"A necessary, but very unpleasant step in my..."

I saw my therapist for two different brief bouts of therapy.

I had severe identity and body-image problems, co-morbid with Autism. I was in incredible amounts of distress much of the time, with much hopelessness, suicidal ideation and depression/anxiety that was sometimes out of control.

I look back on my therapy with SPS as "necessary", it allowed me to accept a number of raw truths, yet, at the same, it was very unpleasant. And I can't help wondering, that with a more flexible, personable therapist, the experience might have given me the same benefits without the horror.

My therapist was an unlikeable, callous man. He liked to make me really squirm. I am unsure whether this is a Jungian Psychotherapy staple, or whether it was tempered by his large caseload, but it appeared to me that he was trying to force me through a series of epiphanies at breakneck speed, like cramming my head through a mincer.

Whilst he occasionally had a very useful piece of information or insight, he did not nurture me at all, in fact, he was full of criticism that I was doing therapy wrongly, in a number of different ways. I feel he was there to make me swallow a seriously bitter pill, and some praise, some recognition at what I was attempting to do, might have helped it go down easier.

He also made very unkind decisions about other support I was having, for example, cutting off my family therapy sessions immediately, without warning, because they might conflict with his.

I was facing some seriously big demons, some internal characters who would totally flip out and make me feel terrible emotions, massive quakes of emotional upheaval, so perhaps this approach was necessary, but later private therapy has shown me that this is not entirely true.

I had to stop attending in the end, because I disliked him so much, and how he made me feel about myself, that I started having panic attacks on the morning of my sessions. I swear the guy had complete contempt for me.

Some time after leaving therapy with SPS, I started with a private therapist who has a good amount of training with Autism. She is likeable, relatable, but does challenge me when required. Because I have been paying, we haven't had to rush, and, over the last 12 months, I have come to terms with the vast majority of my problems. I am no longer a recluse, see my friends and go on dates with my wife.

Being as I only had Jungian Psychotherapy once, I don't think I can give it a 100% concrete review , but what I can say is this. The therapy I received was effective for a short burst. A sharp, unpleasant shock, that got me, FORCED ME, to start thinking creatively about my problems...and that has continued to this day, only now, I actually do the work with someone I get on with.

SPS might work well for less-sensitive people, it feels like old-school and unkind...some hardened Brits will be ok with that. Its still the most effective, deep, affective therapy you can get for free in Birmingham at the moment.