Group Psychotherapy
You have tried all kinds of diets.
The older you get the more upset you are at yourself for having “no self-control” or for never feeling quite right in your body. You feel upset that “society” dictates what women should look like, the idea of beauty as seen in magazines and on Netflix.
You overeat or restrict food to deal with your emotions.
Yet you are not quite clear about what you are feeling. It’s confusing. Am I angry? Am I hungry, tired, worn out? Do I just hate myself?
All this leaves you hating yourself and your body.
Food, something that can nourish you, provide pleasure in your life, even heal you, takes on the shape of constant obsessive thoughts on how to fix yourself, at least on the outside.
On the inside, you are lonely and wish for a better connection to and understanding of yourself. But these thoughts you keep private. It can feel embarrassing to share any of this with anybody.
What if you could share some of this in a place that was safe enough and where you felt you could?
Power in Numbers
Your family was your first group, then school, work, and friends.
Some of these relationships helped you grow, you experienced them as sustaining you and encouraging you. Think of the impact of those positive group experiences.
That’s the healing potential of being together and interacting in a group setting with people who have similar goals as yours.
A group is born out of its participants.
Often, people think of group psychotherapy as a place where people share experiences, support each other and where the group leader is the one who will provide guidance.
That may be true, but the real power of group psychotherapy lies in the group members’ own life experiences, how they share with each other, their own openness and commitment.
What often happens is that the group takes on a life of its own.
People bring their experiences, their wishes and fears and become more real with each other.
Through these interactions they get to know how they relate, how they react, how they reach out, how they withdraw.
Because the group members are not your family members, you get to test out new ways of being, take a risk you might not feel would be possible with someone very close to you.
Right now, I am facilitating a women’s group.
Our group started out as the participants wishing to develop a better relationship with eating and their bodies.
As the group members got to know each other, they discovered how women struggle with negative body image universally.
All of our members could relate to negative self-talk about their bodies, the unrealistic image of what they “should” look like, years of dieting in an attempt to control a body that was never quite the right size.
Groups Transform along with the Members
This group is now about relationships – relationship to their bodies, to the people in their lives, to their fears, wishes and desires, and what gets in the way of liking oneself and staying tuned into one’s body.
The combination of individual therapy and the group experience can support you to become more comfortable in your body and in your relationships.
Find the community that will support you on your path to healing
The solidarity you find in our room will fortify you in your most difficult moments and affirm your strength during your victories.
We meet weekly on Thursday nights. The group starts at 6:30 pm and ends at 8:00pm. Group members make a weekly commitment to be there unless an emergency arises.
Call (443) 333-9647 to find out more about this ongoing group.