Therapy and Recovery

[aliasihaya]

Hi.  I'm new to this site so I don't really know if this has been covered.  But I've started working with a therapist.  I haven't got up the courage yet to talk about the daydreaming but I've talked to her about everything else.  She knows that I've been diagnosed with bipolar.  And she knows that I've struggled with suicidal thoughts and cutting.  But she also knows that I've triumphed over the negative thoughts.  But what I'm worried about is the fact that I'm not telling her about the daydreaming.  She and I still have a long way to go with my normal therapy.  With the things that should be accepted by everyone.  But should I start telling her about my alternate life?  When do I bring up maladaptive daydreaming?  Should I ever bring it up?  I kind of want to because I just don't want to start off our relationship with any lies or non disclosures.  But I also don't want to throw my treatment off.

There is a part o me that really feels like I can deal with the physical issues of anyone that I might be interested in.  And that part feels like you're already incorporated into my life.  But that really isn't true.  We still have some work.  however, I'd like for you to just be accounted for in the daily accountability   Oh well.  Anyway.  What do I do?  Do I bring it up so that I can place it into my recovery plan?

[Wish Upon A Wish]

Personally, I think you should tell her. Some negative thoughts could be caused by your MD, so if you manage to deal with that, it could help prevents any negative thoughts coming back. And though it is certainly possible you have bipolar, there's also a possibility that you've been misdiagnosed (you could still have both, though. It's also possible) but yeah if it's in your recovery plan then you might manage to control the daydreaming some.

[roxanne]

I agree, but I would only do so if I came armed with info from Cordellia & Cynthia.  I don't know if I would give her this site.  If it were me, I would end up censoring what I put on here, and I would never want to do that.  And if she didn't respond in a respectful way, I would either drop it (if you really like her otherwise), and tell her you will take that up individually with someone else at another time; or I would drop her and find someone else, interviewing them first to gauge their reaction to this new info.  Any therapist will need some time to read material, research it and take it all in, but after that, if they don't get it, minimize it or imply that you should give it all up, I would look for someone else.

[roxanne]

I am a therapist myself, so I know how ill-informed and unwilling to learn something new that therapists can be.  They often come from one view-point - the current popular one is "mindfulness", a la Eckhart Tolle - and fit everything into that model.  You want a therapist who considers him/herself eclectic, and bases the therapy on the individual & their issues.