The 3 minute conversation at a bus stop that killed my skepticism about therapy

I used to think therapy was just for people who couldn't handle their own problems. Then I'm waiting for the 72 bus on a rainy Tuesday in Portland and this older guy starts chatting about his daughter. He mentions she sees a therapist for what he called 'small stuff that built up like dust bunnies.' That phrase stuck with me. I spent the next 6 months trying to fix a panic thing on my own and got nowhere. Finally booked a session and the therapist asked one question in the first 10 minutes that I'd never considered. Now I'm 8 sessions in and I actually look forward to it. Has anyone else had a random stranger change their mind about something they were dead set against?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_owens581mo agoMost Upvoted

Practical advice on this - let that one question sit with you for a few days before you try to answer it. I've been through something similar where a therapist asked me what I was scared would happen if I didn't keep worrying about something. Never thought about it that way before. Took me a whole week to come up with an honest answer. The big trick is not to force it. Let your brain chew on it in the background. Most people try to solve everything in one sitting and that never works.

jessica1301mo ago

Bet you never thought a bus stop chat would lead to your biggest therapy breakthrough.

knight.dylan1mo ago

Whoa hold on, that bus stop was where I realized I had been misreading the whole situation for years. It wasn't really the breakthrough itself, just the moment I finally saw the pattern. Took a lot of work after that to actually unpack it.