Hi Angel. I am writing this whilst looking out of the window at a view of sea and mountains in a remote part of Ireland. Yesterday I was out taking (not very good) photographs. I have no money worries.
30 years ago I was gambling every day – sometimes for hours at a time only stopping when I needed to pee! Constantly worried about money and when not gambling, having to work every hour to pay off debts and keep my head above water financially.
So it can be done. I did it by reaching out to people and working through the issues that brought me to gambling – a need to blank out the past and present hurts. Feeling that I was not worth the lifestyle that I could have. My low self-esteem and feelings of failure.
How you can work through these things can vary. I found something called co-counselling, which is only available in a few areas of the UK and US – not sure where you are? Some find community in GA – I guess from your post that didn’t work for you. There are other growth communities out there – NLP, TA, The Work – there might even be something of community in the Pagan network … But I think joining a group of people who are trying to heal themselves and support others is the key.
If you feel you are not being helped by this mental health professional after 10 years – why are you still there? There are other ways of working on past trauma that might be more beneficial. Take control of your own recovery – do the usual things of not handling your own finances (if possible) and banning yourself from gambling places – but above all get into a supportive culture. Here is a good place to start – maybe see you in group some time!