To solve or at least ease my problem of malfunctioning in certain social contexts here I started taking psychotherapeutic counseling this April. My counselor, a psychiatrist by training and also an ordained Orthodox rabbi, is simply an amazing person to whom I could relate immediately at our first meeting. Since then we meet once a week and I've even started looking forward to each new meeting.
Since this is my first-time experience with psychotherapy, I simply didn't know what to expect from it. Having had several meetings so far, however, I can say that it helps me a lot, though I still find it rather funny that I pay money in order to kvetch. ;-)
The purpose of this counseling, on which we decided in our first meeting, is that I'll be able to be more conscious of my subconscious and have full control of my emotions in every possible situation. For this purpose my counselor-cum-rabbi asks me all kinds of "nasty" questions, whether spontaneous on the spot or planned in advance, that make me think about my innermost self. The latter questions include "three descriptions of myself in three years", "basic values of my life", and "the love letter", where I was asked to think of one of the most annoying experiences I had in the past and finish sentences on the six layers of emotions I had (or should have had) then: 1) anger, blame and resentment; 2) hurt, sadness, and disappointment; 3) fear, insecurity, and wounds; 4) regret, understanding and responsibility; 5) intention, solutions and wishes; 6) love, forgiveness and appreciation.
Thanks to this counseling I continue to understand myself, especially my "Mr. Hyde" part, more and more. Let's see where this new understanding will lead me.
PS: If you are also looking for an excellent English-speaking psychotherapeutic counselor in Jerusalem, I can recommend mine. He works only with men, but his wife works with women. Details upon request by email.