• Suddenly unable to log into your ZooVille account? This might be the reason why: CLICK HERE!

so therapy?...

xrfez

xrfez

Tourist
I would like to know if anyone else has seen a mental health care worker for there attraction to animals or if anyone is a mental health care worker and can give me some of there experience as well as the do's and dont's. I recently have told my therapist there is this "thing" (my attraction to animals, which I have yet to disclose) that been causing me some mental angst, that's the extent of it so far. He has been prodding at this a little bit since my last session. I would rather not find another therapist since the therapeutic alliance is strong other than this situation I seem to have dug myself into. I am considering coming up with something else to talk about in place of this "thing" to cover myself. I haven't decided yet on how to proceed.

Thanks everyone,
Xrfez
 
Discussing and working through your feelings on specific topics is kind of the point of therapy, no? If you've found a counselor who is capable of being professional in creating a safe space and leaves their own biases behind them then discussing your zoo attractions should really not be an issue. I understand the apprehension, but it should definitely be a point of discussion, especially if it causes you anguish or distress and it may help you work through your own feelings.

If it makes you uncomfortable or you're not ready, they can't force you to talk about anything that you don't want to. The word no is a complete sentence and it's okay to just say that you don't feel comfortable discussing it.
 
I have not been to therapy strictly to address this aspect of my personality, but it has sort of come up once or twice. I never directly disclosed my zoophilia, but I did talk about the various social problems it caused me. Unless you actually want to try to change your sexual preferences, I don't think there's a whole lot of value in saying specifically what it is that is causing the associated problems. Medically speaking, unless you disclose that you have committed a crime, they can't like, out you or anything, but there is a real possibility that it could harm your relationship with your therapist if they are particularly biased against zoophilia. Even medical professionals have biases that are difficult to completely ignore/mask. So yeah, they'll likely try to convince you to be completely open, and it is possible that something good comes of it if you choose to disclose, but I think the odds are most likely in favor of it really not being good or bad. I would focus on the actual problems that are directly related to your zoophilia without explicitly stating it, but that's just my opinion.
 
I'd recommend not doing it but since you already opened pandora's box, only talk in past tense like it's something from your past because they could report current illegal activities. :(
 
Look for the hidden cameras in the plants. Don't forget to play the white snow when you say what you did with a animal there recording you. 1984 big brother is watching.
 
I went to therapy for a few different reasons, and for a while the sexuality part was something I never talked about and still don't. I already thought, but I would never have the guts. Here we have the guarantee of legal secrecy between the therapist and the patient, but even so, I am aware of how I will be seen. So I prefer not to speak about it. But I understand your anguish, I know that many come here and say they are proud but it's okay to feel uncomfortable too, it happens.
 
I have not yet, but am actively working towards this. I have issues that I need to work through in therapy other than zoophilia itself, but that I think have definitely been impacted by it or are at least difficult to describe accurately if it's not mentioned. I'm not looking for "conversion", but in past attempts at therapy I think it's omission has kneecapped progress. Also, if I lie even by omission, I think on some level I'm opening to the door to allowing myself to lie or color other things about myself in a way that muddies the whole process and will obfuscate problems. I'm highly self-conscious, so my temptation to lie or paint myself in a good light even to a therapist is very strong, and I feel like if I reveal "the big one" early on I'm going to have a good chance for once.
 
xrfez said:
I would like to know if anyone else has seen a mental health care worker for there attraction to animals or if anyone is a mental health care worker and can give me some of there experience as well as the do's and dont's. I recently have told my therapist there is this "thing" (my attraction to animals, which I have yet to disclose) that been causing me some mental angst, that's the extent of it so far. He has been prodding at this a little bit since my last session. I would rather not find another therapist since the therapeutic alliance is strong other than this situation I seem to have dug myself into. I am considering coming up with something else to talk about in place of this "thing" to cover myself. I haven't decided yet on how to proceed.

