Hello fellow bloggers and readers :)
So I want to get back on the subject of mental health with this blog post, as I made a great stride this past Friday on my continued journey to become a functional man with Bipolar Disorder. I had mentioned in my first blog post that I was enrolled in a Intensive Outpatient program at Philhaven Institute which consisted of Group therapy. Well this past Friday was my last day at my group therapy program. My counselors thought that I was ready to spread my wings and fly onto the world and that I had pulled everything I could from the program. They felt ready and I felt ready as well. Of course a little nervous and scared because this program is what I've known for 2 months of this year. However I knew eventually that this day would come and I would have to face it. I had benefited so much from this experience even more than my other experiences with hospitalizations and previous attempts to help me get better. So today I wanted to talk about the 2 benefits of Therapy and how they can help you with your mental illness.
When I was going through my mood episodes the one thing I felt was a sense of isolation and feeling like I was alone. It is very hard for people to understand you and what you are going through without them going through it themselves. You can have all the support in the universe from family and friends, however if they don't chose or can't show empathy to understand your condition then it can feel very lonely. This is where group therapy comes in handy. Groups are designed for you to not feel alone and give you a sense of belonging. In group therapy I was able to find that empathy and find a sense of belonging with the other group members that were present. I didn't feel alone anymore and I felt as if I was able to be understood because some of the people in my group had similar struggles as me. It felt great to feel like I wasn't the only one going through these struggles by myself and I was able to make friends with these people. Another great benefit of therapy is the ability to get things out in a confidential setting.
Everything that is said in therapy stays in the room. That is one of the first things that I was told when I was in group therapy. The fact that I was able to touch base on many issues of suicide, depression, my rape issues, and not feel like I would be judged and it be safe was a great feeling. I had held a lot of stuff in in my life that made me very angry at the world and also very sad that until recently didn't find light. In the therapy sessions at Philhaven feeling safe enough with the people around me and my one on one therapist to acknowledge how I was feeling in return was able to take a sense of dead baggage off of my back. The more I talked the more that baggage was lifted off of me. It also helped that I was able to get feedback from the other group members that were in the room and also be able to give a little of my own to many of them as well.
I hope all who are reading this have some sort of idea how group therapy is beneficial to helping anybody with mental illness. And not just mental illness. I wholeheartedly believe that group therapy should be sought out by everyone at least once a month. It would make this whole world a lot better of a place.
Until Next time,
Peace. Love. Gratitude.
So I want to get back on the subject of mental health with this blog post, as I made a great stride this past Friday on my continued journey to become a functional man with Bipolar Disorder. I had mentioned in my first blog post that I was enrolled in a Intensive Outpatient program at Philhaven Institute which consisted of Group therapy. Well this past Friday was my last day at my group therapy program. My counselors thought that I was ready to spread my wings and fly onto the world and that I had pulled everything I could from the program. They felt ready and I felt ready as well. Of course a little nervous and scared because this program is what I've known for 2 months of this year. However I knew eventually that this day would come and I would have to face it. I had benefited so much from this experience even more than my other experiences with hospitalizations and previous attempts to help me get better. So today I wanted to talk about the 2 benefits of Therapy and how they can help you with your mental illness.
When I was going through my mood episodes the one thing I felt was a sense of isolation and feeling like I was alone. It is very hard for people to understand you and what you are going through without them going through it themselves. You can have all the support in the universe from family and friends, however if they don't chose or can't show empathy to understand your condition then it can feel very lonely. This is where group therapy comes in handy. Groups are designed for you to not feel alone and give you a sense of belonging. In group therapy I was able to find that empathy and find a sense of belonging with the other group members that were present. I didn't feel alone anymore and I felt as if I was able to be understood because some of the people in my group had similar struggles as me. It felt great to feel like I wasn't the only one going through these struggles by myself and I was able to make friends with these people. Another great benefit of therapy is the ability to get things out in a confidential setting.
Everything that is said in therapy stays in the room. That is one of the first things that I was told when I was in group therapy. The fact that I was able to touch base on many issues of suicide, depression, my rape issues, and not feel like I would be judged and it be safe was a great feeling. I had held a lot of stuff in in my life that made me very angry at the world and also very sad that until recently didn't find light. In the therapy sessions at Philhaven feeling safe enough with the people around me and my one on one therapist to acknowledge how I was feeling in return was able to take a sense of dead baggage off of my back. The more I talked the more that baggage was lifted off of me. It also helped that I was able to get feedback from the other group members that were in the room and also be able to give a little of my own to many of them as well.
I hope all who are reading this have some sort of idea how group therapy is beneficial to helping anybody with mental illness. And not just mental illness. I wholeheartedly believe that group therapy should be sought out by everyone at least once a month. It would make this whole world a lot better of a place.
Until Next time,
Peace. Love. Gratitude.