Venting Cry when they're kind

[Ash]

I don't know about you, but I find that when I speak to someone in MH services who isn't particularly helpful or friendly, I shut down emotionally and become quite cold or obstructive or even angry (conditioned trauma response, I know ) but when I speak to someone who is kind and caring and asks the right questions in the right way, I break down in a tears and snot and lose the ability to think and speak clearly and rationally, especially on the phone, and end up a snorting, sniffling, snuffling mess. It's extremely annoying. And I never have a tissue when I need one.

(Please don't comment on the effectiveness - or not - of MH services. There's plenty of threads on the forum for that and I've not got the headspace right now! Ta.)

 

[Forveleth]

I totally get this and I think it all comes down to you feeling understood and being heard. Mental health professionals are there to make a connection with us and if they appear in any way to be emotionally uninvested then they're not doing the sole purpose of why we're there, and it can be very discouraging. You emotionally shut down because of that.

A lot of times we seek mental health professionals when we feel alone or uncared for or unheard. So when you get that one person that actually sits and listens to your problems it can be, quite frankly, a relief and feel like you can finally open up to somebody and that's quite an emotional experience. We humans need a connection and when you feel like you have nobody to connect with and then you finally find someone, it's overwhelming and yeah, you've turned into an emotional crying mess.

I've been on both sides of this myself.