What I did when talk therapy stopped working for me

And how I evolved from there

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

This article is cross-posted from my weekly newsletter, The Sunday Soother, a newsletter about clarity, intention, and useful tips for creating more meaning in your life that goes out every Sunday morning. Subscribe here. I am also a coach who works with sensitive people so they can stop second-guessing, make decisions confidently and live the life they’ve always dreamed of. You can learn more about working with me here.

In 2018, talk therapy stopped ‘working’ for me.

(You can listen to this essay as audio here)

I was (and continue to be, in many cases) a big proponent of talk therapy. That wouldn’t surprise you, given as I had been in therapy for 8 years by the time 2018 rolled around. I had started when I was 30, the growing realization that my anxiety and shame, especially in relationships, was slowly overtaking most aspects of my life.

I still remember nervously, secretly, leaving the office one day to place a phone call to a therapist my friend (thank god) recommended. I felt weird; this was 2010, and though mental health was becoming more acceptable to talk about, therapy wasn’t as widely de-stigmatized as it is today. The therapist called back, she was wonderful, kind, insightful…