Therapists Are Revealing The Life-Altering "Truths" That Changed Their Clients Lives, And I Might Be Getting Emotional
Sometimes, someone says something that fundamentally changes how we see and experience the world. Those kernels of wisdom can come from many sources, including friends, family members, strangers, and, as this post will highlight, therapists in the midst of a session.
So when Reddit user u/m_lovely_eyes posted, "What's one thing a therapist has said to you that you will never forget?" it was exciting to see so many deeply profound responses.
Here are 22 of people's responses of things that therapists have said to them that they'll never forget.
Some of these really resonated with me. Let us know in the comments if any spoke to you.
1."Whether it’s a rough rope (a bad memory) or a silk rope (a good memory), if you hold on too tightly, you will get a rope burn."
2."'You will never be who you were before it happened, and that's OK. You'll be better than who you were.'"
"'It doesn't matter that you don't know why it happened. You are reason enough to move on.'"
3."'Everything you want is on the other side of the fear.'"
4."When discussing shortcuts to make my daily life easier, my therapist said, 'There’s no award or medal for making things harder on yourself.' 🤯"
"I've heard, 'You don't get bonus points for suffering.'"
5."In life, we are always saying 'yes' and 'no' to everything; it's not 'yes' or 'no.'"
"Example: Saying 'yes' to staying at work late is also saying 'no' to more time with your partner and children.
Making that decision every once in a while may not be a big deal, but depending on what you are saying 'yes' and 'no' to will sculpt every aspect of your life."
6."'Your parents loved you a lot, but they didn't love you well.'"
"You have to accept that your parents will never love you like you want them to love you."
"Similarly, mine told me, 'They loved you as much as they could.'"
7."During the intake sessions, where I was essentially dumping my entire life in this poor guy's lap. I was making a conscious decision to be vulnerable, to tell him everything that was bothering me, everything that had built up to that point, no matter how stupid or minor it seemed. I had felt that a lot of my problems were privileged or silly or not a big deal because that was what it'd been made out to be my entire life. I was embarrassed to even admit to some of the things I told him because he was an experienced therapist and a military veteran, and what in the world were my problems compared to what he'd seen? And after I had been talking for a while, he looked me straight in the eyes and said: 'My heart breaks for you.'"
"I think that was the moment I realized many of these problems I had were not minor or 'not a big deal' or silly. I only felt that way because it was the people who had hurt me so much who told me that I was always the one overreacting. My pain was real, very real, and it should've never been marginalized in the ways that it was.
I'm still slogging my way through with help. But realizing that my pain and trauma were valid was the first step."
8."'Don’t try to reason with unreasonable people.'"
9."'The only person you'll be spending the rest of your life with is you. Do right by you and you only. Is it selfish? Yes. But so is everyone else who comes and goes without considering your feelings.'"
10."I would be angry at those things, too."
"My therapist sat back in her chair and said, 'What a B*TCH.' It still makes me laugh."
11."'It's the parent's job to set limits and the child's job to test them.'"
12."'You can’t force someone to understand.'"
"I feel like this might be one of the biggest lessons from therapy for me. The person who neglects your feelings won't change because you suddenly find a magical way to explain it better."
13."'If you keep being disappointed, maybe it’s because of your expectations.'"
14."If you try not to be like your mother under any circumstances, you will still use her as a measurement that will inform your actions."
15."'You strike me as someone who likes to dig themselves a hole just for the challenge of getting yourself out of it. You need to take a break and stop digging.'"
16."'You aren't responsible for the way your past has shaped you, but you're responsible to fix and correct that shape.'"
"I read this somewhere some time ago: 'It may not have been your responsibility you became like this, but it is your responsibility if you stay like this.'"
17."A therapist said to my wife and I during couples therapy, 'Only go as far back in the past as it takes to move forward.'"
18."Don't go to the hardware store looking for milk."
"Don't expect to receive something from someone who can't give that — love from a narcissist, respect from an abuser, etc."
19."'Start being picky. Choose who becomes your friend or partner.'"
20."Little victories win the war."
21."You don't want to die; you want to stop suffering."
22.And lastly, "'I don't care who is doing better than me. I'm doing better than I was last year. It's Me vs. Me.'"
"And it's true. This-Year Me sh*ts all over Last-Year-Me. Though Last-Year-Me put in all the work to get me here, though, so lots of love to her."
There you have it: 22 quotes from therapists that people never forgot. Did any resonate with you? Or is there one thing a therapist once said to you that still sticks with you to this day?
Let us know in the comments or by filling out this anonymous Google form.
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