Thanks everyone,
Xrfez
Click to expand...
My sex therapist actually showed me this forum. I posted about my experience in another thread, I'll paste it here:

I honestly wasn't initially planning on talking about this subject in my sex therapy but the therapist felt like someone I could trust and I tested the waters by asking them if they had any experience helping clients with paraphilias. They said yes and that they don't even like the word paraphilia (they didn't elaborate on this but I think it's because of the negative/pathologizing connotation). I opened up about me struggling with my attraction to animals and they reassured me that I'm not alone and it can be a normal part of human sexuality. That's when we started talking about how other cultures approach/accept beastiality and how it's been documented in history. We also talked about how they personally don't think it's wrong, and that just because a society labels something as wrong doesn't mean it necessarily is. They encouraged me to think about my own boundaries and the things that would violate my morals (which for me included forcing an animal to do something it clearly didn't want to do, etc), and work off of that to determine what is "wrong". And like I mentioned, they told me about this forum and a few other resources. ( I also found out about the podcast "Zooier Than Thou") Tbh opening up about this in therapy changed my life and made me feel like I'm not just a monster for feeling this way, BUT I would select your therapist carefully and test the waters if you go down this route, because all therapists are so different and I'm sure some of them have completely different views on the subject.
 
I haven’t gone to therapy specifically for my zoophilia, but the subject did come up eventually and I didn’t hide it. The good news is that where I live, being attracted to animals and having relationships with them isn’t a valid reason to break confidentiality, so she can’t report me. The bad news is she didn’t agree with it and I just got the “animals can’t consent” spiel. I never brought it up again and neither did she. She doesn’t seem to hate me or think less of me, she just doesn’t approve of any zoo activities. Would I reveal it to my next therapist? Probably yes. While I didn’t get the positive response I was looking for this time, the only way to know how she would respond was bringing it up. I know there are therapists out there that don’t think we are doing anything wrong and if mine was one of them, I would love to know it. And without the risk of them breaking confidentiality, I find it worth a try. That being said, laws change from one place to another and they might be able to report you where you live. I would definitely check that first. You also know your therapist better than any internet stranger does, so pay attention to what your gut is telling you about them. Good luck on your journey. Therapy is hard
 
Knot Loving Sub said:
I haven’t gone to therapy specifically for my zoophilia, but the subject did come up eventually and I didn’t hide it. The good news is that where I live, being attracted to animals and having relationships with them isn’t a valid reason to break confidentiality, so she can’t report me. The bad news is she didn’t agree with it and I just got the “animals can’t consent” spiel. I never brought it up again and neither did she. She doesn’t seem to hate me or think less of me, she just doesn’t approve of any zoo activities. Would I reveal it to my next therapist? Probably yes. While I didn’t get the positive response I was looking for this time, the only way to know how she would respond was bringing it up. I know there are therapists out there that don’t think we are doing anything wrong and if mine was one of them, I would love to know it. And without the risk of them breaking confidentiality, I find it worth a try. That being said, laws change from one place to another and they might be able to report you where you live. I would definitely check that first. You also know your therapist better than any internet stranger does, so pay attention to what your gut is telling you about them. Good luck on your journey. Therapy is hard
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this. I read secretpup's experience which I found immensely helpful, but it's also really good to hear an experience from someone that while less positive, was still not a total disaster. Good for you for being open, and I hope therapy is going well for you.
 
Então, isso é algo que nunca imaginei, más tive muita sorte quando encontrei minha primeira psicóloga, ela é simplesmente incrível, agradeço a ela por muitas mudanças positivas que tive na minha vida, em certo momento do processo senti que eu era uma panela de pressão prestes a explodir, eu guardava muitas coisas dentro de mim que não revelava para ninguém, e sabemos como as sombras dentro de nós distorcem e nos transformam em nossos próprios monstros.
Ela fez eu compreender que eu não era um monstro, que eu não precisava ter nojo de mim, que isso provavelmente voltaria a acontecer, hoje em dia sei o quão comum é as pessoas terem fetiches diferentes, meu namorado acabou descobrindo em certo momento, e esse foi mais um avanço pra saúde mental de aceitação que tenho hoje, um conselho que dou é, se validem, o mundo é um lugar ruim, e existem monstros de verdade lá fora, pessoas ruins de verdade não se questionam se são ruins ou não!
 
lyraezoo said:
pessoas ruins de verdade não se questionam se são ruins ou não!
Click to expand...

Obrigado por dizer isso. Eu acredito nisso e é uma das coisas que me mantém firme. Fico muito feliz por você, que está se sentindo melhor agora. Espero que esta resposta faça sentido. Estou usando o Google Tradutor porque não falo português.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top