4tloml
Senior member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2014
- Messages
- 578
- Reason
- CALS
- Diagnosis
- 04/2013
- Country
- US
- State
- CA
- City
- Suburban
AKNate, I've read your post and the responses a few times and didn't know what to say. I relate in a lot of ways. All I can offer is that therapy helps some and doesn't others--although like Mike, I went through several before finding one that worked effectively with me. What she offers, besides a listening ear, is often a perspective I hadn't considered. One concrete example is when friends seemed to be dropping by the wayside, she explained that we can have friends for different parts of our journeys. We may have a close and dependable friend for years, but then in the midst of this journey with ALS, when we feel like we need them most, they disappear. She advised not to give completely up on them, perhaps they just can't handle the deep heartache and sense of hopelessness that can creep in...for them, too, but down the road, that good friend may be the first to step in and help me pick up the pieces. That resonated with me. And when I shared that I can't picture life without my husband...and frankly, didn't know if I wanted to...she encouraged me to be thinking of things i miss now, things I've always wanted to do, people, things and places that bring me comfort and make me feel connected, and to write them down and tuck them away. When the unthinkable happens, I won't have to depend on my own brain in the moment, I'll have a bank of written instructions. (I guess we'll see how that works?) Anyway, those are some tangible ways therapy has helped me so far. Wish there was a needle that could draw out pain as easily as a needle draws out blood.