Group Therapy Client Story

“I never realised that my way of protecting myself was making people feel distant from me.”

I wanted to try group therapy because, despite years of therapy and personal development, I kept finding myself bumping into the same patterns. I’m very self-aware, but I still experienced anxiety in relationships, overwhelm, and a tendency to disconnect or disappear.

I’ve always found something incredibly powerful in witnessing other people’s vulnerability, the moments when someone shares something and you think, “Wow, me too.” That was a big part of what drew me to the group.

At first, the interpersonal approach was a little confusing, but I soon realised what makes this work so special. It’s less about the content and what you share and more about what is happening between people in the room, how we impact each other, how we respond to one another, and what happens when we are brave enough to be honest about it.

One of my biggest realisations was around the mask I often wear. I smile, I’m polite, and I don’t want to disappoint people. I never realised that this could actually make people feel distant from me.

Through the group, I learned to own my feelings, express how other people impact me, and allow myself to be more fully seen.

I’ve become better at setting boundaries, connecting with my feelings, opening up and letting people in. And a very big shift has been that things I already understood intellectually for years finally seemed to land somewhere deeper.

I don't just understand them in my head anymore, I can feel them in my body.

This group gave me an experience of how vulnerability and honesty can create connection rather than threaten it, and that has been incredibly meaningful for me.