Group Dynamics

Consider the therapeutic factors in groups (universality and hope, social learning, group cohesion, self-disclosure and catharsis, altruism, and insight). Which two of these factors do you think would be most important in a group therapy session for you and why? I do not expect for you to refer to your own therapeutic experiences in this Discussion Thread. Instead, consider an issue that you would like to discuss/address with others if you were attending a therapy group and only present this issue if you would feel comfortable sharing with your discussion group.  

Here is a model for your post: 

In 2007, I was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition (fibromyalgia). The symptoms of this   condition differ for many people but I noticed something was wrong when I started having trouble keeping my balance, I had a difficult time remembering topics I had taught for years, I couldn’t respond to questions as quickly as I had in the past and I had an intense burning pain over my entire body all of the time. Although the cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, many researchers believe the pain comes from the overacting firing of pain neurons. It is not degenerative so it won’t get worse but there are definitely sometimes that it hurts more than others. I take medication daily yet many of the symptoms continue with pain and fatigue being the worse. After I was diagnosed I felt uninformed and isolated. I looked up everything I could find on reputable sites such as the National Institute of Health, Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. There wasn’t much information available and with no support group in town, I began looking for online support groups. I wanted to see how my illness compared to the illness of others (Social Comparison) but what I really wanted were suggestions for what to do on a daily basis (in this case insight). I didn’t find what I was looking for. Specifically the online programs I found were made up of individuals who were unemployed, bed-ridden, on disability, etc. I felt so bad for so many people. And based on how I have felt on my worst days I know those individuals are suffering. I am thankful that every day for me is not like those days.  However, I didn’t receive many suggestions for how to live a daily life, how to modify my schedule, how to minimize the stress on my body or how to deal with brain fog. I eventually developed some strategies after reading several books, making changes in my diet and being more planful of my schedule. For those of you looking for more helpful insights related to chronic illness (specifically what others with the illness have done) I would like to recommend The Mighty https://themighty.com/ (Links to an external site.) I received the kind of general information I was looking for here. I will say that it is not a substitute for therapy and may not be what you need to handle whatever issue you are facing.