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People Break Down The Worst Thing A Therapist Has Ever Told Them

People Break Down The Worst Thing A Therapist Has Ever Told Them
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Therapists can be hit or miss. Someone told me once that finding the right therapist is like dating--you have to find one that you really vibe with. This is so you don't end up with one you're uncomfortable with, like when I had an eighty-year-old therapist who told me about her sex life (true story).


There are therapists out there that will just give the most terrible advice. Goes to show you how important it is to find one that is unbiased, empathetic, and non-judgemental.

Ashiechh asked: What is the worst thing that a therapist has ever told you?

It always sucks when you have a therapist who truly does not understand you, and doesn’t even try to.

Not an appropriate response.​

When I told her I was suicidal, she said, "That is selfish. You're punishing your family."

Smalldoggobigpupper

God this is such a common thing people say to people considering suicide, and I really think they consider it to be a statement of value. I don't get it.

Gimmedatguac

Well that’s weirdly sexist.​

michelle pfeiffer why dont you want kids GIF by mother!Giphy

That I was mentally ill because I didn't want children. Like that I had a totally separate, distinct mental illness from the MDD I was there for, because I didn't want or like children.

She spent a long time trying to "cure" me of it.

Oneofyrfencegrls

​At least she was a good fit for you!

My therapist made fun of me when I told her I thought I was schizophrenic. I was absolutely shocked. But then she explained what schizophrenia was and that she was pretty sure I didn't have it. Gotta say, it was in a period in which I thought I was going crazy. Surprisingly enough, her no-nonsense and direct approach was something that appealed to me. After 20 sessions all was well and she was right all along: I suffered from hypochrondiasis. It's when you think you're suffering from all kinds of things.

My therapist was absolutely the best fit for me.

Darksideof2m0on

Terrible advice.

I was sixteen, my parents had mental issues and I was suffering a lot. She told me that if I couldn't handle it I should quit my studies and left my home. I had to remind her that in our country you can't work if you are under eighteen, and what a terrible idea was stop studying. I left and never came back.

Everythingiswritable

​When a therapist misguides a patient, it can end up being super traumatizing. And it’s sad how often this happens.

Not a good intro to therapy.​

Zzz Ok GIF by Jim GaffiganGiphy

It wasn't so much what he said, more just his demeanor and body language.

He yawned through most of the session and kept looking at the clock next to me every couple of minutes. He just gave off an air of absolute disinterest and boredom.

After resisting going to therapy for years and basically being urged to go by friends, having this as my first interaction with a therapist was a major letdown.

Kor_hookmaster

​I’m sorry, WHAT?

Me: Acne. Bad teeth. Puberty. Tons of Insecurities. Extreme shyness. Depression.

Therapist: I think the reason why you're 18 and don't have a girlfriend yet is because you're gay.

Dude.

V02D

This is horrifying.

A therapist encouraged the Attachment Therapy I was undergoing. I only recently was made aware that sh!t was f**ked up. I actually got that realization from an AskReddit post that was "What is the darkest internet Rabbit Hole you've gone down?"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_therapy <- if you want a dark internet Rabbit Hole.

For me, they called it "RAD Time" because "RAD" stood for Reactive Attachment Disorder. It still f*cks with me. I just thought it was a normal part of foster care.

I talked to my therapist about it and they told me that I "wasn't trying to get better" and "if you could just be good, and fun to be around, maybe someone would want to keep you." I recently learned that "Respectful, Responsible, Fun to be around" is pretty much the slogan for this pseudo-scientific abuse.

The PTSD still disrupts my life, but I am proud to say that in my adult life, not living under the choices of the overworked and well-meaning but misinformed turnover of social workers has changed my life for the better. I aged out of foster care. I have an organic support system now. And I am loved. I spread as much love and kindness as I can, every single f*cking day.

Polymath-paininthess

​Not having a good therapist can lead to some major trust issues, not just in life, but in mental health care in general.

Ok, this is incredibly illegal.

Nicksplat Therapy GIF by Hey ArnoldGiphy

I have a lot of problems mainly trust issues so I went to therapy for it.

Had to change therapists like 4 times because apparently, they all believe patient confidentiality is a rule that they don't have to follow.

Finally found one that treated it like it was supposed to be treated or so I thought.

She came to a school play I was in and I didn't think anything of it until I saw her social media post going into detail about what I was in therapy for and some sappy bs about how she was glad I overcame it all, how did I find this social media post you may ask, why it was on the front page of the school website because she tagged the school in it and the school decided to put it on the front page of their website for everyone to see.

Additional_Cry_1904

​This is messed up.

"I am not able to continue seeing you anymore because your mother thinks I am helping you too much."

She was my favorite therapist too and still to this day am upset at my dysfunctional mother for making me stop seeing her.

Avery45356

A therapist should be someone you trust. And to anyone who read this and is now concerned about finding a therapist they can trust, just know that most of the ones out there are professional, and truly care about their patients. For every bad apple, there are five good ones.

And if one is rubbing you the wrong way, there is no shame in leaving. You deserve the best.

