Butterflies or jitters in your stomach before a session are completely normal. That anxious feeling usually comes from a few common fears — often centered around being judged or feeling exposed. You might worry that your therapist will minimize your experiences, that all the attention will be on what’s “wrong” with you, or that you’ll be quickly labeled or defined by a diagnosis. In reality, a therapist’s role—and professional responsibility — is to offer a nonjudgmental, supportive space focused on understanding you as a whole person, not evaluating or categorizing you.
Another common fear is not knowing what to say. People often worry about running out of things to talk about or experiencing high emotionality immediately. There's no need to worry if this happens: therapists are experts at guiding the conversation and making you feel safe, supported, and heard. They'll use open-ended questions to seamlessly move through those “awkward silences” to help you understand and articulate what's going on for you internally.
Then there's the confusion about how therapy works, “Is it like in the TV shows? Will they ask about my deepest darkest secrets? Will they ask about all my childhood trauma? Will they analyze my dreams?” The unknowns of how therapy works can be intimidating, but once you let the fears go and trust the process, the growth begins.
