– Because I have an opinionated inner child, apparently.

I think we can all agree therapy can be a sacred space for healing, growth, and finally clearing out some of that mental clutter.

But also?

It’s a place where I’ve casually dropped lifelong trauma in the same tone you’d use to order a bagel.

I’ve been in therapy for about a decade (give or take), and through all the modalities, breakthroughs, dissociative spirals, and “aha” moments that felt more like “oh fuck” moments, I’ve said some weird, painful, and accidentally hilarious things in session.

If you see yourself in any of this, congratulations, you’re a human doing your best not to implode.

If you want to dive deeper into the stuff I thought was “normal” until therapy pulled it apart, check out Things I Thought Were Normal Until Therapy.

Here are a few of my greatest hit moments:

“I was fine until you asked that question.”

It’s the unofficial slogan of anyone doing real emotional work.

One second you’re joking about your week, and the next you’re weeping into a tissue because your therapist said, “Can we explore that a little?”

No, Susan. We cannot.

But also yes. Please don’t stop.

“I dissociated halfway through that sentence. What did I just say?”

I’ve actually lost count of the number of times I did this.

It’s funny… until it’s not.

Dissociation sneaks up like a browser tab crashing mid-stream. You’re talking, you’re present, you’re almost safe… And then poof, you’re watching your own life from the ceiling or blinking like a confused squirrel.

And yet?

That sentence is progress.

It means you noticed.

You’re aware. You’re here again. And that counts.

Even if you have no idea what you were just saying.

“What if I just… didn’t have feelings?”

In theory, it sounds amazing.

No heartbreak. No shame spirals. Or crying at dog food commercials because the golden retriever reminds you of your inner child.

But the truth is, the part of you that wishes you could turn it all off? That’s the same part that learned early on that feelings weren’t safe. That vulnerability got punished. Those needs were inconvenient.

So yeah, sometimes the dream is to be emotionally void, sleek, efficient, and unbothered. But healing means actually feeling things. Even when they suck. Even when the instinct is to crack a joke and bolt out the door.

And hey, if you made it through that moment without cracking a joke to deflect? You deserve a trophy. Because that was always my go-to.

Therapist Reactions I’ve Witnessed

(And Then Overanalyzed in the Shower)

• The long pause followed by a soft but loaded “Hmm.”
• That neutral “let’s go deeper” face that looks suspiciously like concern.
• The slight lean-in when I say, “I’m fine,” and blink too slowly.
• “Let’s sit with that.” – Cue full-body panic.
• The speed-writing. You know the one. You felt that scribble.

Look, therapy is weird.

You walk in, say things you’ve never said out loud, and sometimes laugh mid-sob. Then you spiral. You second-guess yourself. You make a joke when you should cry and cry when you meant to make a joke.

But the thing that actually matters?

You showed up.

And that’s the whole point.

Whether you’re knee-deep in trauma work or just trying to figure out why confrontation makes you feel like you’re five years old again, you’re doing the thing.

Healing is messy. You’re allowed to be, too.

Photo by Mihai Grigore on Unsplash