How Do You Disclose Secrets to Your Counselor or Therapist?

There's a saying in the addictions field "you're only as sick as your secrets,;" I think this applies in the mental health field also. Another way to look at is that many of the things that people have as secrets are things that happened in childhood or adolescence when they were not equipped to handle the situation; people often have, or are able to gain, a different perspective on these events in therapy and the events are much less fearsome than they seemed originally. It's a tremendous waste of psychic energy to keep these secrets also. It's as if you had them all into a dungeon with a big door, and you are standing with your back pressed against the door, legs braced, holding them in with all your strength. It doesn't work because the secrets leak out around the edges and under the door so they emerge in some form anyway. Besides, if you have the strength to hold the door closed, you have the strength to let them out one by one and deal with them.

if someone doesn't tell all in therapy, they are just wasting their time and money and the doc's time. also they are setting them selves up for continuing failure and just defeating the purpose of therapy

i think that they should tell all that they're comfortable with at that moment. if there is something that you don't want to disclose to anyone yet, then it's wrong to feel pressured. you shouldn't keep it inside forever, but you should be able to choose when the right time is.

Ive never been to any type of doctor, but if i did go

i'm pretty sure i would tell them everything..

thats what there there for, right? [: