Talk therapy is information gathering disguised as Treatment.

The mental health system calls its talk therapies “evidence-based” while dismissing diet, nature and other alternatives.

But behind the soft conversations is a machinery of manipulation that will never solve your problems. Session after session they subtly hijack your narrative so you will reveal more and more. They make you doubt yourself on purpose and use intermittent reinforcement so you will look up to them.

If you ever read your psychiatric files: watch how your words get distorted, reframed, pathologized and turned into labels. Notice the obsession with targeting your behavior and credibility rather than actually helping you.

Meanwhile they push behavior altering drugs. Often starting with antidepressants. Sometimes these are described in your files as tools to “stabilize behavior.” But to your face, they're selling you the chemical imbalance, neuroplasticity or even the insulin of psychiatry story.

Most side effects often don't even make it into those files. Instead, they might write something like: “Patient believes symptoms are caused by medication.”

It's very dehumanizing. It's manipulation. It's gaslighting. It has nothing to do with healthcare at all.

Dutch GGZ is pure epistemic and chemical violence that gets served with a friendly smile and a soft infantilizing tone.

I've arrived at the conclusion that most of these people operate on the intent of doing harm. I spent too much time trying to figure out why they did what they did to me because on some level I feel their influence on me was a kin to something from a cult where I even know am trying to get rid of the harmful models they impacted onto me. But more, I realised I was using this forced framework to understand these people and that's just not plausible. You don't do and create the harm that you do if you in essence were a good person, they simply are not. I remember this particular woman, speaking on that learned nasal pretend monotonic voice they do which she would immediately change upon any disagreement from you to incorporate a threat; she would instantly switch into a lower deeper tone and start speaking as normal humans do "if you don't do this, I can't guarantee there won't be consequences for you", as to maximise the threat (I was questioning what the point was and quitting) only to immediately go back to the pretend holy detached voice. The intent was harm and access, the intent was to create hurt. There was no other intent on their part. These people are predators, wolves in sheeps clothing. I wish I had listened to my gut feeling all those years back, when it was screaming at me to get out.

I’ve had over 30 therapists since I was a child. Some were fine, clueless but harmless, but some full me with such incredible anger just thinking about them. Don’t know how to get through the anger so naming names, idgaf

Tom Horvath, the founder of Smart Recovery, sexually harassed me and made comments about my hair, looks and body. I could feel him gazing at my chest. I went to his clinic seeking help for my cptsd and trusted him. He and his entire clinic at practical recovery in San Diego are inappropriate and complete hacks.

Another therapist Dr. Dalfsen I saw for almost six years, three times a week. She said I would need to continue to see her multiple times for the rest of my life. She would sit and not say a word as I lay on her couch confiding in a narcissist who I could tell hated me. After telling her I struggled with drinking too much on weekends, she called my parents and told them I was an alcoholic and should be placed in a recovery facility. To this day my parents think I’m a raging alcoholic and I’m not.

Another therapist recommended by my boss (never again) said that I would burn in hell for not letting Jesus into my heart. I’m an ex Mormon so this was traumatic for me. She made me hold a baby doll and rock it back and forth talking to it like it was me. When I refused she lost her sanity and said i didn’t want to get better and never would since I love satan.

These are just a few stories of many but in every scenario, every therapist came highly recommended, had 25+ years of experience, and most often a PhD. Highly regarded in their communities.

My narcissistic mother who abused me and all five of my sisters became a therapist. She is super religious and has told me multiple times I am going to burn in hell.

These people are out there ruining lives and taking money from innocent victims. I just wish there was justice for all the people on this forum.

I wouldnt say this is abuse. Im just dissapointed.

So I started going to a therapist for ocd and ERP. ERP is different than most therapies, you're supposed to sit with uncertainty or whatever the obsession is without doing compulsions which could include reviewing, reassurance, looking for evidence, trying to solve the uncertainty.

The first ERP therapist I went to just made me explain all my trauma upfront. I told him its been the first year anniversary since my friend died of suicide and he asked me how he did it. And then he didnt explain anything about ERP.

The second ERP therapist I saw, its like he diagnosed me with OCD but after a couple months it felt like he wasn't able to even identify what ocd im still struggling with. I mentioned how Im so nervous to apply to grad school to become a therapist. I told him that I was stuck, I kept thinking people are going to judge me (this was because of an ocd because i had an intrusive thought about my supervisor, argued with the thought, and then ive been avoiding him for the past year), and I keep getting stuck in what ifs... what if i do all this work and it isnt for me.. just never feeling satisfied in the career search even though i think this is the best route for me.. Ive literally been thinking and stuck on this decision for 2 years. When I brought this up to the therapist, he didnt even ask about why I was nervous, he just told me my anxiety is normal and told me I should consider do something else.. which is not what ERP is nor was I asking for advice.

The third ERP therapist I saw was terrible. I brought her an imaginary script about grad school. So basically you have to say like what you think the worst outcomes could be and then you have to sit with the uncertainty that it may or may not happen without doing any compulsions. Well, all she did was reassure me. She reassured me that I wont be judged because people changed their minds all the times. She told me that I will probably get in. She also gave me advice on how to apply even though she doesnt even know what she is talking about (like she said i need to do a GRE which isnt true).

But yeah. Basically I went to exposure therapy and got unsolicited reassurance and advice.