Let’s Therapize That Shit!!! is the brainchild of me, Joy Gerhard, a former marine biologist, former small business owner, former community organizer, and current diagnosee of PTSD, C-PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. So I’m both incredibly interesting and terribly uncomfortable at parties.
I am NOT a therapist, I’ve just done a lot of therapy, including: talk therapy, lifespan integration therapy, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT – both individual and skills group), Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
When I’m not therapizing shit, I can be found doing puzzles, embroidering, running stairs, and reading trashy romance novels at the beach. I’ve also got a graphic design portfolio and autism website.
During a couple week-long stays in mental hospitals in the span of 4 months, I found the most helpful part of being in a psych ward was having group sessions with other patients. We all got to commiserate and metaphorically copy each other’s homework – we swapped skills, habits, paradigm shifts, and new behaviors that patients used to help them through their shit.
Because listening to folks in group was such a huge relief for me, once I got out, I went in search of podcasts that featured therapy patients talking about their shit. And I quickly realized that most therapy-themed podcasts are put on BY therapists. I really wanted to hear someone talk about using a skill while actually in the thick of it. And since such a podcast didn’t exist, I figured I would make it.
Each episode, I talk about a skill (or collection of skills) I’ve used to cope with anxiety, depression, PTSD, intrusive thoughts, urges, you name it. No, that’s not right; I don’t talk about a skill, I actually use the skill. In the middle of recording. While you’re listening. I give you a snapshot of the thoughts, body sensations, emotions I’m having as I use the skill in real time, describing in detail what I’m doing, what the purpose is, and what impact it has.
None of this is a miracle cure. Mostly, skills-use is about learning to feel emotions, not making things worse, and getting to a place where you can actually be effective. Do all of my problems suddenly disappear when I use therapy skills? Sadly, no AND they have radically helped me cope with my shit, and hopefully will help you with yours!
