Recovery involves asking yourself hard questions and giving honest responses. But what happens when asking and telling painful truths triggers an outburst or sparks overwhelming feelings in individual therapy sessions?
Waypoint Recovery Center in South Carolina has the tools to guide you or your loved one through challenging therapy sessions. We customize all therapy sessions to fit the individual’s needs and pacing. We’re careful not to overwhelm you, but we’re determined to ask the necessary questions for your recovery while holding space for you to react and process.
Contact us today with questions about how we hold sessions, how we determine a therapeutic focus, and which therapy approach might be best for you.
Understanding Why We Ask Questions in Addiction Treatment Therapy
Questions don’t always lead to answers, but they might lead you to new places or discoveries that strengthen your sobriety. Questions are also a productive way to cover different types of ground in therapy.
- Questions might allow patients to think about elements of their addiction, actions, or beliefs that they never before considered.
- Questions can prompt someone to explore unhelpful thoughts or beliefs more deeply, potentially finding cracks in logic.
- Questions can help therapists and patients connect and build trust, familiarity, and self-confidence in the two-way process of therapy.
Most therapy patients may respond negatively to questions that require self-examination. You might feel attacked and defensive, struggle with intense feelings of guilt or anger, or you might shut down. These reactions can be viewed as temporary, normal roadblocks in your therapy journey.
Common Types of Questions to Expect in Recovery Therapy
In general, the most effective types of questions during any therapy session will be open-ended. Open-ended questions differ based on your therapeutic environment—whether group sessions, individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or another type of 12-step or non-12-step program.
Potential questions for individual CBT or other behavioral therapy sessions
- What evidence can you find in your experiences that contradict any denial you may have about the consequences of your addiction?
- How has understanding addiction as a disease changed the way you view your recovery process?
- What steps can you take to treat your addiction like you would any other chronic illness, such as diabetes or high blood pressure?
- Can you identify one small, achievable goal related to your recovery that you will work on before the next session?
- What challenges did you face while completing your last recovery task, and how did you work through them?
- What past experiences have helped you successfully navigate difficult emotions or situations in your recovery?
Possible Questions for Group 12-Step or Non-12-Step Therapy Sessions
- How can you use lessons from your own life to support others in the group?
- How do your spiritual beliefs or practices support your recovery?
- If you’re unsure about a higher power, what sources of strength or guidance could you draw upon instead?
- What does the term ‘addict’ mean to you, and how do you feel about identifying with it?
- If you’re hesitant to engage in a 12-step program, what specific concerns or beliefs are holding you back?
- Are there areas of your life where you might still be minimizing or denying the impact of your addiction?
Tips for Embracing Triggering Questions in Therapy
What may help in tackling tough questions is remaining objective—or zooming out from the question. Try asking yourself other questions before immediately responding:
- Why would my therapist, who is trained to help me succeed, ask me this question?
- Why might this question be triggering to me—and could telling the therapist I feel triggered by the question be beneficial?
- Am I avoiding responsibility by rejecting the question?
- What would an answer to this question look like if I had already forgiven myself?
- Who else do I know who might struggle with answering this question and why?
Get Therapy for Substance Use Disorder in South Carolina
While it can be uncomfortable to confront difficult truths, each question is an opportunity to discover new strengths, heal old wounds, and redefine your future. As you move forward, identify one question from this blog that resonates with you, write down your honest response, and share it with a trusted therapist or support group.
Recovery isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about being willing to explore them. Let our Waypoint Recovery Center facilities in North Charleston and Cameron help you navigate this path with care, compassion, and the tools you need for lasting change.
