At some points in life – and in therapy – you might find yourself feeling a stubborn resistance. Resistance is the voice inside which says, “No! I don’t want to. I can’t. I don’t have to. I shouldn’t have to. You can’t make me. It’s too hard. Why should I?” It is natural for you to resist. Here are two methods you might recognize:
• Obsessive Thinking
An obsession is a preoccupation. It will “break in” on your other thoughts and feelings, crowding them out. If the obsession is something pleasant, it is used to escape a problem rather than solve it. The other type of obsession is a preoccupation with the problem. Obsessive thinking gives you the illusion of working on the problem, when actually it is simply a way to resist, and delay taking action.
- Emotional Shutdown
Shutting down can happen for an instant or a few hours, but can also become a habit, and then you are “compartmentalizing” and avoiding problems that need attention. When you are shut down, you are also shut-in, isolated from other people and resisting whatever is in front of you that needs to be faced.
In therapy you will learn how to face resistance and get through it. You will be able to feel what needs to be felt and take action, even beyond what has been safe and comfortable for you in the past.