For those who have consulted a therapist/psychologist

[TheGazelle]

My therapist asked me to reach out and see what other peoples therapist have said about their ABDL desires.

The question is for those who have always had these desires from earliest memory (though others are free to chime in), does your therapist consider it a kink or did they classify it as something different something different.

Thanks in advance for any insight

 

[lilithra]

My therapist classifies It as 'need'. A need to cope with my difficulties, a need to survive with my limitations and a need to process my feelings. We talked about how It started as a fetish at my teens, but feelings can evolve and have so much power over us, that it's not only a kink.

 

[TheGazelle]

My therapist classifies It as 'need'. A need to cope with my difficulties, a need to survive with my limitations and a need to process my feelings. We talked about how It started as a fetish at my teens, but feelings can evolve and have so much power over us, that it's not only a kink.

Thanks. I would have to agree with that. It wasn’t only a fetish in my teens as I still wore them for comfort. It started well before my teens as an interest that just would not go away no matter what I tried. My therapist does agree that it is a need as it improves my day to day life. Though I could go without it would end up being problematic over time.

 

[fleckothefennec]

My therapist asked me to reach out and see what other peoples therapist have said about their ABDL desires.

The question is for those who have always had these desires from earliest memory (though others are free to chime in), does your therapist consider it a kink or did they classify it as something different something different.

Thanks in advance for any insight

My therapist considered it a sexual kink, as mine is sexualy fuelled. Im a DL with no AB tendencies.

They were very good in my opinion and did a bunch of research into the topic. They always made me feel comfortable talking about it even though it's a difficult topic to discuss for me.

They helped me work through some shame and also to identify triggers that create scenarios where I lose control of my ability to control my kink and it in turn controls me.

I would have liked to continue but it was getting a little expensive for me as I'm semi retired. Now I try to focus on Journaling and working with the skills she taught me.

 

[Anemone]

My therapist asked me to reach out and see what other peoples therapist have said about their ABDL desires.

What a weird request.

My personal experience was a very appropriate recognition that as client I provided the agenda.

 

[Prillprillprill]

My therapist suggested I might have dissociative identify disorder. 🤔😂🤨😳🤯

 

[blaincorrous]

My therapist would say there is connotation in the language we use. We should be aware of that and choose words or internalize meanings that are effective for our mental health. Words like “fetish”, “kink”, and “sexual” sometimes come with negative connotation. We can change those meanings in our mind or choose different words to go beyond good/bad/right/wrong.

Whatever we want to call it or whatever origin we want to ascribe to it, it just IS. It’s simply not effective to dwell on a label for what it is. And origin is only useful to understand if it can be understood accurately and has therapeutic value.

I’ve always said labels are useful for communicating to OTHERS how we want them to treat us. If we call it a kink, a fetish, a lifestyle, an identity, an idiosyncrasy, or anything else, that just tells someone else how you want them to treat it and you.

But labels don’t do much for how YOU internalize the unique nature of how you feel. You simply are this.

I’ve found “idiosyncrasy” as a lovely neutral term that gets out of the morass of psychological taxonomy. Leave such matters for the mental health professionals when they have specific therapeutic meanings to impart.

 

[Edgewater]

Bit different, I started a day a non-user and as a result of a car crash lost over 80% of the bladder.

While recovering in Hospital, I was assigned a therapist, seems there is great fear of patients develop depression and ending their life, etc, etc, etc..

My therapist spent great time attempting to convince me that this would not have life changing effects that was about the time that he lost me. As I was surround by other individuals that had survived car crashes that had lost major segments of arms, legs, head and body injuries and I was the guy with a catheter and a very specific, but small wound. As he left, I looked around at those others in that ward and consider that my greatest concern was what, I would have to wear a diaper?

Months later, we elected to part ways. Years later, I believe that what I gained from the sessions was being able to, if you will, relive the crash and why I was effected the way I was. Oh, and having a European auto likely saved my life, or at the very least, limit my injury.

Over the years, I was required to have sessions with assigned therapists and found as the years went by, there was an ever greater divide between those really interested in helping and those that were looking to develop life-long dependence on their services.

Find comfort in your life and find your joy as the true reality is: Life is Way To Short!

