I started therapy thinking I would just talk through a few problems, get some coping tools, and slowly become a more functional version of myself.
Instead, it feels like someone opened a closet I’ve been leaning against for years and now everything is falling out at once.
I’m not saying therapy is bad. My therapist is kind and I do feel safe with them, which is probably part of the problem. I’m not used to being listened to without having to perform, explain myself perfectly, or make my feelings more convenient for someone else.
But lately I leave sessions feeling raw in a way I don’t really know what to do with. Sometimes nothing dramatic even happens. My therapist will say something simple like, “That sounds really lonely,” and for some reason that hits harder than any big breakthrough. I’ll be fine in the room, and then later I’m sitting in my car or making dinner and suddenly I feel like I got emotionally drop-kicked by one normal sentence.
It’s confusing because part of me is grateful. Another part of me is irritated that therapy is making me more aware of how much I’ve been carrying. I think I expected healing to feel cleaner than this. More like progress, less like walking around with emotional bruises.
Has anyone else felt like therapy made them more sensitive before it helped them feel better? Is this just part of the process, or is it something I should bring up more directly with my therapist?