Social Anxiety Support

Mooncalf · 05-12-2009, 07:45 PM

Anybody here in group therapy? What's it like?

bezzelrock · 05-23-2009, 11:52 AM

I'm in a group and to be perfectly honest with you, i hate it! I've been going for 10 months now and seen no improvement. My anxiety prevent me from speaking and benefiting from it.
However i should point out that this is not a group for SA, so not everyone there 'gets it'. It's actually for personality disorders. It might be different if it was a group specifically for SA.

LostPancake · 05-23-2009, 01:12 PM

I'm thinking about joining one - I think I have a lot of rough edges on my personality that need work. That's supposed to be one of the benefits of group - people are supposed to offer you honest feedback. To a certain extent, posting on here is like that, but feedback is often of the form of crickets chirping, so you're like oh, I guess I didn't put that very well...

shocksleeper · 05-24-2009, 12:12 AM

I went once...it was such a waste of time. I guess because I've been through all of the motions of therapy since I was a kid, and I know every psychological term in the book, I felt out of place. It was more for people who don't know those things, are a lot more unsure of themselves and need to be told that everything's not their fault, this was caused by a trigger, do this to reduce stress etc. I know all of that stuff but I still have problems. So I don't know. That was just that particular group however. I'd try it again, maybe, and I know it helps a lot of people.

VetChick · 05-24-2009, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shocksleeper

I went once...it was such a waste of time. I guess because I've been through all of the motions of therapy since I was a kid, and I know every psychological term in the book, I felt out of place. It was more for people who don't know those things, are a lot more unsure of themselves and need to be told that everything's not their fault, this was caused by a trigger, do this to reduce stress etc. I know all of that stuff but I still have problems. So I don't know. That was just that particular group however. I'd try it again, maybe, and I know it helps a lot of people.

I tried to go, but it was so pointless. I think it was cause I was under 18 so I had to go to a general group, but everyone in the group was completely different and I didn't like it at all...

Traci · 05-25-2009, 11:28 AM

My therapist recommend a group for me but it's just a general young adults group. Could be useful to at least maybe make some friends and have some social interaction I suppose. I have chickened out the first two sessions. Another one is tonight, I'm gonna try and force myself to go.

12345 · 06-05-2009, 10:51 PM

I just went to this support group meeting and I was the only one who turned up!
Well there were the 2 organisers of the group but I didn't really feel and bond with them.
They didn't have anxiety, one kept on going on about how she was fearful of needles, And the other seemed up herself and wouldnt face me when I spoke to her. She had a boyfriend, no anxiety whatsoever and they both had social lives and yeah the whole thing was stupid. I'll never go to this particular one again.
Apparently when others turn up its just old ladies who are lonely.

iingridd · 06-06-2009, 04:53 PM

i going over the idea of going to one (group therapy) but i don't see any successful stories. anybody got anything positive out of it?

wiselittleracoon · 06-07-2009, 11:32 AM

I tried to get in to see someone at the public health department and they had just changed how they do things to where they put everyone in group therapy.People with different kinds of problems.I set up the appointment and then cancelled it right after.Its not fair.How am I supposed to benefit from that?If everyone there had SA,then I could see how that would be helpful.Thats why I'm here.

mixolydian · 06-25-2009, 08:02 AM

Just thought I'd bump this as my therapist has referred me to a group therapy programme which is due to start in August. Unlike what you guys have written about your experiences, this one looks really well run and is organised by quite a well funded, government mental health organisation. Anyways, I was just wondering about how large groups normally are, your general experiences and whether or not you guys made any friends or not. I'm actually a little bit excited, although understandably nervous. It should be interesting to see the different types of people who suffer from SAD and just see where I fit in. Wish me Luck.

weebeastiebaby · 06-25-2009, 01:31 PM

I just started going today, and don't think it will do much good except for the CBT portion. I think CBT is extremely beneficial for both depression and anxiety. Large parts of the therapy aren't really helpful though, since the group is designed for people with all types personality disorders.

PolarBear · 06-29-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bezzelrock

I'm in a group and to be perfectly honest with you, i hate it! I've been going for 10 months now and seen no improvement. My anxiety prevent me from speaking and benefiting from it.
However i should point out that this is not a group for SA, so not everyone there 'gets it'. It's actually for personality disorders. It might be different if it was a group specifically for SA.

Personally, if i were to go to group therapy (which i'm considering doing with increasing frequency these days), it would HAVE to be a largely SA group. I just think i would be far more comfortable speaking with people that have the same problem i do because they understand why we act like we do.

HustleRose · 06-29-2009, 12:07 PM

Kind of. I don't think a CBT group counts... Since they weren't there specifically for personal support rather than to challenge our SA in a less intimidating atmosphere.

I've always wanted to try one, but it's very hard for me to talk about my SA to other people; I get overly sentimental, and start to think about how much this disorder has crippled me and then my whole week is ruined...

vak3 · 06-30-2009, 06:11 PM

I went to one this past year at school, for general anxieties. I didn't speak for the first two weeks, but eventually it got easier to speak. We had to do a check in each time, and mine was usually a sentence or two, but by the end I made a full paragraph and even spoke up by myself (after a lot of rehearsing and false starts). But people really listened to me, and I liked it. They paid attention to what I had to say, because I didn't speak much- and they told me that at the end. Even if you dont speak right away, its nice to know that other people get the same physical feelings and thoughts running through their minds. Or you can just nod if it applies to you. Thats what I did a lot.
Valerie

swfirefly · 07-03-2009, 09:03 AM

I go to group therapy and I think its helpful, but my group is mostly for depression and bipolar.

