[ENFJ] ENFJ's: Do you speak to a psychologist or psychiatrist?

[Brendan]

If so, describe your experience.

 

[Desperado44]

I did for a couple of months following my divorce.

I found it disconcerting. He didn't seem to understand.....and at times he just seemed 'out of it'...

It helped me with a few things....but overall.....I thought it was disappointing...

 

[cherchair]

ENFJS: Do you speak to a psychologist or psychiatrist?

Don't mean to butt in here, since I'm an INFJ,but I've had lots of experience with both for years. I see a psychiatrist every couple months for meds management--pretty short appointments in that I give her a brief summary of symptoms (or lack thereof) since our last visit and she adjusts meds or sends me to get a level to see where I am on my meds and to make sure my liver is still functioning. Strictly medical.

Psychologist is for therapy and over the years I've seen both good and bad. Bad would be someone with little insight or empathy, or maybe someone with weak boundaries who wants to confide all his problems. Right now I have a pretty good one with (sometimes) amazing insight and good suggestions about coping with the day-to-day of living with bipolar.

 

[The Third Rider]

Well ever since I developed generalized anxiety and panic attacks a few months ago I have been going to psychologist and talking about my issues. Well if anything I discovered that over the years I was giving emotional support to a lot of my friends and I burden myself with their issues when I too had my own issues and seeked no help for myself. I guess I had some recentments that I should have talked about but I unfortunately am not the kind to seek emotional support until I am over the edge. Over all, she is alright, she isn't the most empathetic person ever and some of her advice may not be the best in the world but all I need is someone to sit there and just listen to all my issues, something I had never done.

 

[Heather]

Psychologist

I saw a psychologist when my mother noticed my anxiety getting out-of-whack. the funny thing is when I did he told me to leave the job I was at in manufacturing that it wasn't my personlity. I later did but only when forced by ultimatum because of re-organization and my emotional slip when asked if the job was a right "fit" for me and if I was actually happy. My emotions came out without my consent or awareness!

I woke up the next morning and my intuition kicked in and I chose to resign and remembered that the psychologist had told me the key was to understand my intuition and tension showing me to examine the reason.

I also found that I walked around important contracts and felt "dread" in meetings about them. He showed my that was my intuition and I wouldn't have left a secure, respectable job without someone outside telling me logically by my type description that I was mismatched and trying harder does not change your personality, strenghts, desires, and will leave me getting anxious.

I also had out of proportion yes saying. I dropped that and accepted that I may need to back off socially and need a time for me to figure out what I need to do with my career and life. Sounds silly but I almost needed permission to put myself first and not be social or live up to anyone else's perceptions and be able to deal with them commenting on me being different and lesss cheerful and such.

 

[Afkan]

Do you want to know if ENFJs prefer seeing psychologists or psychiatrists, or just in general which setting allows an ENFJ to let loose, doing the talking instead of guessing people's emotions ?
I have seen a therapist in the past and the experience was hugely beneficial, although I still struggled with talking honestly without feeling self-centered. I even found myself trying to read emotions of my therapist and strengthen/weaken my responses accordingly. This experience gave me great insight in and of itself. Since I have worked on worrying less about others' emotional needs and enjoying myself more in social interactions (which is difficult bc I have always lived for social anything.) I actually found that when I am feeling stressed/depressed or feeling just about any negative emotion I tend to take the easy way out and focus whatever problem/wish/desire or whatever I can squeeze out of the other person. It happens naturally without me realizing it sometimes.
For me, I found that it didn't matter who I saw (although I went through a whole idealizing-then resenting phase with my therapist) as much as how willing I was to face my own fears and issues. I think that it was Yalom or Corey that said that the point to therapy is to learn to be your own therapist, for any personality- and from my experience this may be even more important for my ENFJ personality.