Dear Friends. I don’t pretend any psychotherapy credentials beyond a liberal arts BA and simply living life. I have no faith-based or financial ambition here and posted this piece because I found a large deficit of professional literature around the issue of harmful therapy. I chose anonymity because that therapeutic contract was broken when I filed an official (and failed) grievance, so now am maintaining my own “confidentiality.”
I presume the majority of professionals ethical and well-intentioned, but hope they will better explore the issues of harm in therapy. I found even ethical therapy can foster delusion, regression and self-absorption.
This accidental forum grew from a sole essay I wrote in 2009. It has evolved into, as Discussant succinctly summarized “a supportive community for people who have been harmed by therapy, who have been conned by therapy, or who challenge the validity of its framework and power dynamics and its role and impact in our society.”
Psych practitioners promoting their services or disrespecting client viewpoint are inconsonant here.
I’ve added a second essay, under the pen name Madeline Aimes, here:
http://mhn.centersite.org/poc/view_index.php?idx=119&d=1&w=482&e=43065
6/12/16 (Corrected, if you previously tried the out-of-date link)
You can reach me via the form below.
7/4/17
Apologies for my sparse participation in many months.
One of our correspondents has an active forum, THE CLIENT’S SIDE, to talk about these topics in discussion board format. I recommend visiting and continuing the conversation.
http://therapytheclientside.invisionzone.com/
Thank you for reading and all the best. Disequilibrium1
I reckon my bad psychotherapy is something of a record. Thirty years ago, I lacked confidence and went to see a guy who advertised hypnosis. I didnt know it was dangerous to do that. He got me emotionally involved, though not sexually, but I was completely dependent. I paid him half my wages for eight years and he, being a Freudian, tried to cure my “Penis envy”, a Freudian fantasy of course. Just before my University finals he dumped me with no explanation. I couldnt study and I went to pieces. I later found out all his qualifications were fake, he had a doctorate from an American Bible College that took six weeks to get, and a few other fake letters that in fact, he was being sued over. I tried to take legal action but at the time no solicitor knew what I was talking about. Years later, I spoke to a relative of his and discovered he had a conviction for living on immoral earnings, and apart from that, he was a hat salesman in his father;s business.
Thirty years later, I got good therapy to cure me of the post traumatic stress disorder he caused. I still cant concentrate or remember day to day events in a way that was normal for me before this happened.
I am writing from the UK. Therapy is still unregulated here. My cat could practice as a therapist, or worse, I could, and no one would stop us! My experiences and those of five others are published by Lulu in a book called Broken Boundaries.
What he did to me was equal to brain washing. In fact I got a lot of help from a cult exit group. It was as though he hijacked my values, and if you dont know what this is like, its incredibly painful.
If you want to contact me, my email is estelleb@talktalk.net. Head the email Bad Therapy so I will notice it. Thanks.