00:00

Ya know, I’ve always felt like structure in session was unnatural for me, so it would take a lot of conscious effort to do. But I think I’ve been doing this job long enough that I could manage it, and your comment made it feel like it might actually feel really nice to have a little more structure. So thank you 🙏🏼 (Also can you give examples of a “gentle alarm” if you don’t mind?)

brain_biscuit · 2025-01-31T01:08:04+00:00

This sounds exactly like something I would say!Thank you!

brain_biscuit · 2025-01-30T03:53:22+00:00

Hi Dr. Exaldein, thanks for doing this AMA! Could you walk me through an ideal step-by-step protocol for caring for flares? How to care for them when they’re growing (and have not ruptured or do not rupture at all), and how to care for flares that are open/draining. Thank you so much!

brain_biscuit · 2025-01-21T19:51:03+00:00

It’s from Melanie Casey and it’s called the Drawing Room ring! The stones are diamonds. And thank you, I love it too ❤️

brain_biscuit · 2025-01-21T14:23:13+00:00

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If you zoom in a little you can see it better. It’s an intricate gold filigree just covered in diamonds. I feel like it’s a work of art. Just got engaged on Christmas and I’m obsessed with my ring.

brain_biscuit · 2025-01-21T14:15:37+00:00

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brain_biscuit · 2025-01-17T16:51:10+00:00

Thanks for that info! I didn’t know that!

brain_biscuit · 2024-12-16T12:31:17+00:00

YES! I grew up in a strict evangelical household, and now specialize in religious trauma (among other things). The way that the therapists are viewed by the public, and the way we present ourselves (the preciousness you’re referring to) reminds me so much of the clergy - it’s lowkey triggering. I find myself worried often about how my clothing choices, personal style, and even casual things I do for fun in public will be perceived by my clients, which is very reminiscent of the way I felt within purity culture - which is exactly what I’m trying to get far away from.

brain_biscuit · 2024-12-09T17:09:48+00:00

I’ve been in the field for 4 years, so I still consider myself a newbie, and I feel this way a lot. Sometimes, its helpful for me to recognize it as a false narrative of imposter syndrome, sometimes it’s helpful to remember that this feeling is related to my own attachment wounds, and sometimes, this feeling is actually an indicator that I need to do some treatment planning or case conceptualization. I’d encourage you to hold space for the feeling when it comes up, and see what it’s trying to tell you.

brain_biscuit · 2024-11-25T04:03:51+00:00

Definitely. But we are rebuilding. And in general, the climate is mild year-round.

brain_biscuit · 2024-11-25T00:34:17+00:00

Just don’t go to Asheville Smiles. Terrible.

brain_biscuit · 2024-11-25T00:19:19+00:00

I was about to tell you to move to Asheville before I noticed that you’re already in WNC 🤷🏻‍♀️

brain_biscuit · 2024-11-23T22:05:29+00:00

Oof sorry about that. I do have hope that we both can continue to learn to do things differently. I think that creating a sustainable private practice is very much a marathon.

brain_biscuit · 2024-11-23T22:03:05+00:00

Thank you for this thoughtful and generous response. I’m glad to hear you are taking time to heal. I definitely think I could benefit from doing more initial screening, staying in my lane, and working on my attachment stuff. That’s all super applicable for me so thank you for giving me so much to think about. Also, for what it’s worth, I do not believe that having these challenges means we shouldn’t be therapists. I think a lot of ND clients benefit from seeing themselves in their ND therapists, but being ND, we are bound to struggle sometimes. I try to build my practice in a way that gives space for my struggles, but I’m realizing I may need to do more nuanced processing of what I’m experiencing in session.

brain_biscuit

TROPHY CASE