Your stories
We have received very positive feedback from people using the Talking Therapy service. Take a look at the journeys people have been on and see if you share any of their issues.
“Gateshead Talking Therapies has changed my life for the better! It was very accessible, and on the days I didn’t feel great to attend in person, I was followed up by a phone call instead. My therapist helped me with anxiety and unhelpful behaviours; my own and dealing with others. They went through every possible outcome and how to deal with each one to get a positive outcome. I now use this in practice everyday. I never felt like they were invasive or judgemental, which in turn, made me feel like I was confiding in a close friend I could trust. I couldn’t thank the Gateshead Talking Therapies team enough.”
“I am so pleased I attended my first group therapy, especially since I had initially refused as I believed it would be too traumatic to be around other people, as opposed to my previous and one to one talking therapy I won’t pretend it was easy to walk through the doors at the first session. I really did not think it would be the success it has been and I would recommend this therapy to everyone. I found it comforting to be around people who experienced the same thoughts and fear as myself and have learned a great deal from the expert therapists and others in the group.”
“I’ve got severe anxiety disorder, which has been on and off for 4 years. It started randomly; I couldn’t breathe one day, couldn’t feel my hands, heart racing, sweating and convinced I was dying so I called an ambulance and they said it was a panic attack. A panic attack? What is that? I’m only panicking because I can’t breathe! There must be something wrong they’re not checking me over enough. I’m not weak or mental or weird and only those types of people suffer from mental health problems right? WRONG!!
Very quickly the world got smaller. One day I had to leave work, then I had to get off the bus, next I couldn’t get on the bus and then I couldn’t leave the house. I would just sit and constantly panic that I was going to die and no one would help until it was too late, they’d all think it was just a panic attack when it wasn’t. I’ve had health anxiety so bad that I’ve thought I was going crazy, I’ve had terminal cancer of the stomach and mouth plus a brain tumour, I’ve suffered a million times because I couldn’t breathe, I’ve cut my finger and had blood poisoning because the million times I’d cleaned it with antiseptic spray that day wasn’t enough. And genuinely they couldn’t have been more real. I’ve spent hours worrying about the way I look and what people think and over analysing everything.
You think you’re the only one who feels like this and that you’re a freak and alone but one day you hit rock bottom and something snaps. Your brain randomly has enough and you get every ounce of courage and call a local service who refer you for emergency CBT. So you panic about that and it takes everything you have to get in the car and stick to the appointment because the whole way there you’re plating situations in your head that haven’t even happened where they laugh at you or dismiss you. But you go and the person is so lovely and understanding and you tell her things and she doesn’t even flicker or laugh. You find there’s actual models written by doctors which cover exactly how you feel and you realise if this is so common that there’s real models etc. then you can’t be the only one suffering and there must be a way out.
You start to get to the bottom of what’s going on and you commit to the exercises even though they sound stupid or ridiculous and you find they help. There’s major setbacks out of the blue but gradually you find you’re taking more steps forward that you take back and it all becomes a little more bearable.
The biggest thing you can learn is that the only way out is through the bravest thing you can do, and that is to ask for help. It’s so sad that people still feel ashamed to admit there’s a problem. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, the more we talk the less stigma there is!”
My health had sunk to an all time low, I was unable to continue with my work. It came to a point where I felt like ending it all, “what good was I anyway? A burden to my family especially my wife, they would all be better off without me”. I felt myself sinking into a hole I couldn’t climb out of, I even stopped answering phones. A knock on the door, even opening the mail became a task, thinking by ignoring them, all the negativity would go away. Due to all the problems with my health and ongoing medical assessments and tribunals, I felt I was drowning with the weight of it all and would have possibly ended it all, but due to intervention of Gateshead Talking Therapies… through their support, and working through all my overwhelming problems, it has given me the tools to break the cycle that was holding me in its grip. I must say that I still have a way to go, but having these people in support helps me cope with oncoming challenges. Knowing that I have their support if it feels things are heading in the wrong direction. Having these brilliant caring professionals who have a fantastic understanding of people such as myself and the difference they have made to people’s lives just can’t be measured. I would like to give a special thanks to my therapist who has remained a positive constant throughout my therapy.
Your comments and feedback
“It has been really helpful and I would definitely recommend it.”
“It makes you feel better having a stranger to talk to about my problems rather than keeping them to myself, it helps me to make decisions and hopefully most of them are for the better.”
“I am very pleased, I was at rock bottom and crippled by anxiety I thought therapy would not help but it has I feel much better I cannot thank you enough. I am able to go out again and socialise I am very grateful thanks so much.”
“It’s been great delving into what’s behind my emotions, being gently guided and supported throughout. I’ll miss my sessions, but I feel ready to move on, and somebody else can benefit.”
“My therapist was amazing and very knowledgeable and compassionate. I have had a great deal of support and help from this service and would like to say thank you.”
“My therapist was very kind, supportive and understanding.”
“I don’t think there is anyway you could improve the service, it is an excellent service. As a group we all got on really well with each other and had lots of good communication. It’s been a pleasure to come to the course.”