How do you know if therapy is actually helping or if you’re just talking in circles?
I didn’t notice progress in sessions at all. I noticed it when I started reacting differently in real life.
Switching therapists made a bigger difference than I expected. Fit really matters, even if it takes time to admit it’s not working.
Honestly, I think real progress is usually quieter than people expect. Less breakthroughs, more “huh, I caught myself doing the thing for once.” Talking in circles tends to feel like the same conversation on loop with nothing changing outside the sessions.
If it’s been a while and you can’t point to anything that’s actually shifted in your day-to-day, it might be worth bringing that up with the therapist directly. A good one will take that seriously.
How long have you been going? That tends to matter a lot.