Why NOLA Moms Love Therapy
As a therapist of 20 years, I am always curious to hear how people feel about therapy. As a truth seeker, I want to know:
What do you love about therapy?
How has therapy been life changing?
I polled some moms in New Orleans. Their answers were honest, beautiful and profound.
Here is what they said:
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- I needed a neutral party to help me talk with my partner.
- I originally thought a therapist couldn’t help. I was worried that there was little that she could help me with that I hadn’t thought of myself. I was wrong! Saying it out loud to a neutral party helped me to see new things and options.
- Therapy was the only place where I have ever been able to be 1000% honest with another person about the trauma I survived. Therapy gave my life back and it is the best thing that I have ever done for myself.
- Often, before therapy I have no clue what I’m going to say, and I feel jumbled and confused. My therapist knows the right questions to ask to help me unravel my emotions and thoughts and find new levels of clarity, which leads to peace and steps towards healing.
5. Therapy gives perspective and reason to why we have certain feelings and ways to reframe dynamics. My therapists have been advocates for what’s best for me.- 6. One of the things I like most is that after my session, my therapist emails me relevant podcasts or articles about the issues we discussed. It helps me being able to reflect on what we discussed and how to work on things more.
- 7. I think that when we don’t unpack baggage in a safe place, we end up unpacking it on other people and then we end up hurting relationships that otherwise would not have been hurt if we dealt with some of our own things in an easier setting. Therapy is a place to dump your stuff. I carry a lot around and if I don’t get rid of it, it impacts how I interact with my kids and husband.
- 8. I just want to say stuff and not be worried about someone else’s feelings / judgements or opinions.
- 9. The best thing that I learned from therapy is that I am not responsible for fixing my parents. I thought I always had to make them happy. My therapist helped me to realize that this wasn’t my responsibility.
- 10. Therapy helped me during postpartum when my marriage was struggling. Improving my mental health significantly helped my relationship with my husband. I learned that I could learn tips for my marriage that could help both of us.
- 11. Regular check-ins are important. Mental health and counseling should be normalized. It’s preventative. It has helped me to stay on track with my goals and stay centered. I am not ashamed that I go to therapy. I want to normalize it and I think that everyone should go.
- 12. I went to therapy when my husband was suffering with his addiction. I needed neutral support. I needed to be reminded of how to take care of myself. I needed a space where I wasn’t judged. I needed a space where I wasn’t told what to do. My husband and I also went to couples therapy once he entered recovery. It was supportive and life changing.
- 13. I sought out brainspotting therapy (similar to EMDR) which is a therapy that helps you to release trauma, pain and anxiety from your body. I had a panic attack when an old trauma in my life was triggered. I did two brainspotting sessions and I was symptom free. It helped me to detox and process the trauma and to be symptom free. Simply amazing.
Therapy has become more and more normalized. We have come a long way! However, there is still some stigma and misunderstanding about what it is like and how it is helpful. Many of the moms that I polled believe that therapy should be as normal as going to the gym or checking in with a doc. Once you have a good match, you can pop in with your therapist from time to time as needed. I am checking in with our family therapist next week! When life gets stressful, it’s so nice to have support and to know exactly who to call to get it.