05-12-2009, 07:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mooncalf Status: SAS Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 166	Group Therapy Anybody here in group therapy? What's it like?

05-25-2009, 11:28 AM	#6 (permalink)
Traci Status: Making some changes... Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Colorado Gender: Female Age: 20 Posts: 461	My therapist recommend a group for me but it's just a general young adults group. Could be useful to at least maybe make some friends and have some social interaction I suppose. I have chickened out the first two sessions. Another one is tonight, I'm gonna try and force myself to go. __________________ "Life is waiting for you, it's all messed up, but we'll survive."

06-29-2009, 12:07 PM	#13 (permalink)
HustleRose Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: New England Gender: Female Posts: 115	Kind of. I don't think a CBT group counts... Since they weren't there specifically for personal support rather than to challenge our SA in a less intimidating atmosphere. I've always wanted to try one, but it's very hard for me to talk about my SA to other people; I get overly sentimental, and start to think about how much this disorder has crippled me and then my whole week is ruined... __________________ Going, going, gone...

05-23-2009, 11:52 AM	#2 (permalink)
bezzelrock Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2	I'm in a group and to be perfectly honest with you, i hate it! I've been going for 10 months now and seen no improvement. My anxiety prevent me from speaking and benefiting from it. However i should point out that this is not a group for SA, so not everyone there 'gets it'. It's actually for personality disorders. It might be different if it was a group specifically for SA.

05-23-2009, 01:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
LostPancake Status: ghostly Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: an endless labyrinth Gender: Male Age: 40 Posts: 780	I'm thinking about joining one - I think I have a lot of rough edges on my personality that need work. That's supposed to be one of the benefits of group - people are supposed to offer you honest feedback. To a certain extent, posting on here is like that, but feedback is often of the form of crickets chirping, so you're like oh, I guess I didn't put that very well...

05-24-2009, 12:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
shocksleeper Status: SAS Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: phoenix Gender: Female Posts: 55	I went once...it was such a waste of time. I guess because I've been through all of the motions of therapy since I was a kid, and I know every psychological term in the book, I felt out of place. It was more for people who don't know those things, are a lot more unsure of themselves and need to be told that everything's not their fault, this was caused by a trigger, do this to reduce stress etc. I know all of that stuff but I still have problems. So I don't know. That was just that particular group however. I'd try it again, maybe, and I know it helps a lot of people.

06-05-2009, 10:51 PM	#7 (permalink)
12345 Status: SAS Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 82	I just went to this support group meeting and I was the only one who turned up! Well there were the 2 organisers of the group but I didn't really feel and bond with them. They didn't have anxiety, one kept on going on about how she was fearful of needles, And the other seemed up herself and wouldnt face me when I spoke to her. She had a boyfriend, no anxiety whatsoever and they both had social lives and yeah the whole thing was stupid. I'll never go to this particular one again. Apparently when others turn up its just old ladies who are lonely.

06-06-2009, 04:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
iingridd Status: SAS Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: NY Gender: Female Age: 26 Posts: 25	i going over the idea of going to one (group therapy) but i don't see any successful stories. anybody got anything positive out of it?

06-07-2009, 11:32 AM	#9 (permalink)
wiselittleracoon Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Hawaii.In my head. Gender: Female Posts: 85	I tried to get in to see someone at the public health department and they had just changed how they do things to where they put everyone in group therapy.People with different kinds of problems.I set up the appointment and then cancelled it right after.Its not fair.How am I supposed to benefit from that?If everyone there had SA,then I could see how that would be helpful.Thats why I'm here.

06-25-2009, 08:02 AM	#10 (permalink)
mixolydian Status: SAS Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Perth, Australia Gender: Male Age: 21 Posts: 72	Just thought I'd bump this as my therapist has referred me to a group therapy programme which is due to start in August. Unlike what you guys have written about your experiences, this one looks really well run and is organised by quite a well funded, government mental health organisation. Anyways, I was just wondering about how large groups normally are, your general experiences and whether or not you guys made any friends or not. I'm actually a little bit excited, although understandably nervous. It should be interesting to see the different types of people who suffer from SAD and just see where I fit in. Wish me Luck.

06-25-2009, 01:31 PM	#11 (permalink)
weebeastiebaby Status: SAS Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: SoCal Gender: Female Posts: 42	I just started going today, and don't think it will do much good except for the CBT portion. I think CBT is extremely beneficial for both depression and anxiety. Large parts of the therapy aren't really helpful though, since the group is designed for people with all types personality disorders.

06-30-2009, 06:11 PM	#14 (permalink)
vak3 Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: New Hampshire Gender: Female Posts: 22	I went to one this past year at school, for general anxieties. I didn't speak for the first two weeks, but eventually it got easier to speak. We had to do a check in each time, and mine was usually a sentence or two, but by the end I made a full paragraph and even spoke up by myself (after a lot of rehearsing and false starts). But people really listened to me, and I liked it. They paid attention to what I had to say, because I didn't speak much- and they told me that at the end. Even if you dont speak right away, its nice to know that other people get the same physical feelings and thoughts running through their minds. Or you can just nod if it applies to you. Thats what I did a lot. Valerie

07-03-2009, 09:03 AM	#15 (permalink)
swfirefly Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tampa Gender: Female Posts: 7	I go to group therapy and I think its helpful, but my group is mostly for depression and bipolar.