Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Therapy advice please

I'm a big fan of therapy. It saved my life, certainly figuratively and probably literally. If the issues you're dealing with are compromising your quality of life then I believe you will be better off *in the long run* if you sort them out.

Unfortunately the short run can be a bear and "the only way out is through." Don't be afraid to use meds to help out and, yes, you may need to increase or adjust your current meds as you plunge into your past. Think of it like using crutches when you have a broken leg: eventually your leg will heal and you won't need the crutches anymore but for right now you need them to cope.

It is important to have a therapist you feel comfortable with so you may have to shop around. And I think a session every two weeks is plenty. It sounds funny but if you're working and/or have a reasonably busy life you'll probably need at least two weeks to process what happens in each session.

If it's any consolation, I did ages of heavy duty therapy long before I had IBS. After a tough session I would be stressed out, depressed, sick to my stomach, either have trouble sleeping or sleep way too much, and eat everything that didn't eat me first for a couple of days. So it's not just IBSers who suffer after a tough session. Try to be extra kind to your body for the day or two after a session and hang in there. For me the struggle and misery have been worth it a thousand times over.

Take care.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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