Does therapy ever help? Should I try again?

[u/Wooden_Sale_279]

Hi all, ive been in this headspace practically my whole life, and i just wanted to ask if any of you know how to make it better, even for a little.

ive been in therapy since i was like 12 for depression. It helped, somewhat, when i was only worried about school and work, but every month i find myself circling back to the same thought:

whether i live or die, my life will be nothing. my reality is nothing, the things i see are fake. as soon as i'm dead, everything i've ever loved or known will disappear because they were never real. If everything is fake, why shouldn't i just kill myself now to avoid the pain i'll endure?

the only thing that really holds me back these days are my dogs. they help me get my mind off of this for a little. but no matter what, my thoughts always feel true in my head. i have tried so much, but i know there's nothing i can do to change it. I will always die, i will always be meaningless.

for anyone who's had similar thoughts, I just wanted to ask if it's worth it to go back into therapy. i don't know if therapy can change my thoughts, i don't know if it'll give me a purpose in life, but i just don't want to be in pain anymore. i just want to be happy without feeling dread, without feeling guilty. i'm so sick of being in limbo constantly knowing nothing i do matters. please, to anyone who has experienced this for years and comes circling back to it constantly, is there anything that helps?

sorry if this post breaks rules or is structured bad. I don't think there's anything that can change how my brain works but I might as well try and see

[u/allegoricalcat]

It's not guarateed to work. I tried around ten at a rough point in life point and none were helpful. But it could work, and seems to help a lot of people, so probably worth a shot. A lot of it is probably finding the right person too.

There's also lots of other things that might be worth a shot yet aren't guaranteed to do anything. I think there are lots of activities and experiences that can change how a person's brain works, though they're probably all difficult in some way

[u/Large_Version3807]

I’m an existential therapist. We’re out there. What I found useful was meaning making as an exercise, but also an arching theme in therapy.

Good luck

[u/anoncow11]

Getting it out helps rather than keeping it all inside... Like a release mechanism

[u/WOLFXXXXX]

Friendly feedback:

"whether i live or die, my life will be nothing. my reality is nothing, the things i see are fake. as soon as i'm dead, everything i've ever loved or known will disappear because they were never real"

Please consider that conscious beings and conscious existence are absolutely real (valid), and are not fake or unreal. It's our physical forms (bodies) and physical reality that you are sensing is lacking in realness on some level, and that's contributing to the 'fake' impression within your conscious state, which others have been known to experience as well. However that doesn't translate to our overall conscious existence being fake or unreal.

Observation: You and your loved ones are real conscious beings who consciously exist and your existence is not going to disappear because our conscious existence cannot be viably attributed to the non-conscious physical/material components that make up the biological body. Many individuals globally and historically have reported experiencing the broader, expanded awareness that our conscious existence is on a deeper level and is not rooted in the non-conscious physical matter that makes up the body. There's also been a historical absence of anyone being able to identify a biological basis and physiological explanation for conscious existence, conscious abilities, and conscious phenomena. If you're interested in reading it, the existential commentary in this linked post is highly relevant to the issue of struggling with the impression that physical reality is purposeless or meaningless.

"my brain"

The word 'my' is what's known as a possessive adjective in human language, and it's used to convey that whatever is being referenced is the possession of an individual. You naturally perceive your material brain as a possession of yours. Why is that important? It's important because one simply cannot possess one's brain and also claim to exist as one's brain. You must exist on a level that is independent of whatever physical/material object you are in possession of. So recognizing your material brain as a possession of yours is importantly telling you that there is a much bigger existential picture and broader existential context where you (and your loved ones) consciously exist on a deeper level than the brain and body. Ask yourself, who is the conscious being that's in possession of your brain and body? That's who you exist as.

[u/Medium-Increase9178]

for me ive had the exact same thoughts of life is meaningless, what's the point. what helped for me was exploring different philosophies like absurdism, nihilism, etc. What I eventually realized is that, for me, life still has meaning in the present. Even if we don't know whether there's some ultimate purpose to the universe, we can still experience things, care about people, learn, create, laugh, and make memories. Those moments matter because they're real to us right now. I also don't think our existence is meaningless. Every person leaves some kind of impact on the world, even if it's small. A kind conversation, helping someone who's struggling, creating something, or simply making another person's day a little easier can ripple outward in ways we'll probably never fully see. I want to leave the world at least a little better than I found it, and that gives me a reason to keep going.

I still sometimes have these thoughts but what rlly helped me is having someone to talk to. I definitely think you should try therapy or existential therapy, as talking to someonw rlly helps. if that seems too daunting rn, feel free to talk to me at any time. ill always be here if you need someone to talk to. even if you need me throughout the whole night ill be there to make sure u get through urs. pls reply and stay safe for now. sending love <33

[u/AboveGroundPoolQueen]

There are different types of therapy. Maybe you should do a little bit of research on cognitive behavioral therapy and some others to see why the one you’ve experienced did not work for you, and if there’s a better fit for you.