Wobbly evening

[Nell]

Your extremely moving post has made think hard about my own state of mind and how I address my inner turmoil.

To be honest, I think half my feelimgs are undisclosed, because there is no-one to disclose those feelings to.

Whether or not it would be of benefit to disclose those feelings is something I have never been sure about.

The problems are;

a] the availability of Counselling facilities for a long enough period for the service to be effective,
and
b] the calibre of the counsellor.

Because of the above, I have never felt comfortable enough to explore what is available and just get along as best I can, disclosing what I am able to, and keeping the other stuff as far to the back of my mind as I can.

The comfort I get from TP is knowing there are so many others with hidden demons, and yes, it makes me feel less isolated.

Dear Sylvia,

I have said before that Deborah has a way with words, and I'm sure you and others will agree. She has a way of writing her posts that make her thoughts and feelings very clear to understand. Coupled with that, she is obviously someone who thinks deeply about matters, so what she has to say is doubly moving.

I do agree with you that the calibre of the counselling and the time available are both crucial issues. So often these days we are expected to "deal with" problems in 6 visits or thereabouts! Ridiculous in the case of dementia (and many others issues).

However, a good counsellor together with adequate time to explore your feelings can be a very worthwhile experience. I underwent 4 years of counselling when I was first diagnosed with persistent depression (took me a long while to realise I wasn't going to "get better"!!) and it was a HUGE help. (Medication helps me too - and I know I'm fortunate as not everyone is helped by depression medication.)

Each one of us must decide for his/herself if counselling is worth trying. For myself, I think Deborah's post is moving me towards another "go" at counselling to deal with some of the issues I have, including Mum's dementia.

I could not manage without TP. Long may it reign!! But perhaps I could benefit from some extra help . . . .?
Thinking of you and sending you my most caring wishes.