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18 Mic Drop-Worthy Lessons People Learned in Therapy

Karen Veazey
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If you’ve ever been in therapy, or even if you’re considering it, you probably know how uncomfortable it can be. Allowing someone to help you, and to really see you, can put you in a vulnerable place. And learning to sit with and manage emotions is more than a little difficult.

There are many reasons why people keep going back for therapy, among them – insights. These are the moments of breakthrough and revelation that clear the clouds in your head. Sometimes they come in a flash, sometimes it’s a slow dawning, but either way, the things we learn about ourselves and others through therapy insights can change our lives for the better.

These moments don’t have to happen every session, and they can take a long time to get to. Some sessions you might even feel worse at the end than when you start. But once you arrive at a conclusion that illuminates a problem, it can feel like weight is lifted.

Here’s a look at a few mic-drop therapy moments people have shared with the world:

1. Stop with the expectations.

2. Put the focus where it belongs.

3. You sometimes need an outside perspective.

4. Keep in mind you may be the more skillful one.

5. Get comfortable in the gray area.

6. Try not to ‘feed’ your emotions.

7. People’s perceptions of you are more about themselves.

8. We all have some basic needs for our lives.

9. Your experiences are valid.

10. The opposite of shame is connection.

11. You’re allowed to say an experience was hard, full stop.

You don’t have to be grateful that it isn’t worse.

12. ‘Keep your eyes on your own paper.’

13. Shift your perspective on meeting people.

14. A little thank you that goes a long way.

 

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15. Start asking your anxious thoughts questions.

16. Breaking a cycle takes courage.

17. Change your perspective on ‘healthy’ family.

18. Everyone deserves to have their trauma healed.

Image description: As a therapist, lemme just say: almost every trauma survivor I’ve ever had has at some point said “But I didn’t have it as bad as some people” and then talked about how other types of trauma are worse. Even my most-traumatized, most-abused, most psychologically-injured clients say this. The ones who were cheated on, abandoned, and neglected say this. The ones who were in dangerous accidents/disasters say this. The ones who were horrifyingly sexually abused say this. The ones who were brutally beaten say this. The ones who were psychologically tortured for decades say this. What does that tell you? That one of the typical side-effects of trauma is to make you believe that you are unworthy of care. Don’t buy into it, because it’s nonsense. It doesn’t matter if someone else had it “worse.” Every person who experiences a trauma deserves to get the attention and care they need to heal from it.

What lessons have you learned in therapy?

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Header image via Olga Strelnikova/Getty Images

Karen Veazey
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Karen Veazey is a Las Vegas-based writer focused on health and lifestyle topics. Her byline has also appeared on sites for The Atlantic, The Lily, Romper, SheKnows, and more. Prior to her freelance writing career she worked in radio for 15 years.

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Originally published: January 28, 2021
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