Indigenous Americans Share Their Tribe's Best Ghost Stories And Legends

Reddit user A_KULT_KILLAH asked: 'Native Americans of Reddit, what are your or your tribes ghost stories, legends, or supernatural occurrences?'

Sasquatch
Jon Sailer on Unsplash

People the world over develop their own specific folklore, heavily influenced by the natural world around them and their own culture.

The North American continent was no different.

Reddit user A_KULT_KILLAH wanted to know about the myths and legends of the Indigenous peoples of North America.

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Every now and again, when talking to a friend or family member, a rather shocking piece of information might casually slip out.

Information one imagines they wanted to keep secret for as long as they possibly could.

In some cases, it's something embarrassing, that everyone will be able to laugh about with the passage of time.

In other cases, however, it's information that stuns us silent.

Learning something we wish we hadn't.

Redditor DarthAbhinav11 was curious to hear the most disturbing information people have ever been casually told or overheard, leading them to ask:

"What is the most disturbing thing you've heard said casually?"

An Acquired Taste

"I work in a deli and some lady asked me to cut her ham extremely thin to the point of seeing through it."

"I heard her justify it as 'so you can get rid of the ham taste'."

"I still think about this one."- Alternative_Net8931

Utterly Horrid

"When I was walking to my front door."

"My neighbor had their window open and was scolding their 3 year old adopted child."

"She was howling crying."

"'Do you want mommy to send you back?'"- BoredBSEE

It Arrives Sooner Than You Think...

At Macy's, two teen girls: 'Women over 30 have the ugliest elbows'."

"'OMG. I know'."

"'Very disturbing'."

"'I always ask my mom to wear long sleeves when we go out to eat'."- CapitalPhilosophy513

Never Too Late

"I when younger I worked at a pool and had to lifeguard senior aerobics classes."

"Most participants where 65+."

“'Where’s so and so'.”

“'Oh he won’t be here, his wife was put into hospice'.”

“'Well I feel bad for him, but we do need some more single men around here'."

"'He’s not bad looking, has a retirement too'.”- CuriousOne9320

Round And Round It Goes...

"'If the Earth is spinning, then why my front door is always facing east?'"- SuvenPan

"Something I once heard a passing stranger say for which I have no context: 'He wears a scarf around his neck so you can't see where he's decaying'."

"I've been curious for years and it annoys me that I'll never know."- xyanon36

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

"An ex after I ended things 'I don’t understand, if I want to be in a relationship with you but you don’t want to be in a relationship with me why do you get to win?'"- TinyFurryHorseBeak

Not His Decision To Make

"Was at an end of season event for my kid's baseball team when he was little."

"The coaches brought Italian ice for everyone."

"Mom has just served her kids and husband and comes back with her own."

"As she's sitting down to eat, I hear her husband loud whisper behind her something like 'absolutely not'."

"'You don't need any more calories'."

"I just watched her face fall."

"I can't imagine what their marriage must look like behind closed doors and what life must be like for her."

"Heartbreaking."

"Note that this woman was already probably a size 2 at most so this was not a scenario where there were serious weight-related health problems."

"This guy was just a jerk and this really wasn't the first time that season, but his reminders that they aren't living up to his standards were usually aimed at his kids on the field."

"I try to assume the best of people but that guy sucked."- littleirishpixie

The Truth Hurts

"I was in an accident once and was hospitalized."

"The accident left me severely disfigured."

"I was out of my mind on pain meds when I arrived at the hospital and told my family to call my girlfriend and let her know what happened and where I was."

"My mom called my girlfriend and my sister not knowing the particulars of my life called my ex."

"Neither knew the other had called and both ended up showing up."

"They arrived within an hour of one another while I was asleep."

"Since someone was there with me it gave my family a chance to go home and take a break."

"So I woke up to my ex and my girlfriend talking to one another."

"Obviously my girlfriend was mad my ex was there and things got heated between the two."

"My ex being level headed suggested they step into the hall since I was half awake and in no condition to deal with the drama."

"As they're arguing in the hall voices are being raised until finally a nurse comes to reign the situation in."

"The nurse breaking them up made my girlfriend leave."

"As she was leaving she yelled 'you can have his a**'."

"'It's not like I wanna be with some burnt up scarred dude anyway'."

"'He's f*cked'."

"At this point I was still bed ridden and hadn't seen a mirror."

"I was aware my body was f*cked but had no idea what I actually looked like."

"Hearing that was such a gut punch and it really messed with my head at the time."- Burnvictim49percent

Where To Even Begin?

"I am a tutor."

"I heard some of my students say ;What's the point in learning history? We should live in the present'."

"We are German."- GentlemanPirate13

Most of the time, when a friend or family member warns us or apologizes for sharing "too much information" or "TMI", what we've heard isn't that shocking in the grand scheme of things.

Indeed, as evidenced by the sad and shocking stories above, when people really share TMI, they often have no idea they're doing so.


A hand adds a yellow post it to a wall of yellow post its
Photo by Kelly Sikkema

There are rules in life where people are expected to just know how to operate without being told.

For instance, if someone falls down... help them.

When you like a sweater in a store... get money to buy it.

