Have any of y'all tried gestalt therapy?

[Tom]

I had a therapist like that that one time.

 

[Ginseng]

I like your title, Captain Oblivious.

 

[Ginseng]

I did too. She damaged me greatly! Sad to hear you had her also. sigh

I had a therapist like that that one time.

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[Shamar]

I went to a new therapist and she plans to use a combination of gestalt and Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on me. I think this may be a little to confrontational for me. I am kinda apprehensive about this, but she seems good and knowledgeable. And surely she won't move faster than we have established a therapeutic rapport. I have a lot of trauma in my history so this concerns me.

Based on my experience, I am skeptical of most therapies. Part of the problem is that I see things in very literal terms, and distinctly separate reality and imagination. Thus, role playing has no application to the real world. Gestalt therapy is really nothing more than analyzing what is happening in the immediate moment. The problem is the "immediate moment" is a therapy session in an office. Again, not the real world.
My objection to most therapies applied to autism is that autism is a brain wiring situation, whereas therapies deal with psychological problems. If the emphasis is dealing with the problems caused by being autistic, no problem. Unfortunately, the emphasis seems to be turning an autistic into an NT. Which ain't gonna work.
One thing that did seem to help for trauma and PTSD is something called EMDR therapy. At least, the traumatic memories no longer intrude into my thoughts at inopportune times. I can still call up the memories when I want to work on dealing with them, but now I have control rather than them controlling me.

 

[Ginseng]

i think i just need help processing some things. But they don't seem to hear me when I say that.

 

[George Newman]

The therapist that I meet with has an autistic son. His experience with his son helps as he and I work thru cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions.

Before each session, I remind myself that I am doing this work to understand me better. I do this work out of respect for who I really am. I do not do this work to solely identify my failures. I do this work to relate circumstances, understand context, and talk thru potential alternative ways of managing circumstances. I also do this work to understand and accept me ..... I do this work to survive because I have no one else in my life that I can talk to. My therapist is someone who will listen.

My therapist and I have developed enough respect for each other that we do not take each other for granted. My experience has moved from a clinical transaction coupled with a copay to a opportunity to be myself. My therapists' office is the ONLY place where I interact with another human being with out reflexively masking.

If the sessions with my current therapist were not adding value to my life I would simply not schedule another session and walk away. I do not need a clinical transaction where I am talked down to or patronized.

I don't need to be fixed I just need to understand.

I hope that my sharing a summary of my experience helps in some small way, Ginseng.

 

[Butterfly88]

I've done CBT and it helped somewhat. I'm not sure if it was modified for autism or regular. I have PTSD and OCD in addition to ASD so I've been in therapy more for that. Isn't Gestalt therapy the stereotypical one where they put you on a couch for eight years and then you see an improvement? I'm not sure what benefit that would bring for someone with ASD unless you've got some other concerns as well.

 

[Ginseng]

No, that is psychoanalysis. Gestalt is more hands on and confrontive. Not my style to be honest.