Thanks so much for your kind words, privatepracticedoc. We've had good and bad therapeutic experiences. My friend's family includes people with schizophrenia, bi-polar, personality disorders and many other mental health issues. She is terrified of medication after seeing some of their experiences, though we have tried a few meds that unfortunately did not work for her. As long as therapists do not mention medication, she sometimes works with them (she trained as a counselor years ago before returning to her Humanities-themed doctoral studies years ago). After her retirement, we really struggled until we worked with two therapists who helped her with her issues, then helped me to learn some strategies for dealing with daily living.
It took a couple years for those lessons to sink in, but we do much better now. I have had a fantastic therapist for several years, who really anchors me and even works with both of us as needed. I was in a support group for about a year, which also helped. After that, I found others' problems overwhelming me, so I stopped. These days, we have worked out a system (always adjusting as necessary) where we try to avoid triggers by handing off difficult people to the one who doesn't have a problem. We nurture ourselves with plenty of cultural and research expeditions. We often keep to ourselves (we live far from family and friends) and pursue our scholarly and creative projects. Others think we're odd, etc., but this system works for us. I'm fortunate enough to have some family members who understand and empathize.
I agree with you about Martin; he really is a good person just hiding behind his gruffness. My friend is the same way.
Put puppy mills out of business: never buy dogs from pet shops!
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