Have you ever had a therapy session (or 5), when you left feeling exhausted, emotionally drained, and unable to do much for the rest of the day? Has it made you wonder if the therapy isn’t working? I mean, you’re supposed to be feeling better right?

Well, you’re not alone. That depleted feeling after an intense therapy session has often been called, a “Therapy Hangover.” It can show up as brain fog, irritability, exhaustion, headaches, fatigue, or drowsiness.

Why does this happen?

Therapy can bring up trauma, parts of ourselves that we have kept hidden inside, and complex feelings. It forces us to be vulnerable, and that can feel heavy. It may also trigger stress as we work through difficult situations. We open up that pandora’s box in session, and we don’t always end the session with things neatly wrapped back up.

So, with our hearts vulnerable and our minds overloaded with information, when we walk back out into the world expecting to return to normal life, it makes sense why we feel drained and unable to cope. We may feel like we have no energy to interact with others or bandwidth to complete any tasks, as we navigate the mental haze.

With virtual therapy, this becomes even trickier. Before, we would walk out of our therapist’s office and drive back home or to work, mentally leaving behind some of the process in the therapy room. Now, we have our therapy sessions in the comfort of our homes or even our bedrooms, and when the session ends we don’t get the change of space we used to. We automatically shift gears and return back to life.

Therapy hangovers may make us worry that we’re feeling worse after starting therapy than we did before. But, they are also a sign that we are opening up and truly engaging in the therapy process, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable!

So, what can we do to take care of
ourselves after a therapy session?

Consider Your Schedule

Schedule therapy at the end of your day or don’t schedule anything right after your session. This will allow you some space to breathe and sit with your feelings rather than diving right into the next appointment or task on your to-do list.

cultivate a routine

Create a routine to symbolically leave the therapy room. Change your clothes, walk out of the room, engage in a breathing exercise, and imagine yourself mentally closing the therapy office door behind you.

Treat yourself

Create a post-therapy ritual to get ice cream (or bubble tea), take a bath, or go cuddle with your pets. Think of it as a hug to comfort yourself after putting in the work towards your healing.

Move Your Body

Another way to shift up the restless or low energy after a session is to channel it into a workout. Run, dance, stretch, do some yoga and focus on your body to give your mind a break.

If therapy hangovers are spilling into your life each week and making you hesitant to be vulnerable in sessions for fear of how you may feel afterward, communicate with your therapist and let them know how you are feeling. It may be helpful to incorporate some guided breathing or meditation before the end of your session or to work together to find some post-session coping tools.

If you have been experiencing this, I hope you are able to recognize the strength it takes to put in the work and commit to your healing.

When we first start working out, our bodies feel extremely sore because there are tears in our muscles causing them to break down. Breaking down is what helps the muscles get stronger as they build back up. The therapeutic process can look similar. We deconstruct our stories, histories, and patterns, and go through the emotional rollercoasters and discomfort, to heal and grow. It is part of the journey, and it does get better!

If you’ve been considering therapy but are afraid of the emotional investment and vulnerability, I can work with you as we gently navigate the difficult emotions and set up self-care routines, and let you decide the pace that you would like to take. Healing looks different for everyone, and I work with my clients to let them determine their goals and milestones, one step at a time.

Meet the Author

Sehar Palla is a graduate student intern at SBCS working with individuals residing in the state of Maryland who are managing anxiety, depression, life transitions, and identity exploration. She is passionate about working with people of color. If you are experiencing any of the above and would like to get in touch, please find more information below.

Sehar will be accepting NEW clients in early September 2022.

Interested in working with Sehar?

Contact Niina Bacha, Client Care Coordinator to schedule your therapeutic fit call today support@spacebetweencounselingservices.com or call +1 (443)-240-5207

To know more about Sehar Palla, check the link below

Learn more About working with Sehar

Therapy Hangovers & Post Therapy Self-Care

Why does this happen?