If you are working with someone, assure they are providing you methods of adjusting and finding comfort in yourself. If they are not working on providing you, your road map back to Sunny Days and Happiness. Find yourself another therapist.

 

[WarriorPrincess]

So when I started therapy I was flat out with my therapist. She says it's a need as well. Bit just a want. It's a security thing for me

 

[Nowididit]

I did about 2 years of therapy. When I'd mention to the doctor that I have a hard time accepting my DL by making statements that it's not normal for a grown man to want to wear diapers. His response every time....."So what. So you like to wear diapers, what's the big deal?"

He was more interested in my broken home life growing up which I believe was his way of trying to get to the root of my DLism. In other words forget that I like to wear diapers and focus on why I have this desire to wear diapers.

 

[TheGazelle]

My therapist would say there is connotation in the language we use. We should be aware of that and choose words or internalize meanings that are effective for our mental health. Words like “fetish”, “kink”, and “sexual” sometimes come with negative connotation. We can change those meanings in our mind or choose different words to go beyond good/bad/right/wrong.

Whatever we want to call it or whatever origin we want to ascribe to it, it just IS. It’s simply not effective to dwell on a label for what it is. And origin is only useful to understand if it can be understood accurately and has therapeutic value.

I’ve always said labels are useful for communicating to OTHERS how we want them to treat us. If we call it a kink, a fetish, a lifestyle, an identity, an idiosyncrasy, or anything else, that just tells someone else how you want them to treat it and you.

But labels don’t do much for how YOU internalize the unique nature of how you feel. You simply are this.

I’ve found “idiosyncrasy” as a lovely neutral term that gets out of the morass of psychological taxonomy. Leave such matters for the mental health professionals when they have specific therapeutic meanings to impart.

So the reason this ended up coming up is to help my wife figure out how to work with this. Basically if it is rooted in something that is more widely recognized so my wife can see that it’s not something far fetched

 

[dogboy]

My first therapist, a psychiatrist, thought I'd outgrow it. What a laugh though this was back in 1970 when I was in college. I was there for more serious problems, one which was homosexuality which was considered a mental illness in 1970. I now have a psychologist and I haven't brought it up though I did talk about my visits to the psychiatrist when I was in college. I told my psychologist I was too embarrassed to talk about it but I may one day bring it up. I do use regression as a coping mechanism.

 

[PNW509Little]

My first therapist thought it was definitely a kink and something that I needed to "fix". After that I saw a kink aware therapist that ironically said it was fulfilling a need not a kink and then I landed in therapy with Dr Lipscomb which most of you know, specializes in AB/DL and she very much taught me that it is whatever I need it to be and the label is less important than becoming aware and comfortable of my needs and how to fulfill them.

 

[blaincorrous]

So the reason this ended up coming up is to help my wife figure out how to work with this. Basically if it is rooted in something that is more widely recognized so my wife can see that it’s not something far fetched

Ah, there’s the turn. Here, we’re talking about how your wife relates to these terms and hoping to use the right term to make this relatable. Fact of the matter is that ABDL is becoming more and more prevalent, and the only thing that we can say really drives this is connection, in the present day, the Internet. We all suffered in private, thinking there wasn’t another person in the universe like us. If it wasn’t for the internet and some other forms of correspondence before places like ADISC, we would connect a lot more slowly. We’ve been around for ages, but now we connect a lot more readily.

Lately I’ve been reading some articles and letters from Penthouse describing the prevalence of ABDL. Penthouse letters, while highly sexualized, provided one of the predecessors to online ABDL communities.

Whatever this is rooted in, it’s something that happened in the past, and it happens to a LOT of people. No one did anything wrong to get this way, and we really can’t cure this. We can twist and contort ourselves to fit an ideal or suppress it, but ultimately, no one should encourage that sort of self-abuse. The shortest path to acceptance is to trust that this isn’t a disorder, unless it messes with your ability to keep a job or keep a roof over your head. And even then, moderation is a completely reasonable choice, but denial will fail and cause emotional distress.

 

[diapered30something]

My therapist believed it’s a coping mechanism for trauma that occurred early in my childhood, which was the initial reason I went to therapy. Seeing as my urge to wear began well before puberty.