How can I recover after hard therapy sessions? #KatiFAQ | Kati Morton

I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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[janeisadora]

After my therapy sessions, I immediately go home and just write out everything I'm feeling. I've found that capturing your raw emotions instead of dwelling on them and overthinking them actually helps you process them better.

[iris__and_rhizomes]

I had a therapist where I would feel in total turmoil after every session. Part of it was where I was at mentally at the time, but part of it was this particular therapist's tendency to "stir the pot" at every session - without leaving any time at the end to kind of reorient myself. When I moved cities, I got a new therapist, and he doesn't do this at all. He is very good at helping me stay grounded and leaving lots of time at the end of the session to make sure I'm recovered. So for me, switching therapists turned out to be the answer.

A tip I have is to take a walk in nature. It really grounds me in reality - and I feel safe and can realize that no one is hurting me. I have a dog, and she really helps me too. Of course she loves walking too. And I can pet her and take care of her and she curls up on my lap and gives me lots of love.

[das]

omg perfect timing. had a tough session today and was the first time I've cried in therapy... legit feeling wierd the whole day

[laurachase]

I used to do therapy sessions over the lunch hour in high school, and it was really hard to go back to class. I found that getting one of my favorite lunches (peanut butter, honey, banana, flatbread from Tropical Smoothie - yummy!) after each session served as a little way to take care of myself, especially because I usually skipped lunch. I would tell myself, "You are okay. Your feelings are valid and significant. You don't have to solve everything right now. We can unpack them later, and give the time and energy they need." Using my compassionate mind to soothe and care for myself helped me to refocus on what I needed to do.

[Azperry]

After a "good" therapy session, for me it's normal to be exhausted. But besides feeling tired, I feel satisfied. If you don't feel satisfied after a session, that's not a good sign. Sometimes I come away from sessions and don't feel like I accomplished anything. That's when I feel sluggish and tired after. But if I have a productive session, generally I feel a good exhausted, if there is such a thing.

[georgia]

I sit in my car and journal. I do this to get everything out and note down anything important or helpful that she said so that I don't forget. It helps me get my head together afterwards. Sometimes it doesn't help much, but it is worth a try.

[catherine]

set aside the last 5 or 10 minutes of you session to talk with your therapist about lighter topics such as the weather or current events! this helped me so much because i felt when I was leaving i didn't have the heavy intense topics still taking up my whole mind and I could reflect more on the drive home rather than feeling I had left my issues wide open. This 5 or 10 minutes allowed me a lot of closure on my issues at least for that session!

[cameron]

I didn't even know this was a thing that happened to a lot of people. I always thought it was just me. Thanks for talking about this. I will let my therapist know.

[barbarahall]

I'm so glad you talked about this!!! I've been having the same problem and my sessions are normally scheduled at 9am on a school day I think being later in the day would make it so much easier

[Rahmspinatkeks]

just a few weeks ago i basically had a mental breakdown after a therapy session and cried all night so I invited a close friend of mine to come over after my next session and she is a person I can talk to and who calms me down sooo much just being there and listening because I feel so safe around her...it also helps me to put physical pressure on my body like a tight hug or if I'm alone I wrap myself up in a blanket...and she stays untill I'm calm enough which usually takes about an hour and listens to me repeating my session 😊 it really works so well and since I always feel like I'm holding people back I cook dinner for us the day before so we can eat together which she'd do anyways so I don't feel like I'm taking away her time 😊

[arxxslxxgh]

Kati can you do a video about the right time to leave or 'graduate' from therapy, and how to deal with your feelings around going it on your own? This of course for when your therapist believes it's time for you to go out on your own. There's a lot of focus about how to get started with therapy but I can't find anything on the ending of therapy.

[rebeccaschmidt]

I was struggling with this too so me n my therapist tried different things but we found that distracting DURING therapy is helpful... like coloring or connect the dots so it feels more relaxed

[sarofan]

I needed this. Thank you.
I find myself sometimes not being able to function for even a day or two after a difficult session. It can be really draining.

[yarnmom]

Love this topic. My appointments are scheduled late in the day, and I make sure to leave the rest of the day open ended just in case it's a hard session. Then, I usually go get a green tea from Starbucks (the antioxidants help!) and take a short drive until I feel myself calming down. Sometimes I will voice record a journal entry while I'm driving too, which has been a good way for me to decompress while I'm in the car.

[Ucanttunafish]

I try and make sure I get everything done that needs doing that day BEFORE my session. Afterwards I clean my room, organise things, have a shower with lit candles (don't have a bathtub sadly), have a cup of tea, listen to music, and watch TV. I try and let those afternoons be unproductive, which helps my wellbeing and is productive in itself.

[TheCrazyskier]

I try to make sure I have an hour free after therapy to relax. Going for a walk, having some tea, talking to a friend are things I have found helpful. I've for sure had times where I had therapy and then had to run to class... sometimes I had to leave because I was upset from therapy and didn't want people to see me cry.

[kaylamarie]

I always make sure that therapy appointments are either late in the day and/or on days that I don't work. What helps me after a hard session is playing someone with a powerful and strong voice (I always go with Whitney Houston) and singing along the whole way home. My therapist office is about 20 minutes from my house and by the time I get home I feel exhausted but accomplished.

[janetslater]

I do some self-care after my therapy sessions...go for an iced coffee, work on a drawing, go get dinner with a friend, and often do something physical later on like go for a run, or go to my gymnastics class (hard to think about tough stuff when I’m upside down, working on handstands). Sometimes, I need to let myself feel those feelings for a while before I can focus on other things, but the self-care really helps.

[papondahoops]

I have definitely struggled with this too. It helps me to let my partner know that I want the house to myself after therapy so I can cry, sleep, journal, whatever, and recover before I have to pick up the carpool at 3. I like to eat a good breakfast, go to therapy around 10, then the next 4 hours are just getting back to functional. Or they were. It's gotten better. Love to you all.

[MsLilDropofSunshine]

I'm a person who needs therapy either to be at the end of the day, or on a day when I have nothing else going on. For example, right now I see my therapist at 1:30 on Mondays, but I don't have class on Mondays, and I told my job I'm not available to work. That way I've got the whole day to decompress and do what I need to do. Often that means taking a nap or watching Netflix for awhile or listening to music. There are lots of things to do!