Just leaving with it won't go over well.

And there are more rules, or guidelines to adhere to...

Redditor christygl7 wanted to hear about what is expected in people's homes without words, so they asked:

"What's an unwritten rule in your household?"

If you have to pee... lift the seat cover.

The people in Port Authority always miss that one.

Routine

Cleaning Chores GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy

"Either my wife or I can do any chore when noticed. We thank each other for routine chores as we appreciate each other."

cwsjr2323

"That’s how my fiancée and I handle chores. Whoever’s around when the core needs to be done does the chore, typically. I find she does more regular cleaning of the whole apartment while I do more dishes and cooking."

radtech91

Trashed

"Replacing the trash bag IS PART OF taking out the trash."

UndiagnosedReptard

"Similar to this, in my house, the rule is if the toilet paper ended on your turn (or there’s barely enough for the next person) then it is your job to procure the next roll and put it in the bathroom. It is NOT acceptable to let it run out for the next person."

wavesnfreckles

"We have extra stored in every bathroom. I make sure of it. However, if it runs low/out on the roll, my wife will 100% of the time take the new roll and set it on top of the empty tube on the spindle, refusing to replace it. I actually called her over and shamed her into changing it in front of me the other night (not in an abusive way - we were both laughing about it)."

on_the_nightshift

Finder's Keepers

"If you find money in the laundry while you are doing the laundry, it's yours."

Rich1926

"Yep. My boyfriend learned that lesson the hard way when we first started living together. He had a bad habit of just crumpling up bills in a big wad in his pocket, usually just ones, but sometimes he accidentally leaves a twenty in there. I tipped myself the twenty. It took him a couple of days of trying to figure out where it went before I took pity on him and told him."

"He now both turns out his pockets and washes his own clothes. I still find the occasional single dollar in the dryer."

Head_Razzmatazz7174

Dropped something?

"If food is dropped on the floor it becomes the property of the dog. The dog knew this rule before we did."

Altruistic-Bit-9766

"That was one of the hardest things after our family dog died. Dropped something? Who cares! Riley will get it. But then he didn’t."

"Also, I don’t live at home anymore but coming home to him barking and crying out of excitement and greeting me always made my day and I looked forward to it every time I opened the door and could hear him wiggling in excitement on the side hahaha. It’s a little less exciting coming home now."

ohno807

Obligations...

Water Stay GIF by Kinda FunnyGiphy

"If the water you take from the Brita pitcher leaves what’s left below a certain line, you are obligated to refill the pitcher on penalty of death."

halcyon3608

If you stay in my home and don't refill the Brita pitcher...

I'm setting your hair on fire at 3 AM!!!

Flushed

Go Away Pink GIF by HacklockGiphy

"Check the toilet after you flush."

NANNYNEGLEY

"This. My brother-in-law never does this. It's annoying and disgusting! You don't want to clean up after yourself because you think it's gross? How do you think it makes me feel to clean up after you?"

purplestarsinthesky

WAKE UP!

"Wake someone up if their alarm goes off. It's a pretty weird one but setting up alarms is a conscious and deliberate decision for all of us and you want to wake up when it goes off, so we just help each other out."

DonMartiniMacaroni

"I'll do this a few times, but my roommate needs to learn not to hit snooze because he's taught his body that alarms don't need to be woken up to. I don't wake him up anymore. He started waking up to them."

stumblinbear

"I’ll wake them up because it annoys me when people snooze especially if I’m next to them in the bed and I don’t have to get up."

chill90ies

No Exceptions!

"Shoes off at the door. No exceptions."

Next-Dark-4975"

"Shoes-on people must not be using the same public bathrooms that I do. 100% of them have a lake of dirty urine in front of the urinal. They must also be amazing at finding two urine-free spots that are shoe-sized on the shores of said lake. It’s fine if they want to bring that into their homes. It’s not allowed in mine, though."

Bmadray

Table Manners

"No tech at the table."

"Even with a teenage daughter this has proved eerily easy; we all love food though!!"

"Also murder is out of the question, it is non-negotiable. If any of us kills another then they are outlawed in the true sense."

"Other than this, we are pretty cool."

Dante2005

Woof

Well Done Applause GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"Let the dog out to go potty before you use the restroom. (Seriously, the dog is asking to go out and you think she can wait while you take a 30-minute poop first? Not cool.)"

InfiniteBackspace

Always let the dogs go first.

If you wait, you won't like the surprise they leave!

person using laptop computer to make a credit card purchase
rupixen.com on Unsplash

Sometimes we look at a product and think "who would buy that, and why?"

For me the "Flowbee" home haircutting tool comes to mind. If you're unfamiliar, it's a shaver you attached to your vacuum cleaner so you hair was pulled past cutting blades.

It was sold on late night infomercials in the 1990s.

Who wouldn't want to style their hair like this?

Flowbee infomercial GIFGiphy

As fabulous as that looks, results did vary with most veering toward "yikes!" yet by 2000 the company reported 2 million were sold.

And *surprise* you can still buy one—for about $150.

It seems no matter how bad a product is, someone will buy it.

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