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I think I am more concerned about the hoarders that DO have jobs!
Anyone else finding themselves wondering about their hairdresser, the ladies working the cafeteria lunch lines, or the nice lady at the consignment shop, after having watched an episode of hoarders?
Yes, I am too. I have a friend who is a hoarder and he works. Adult Protective Services cannot help him BECAUSE HE WORKS. If he was elderly/ disabled they could help him.
I get that the hoarder doesn't want to let go of his/her "stuff". But having them dawdle for days on end about what to keep and what to throw away doesn't seem to be doing any good. It stresses everybody out - the hoarder included - and is counter-productive. The hoarder's treatment would progress much faster if they weren't even involved in the decision making process. Just remove him/her from the equation and get the place cleaned up. Deal with the counseling AFTER all the crap is gone!
If other people clean it out for them they never progress, they will just fill the place right back up. Part of the process is confronting the anxiety, learning to separate their emotions from useless objects, figuring out how they got so entangled in the first place. It's painful, and it's slow, and there are no shortcuts. Therapy for hoarders only seems to be effective when they personally deal with sorting through their crap and learning to let go of stuff. They don't have a learning experience when the junk truck pulls up and all their stuff gets thrown out without their input - they mourn for that lost stuff and seek to replace it. It's different when they have stood there with an item and decided of their own free will to let it go. That is the liberating moment that gets the ball rolling, that's what they really need - to experience that pain and come out the other side ready to let go of something that is only weighing them down, feeling the sense of freedom from letting go of that item which leads them to let go of the next item and the next... no one can do that for them, they've got to learn to do it themselves or they will never recover.
If other people clean it out for them they never progress, they will just fill the place right back up. Part of the process is confronting the anxiety, learning to separate their emotions from useless objects, figuring out how they got so entangled in the first place. It's painful, and it's slow, and there are no shortcuts. Therapy for hoarders only seems to be effective when they personally deal with sorting through their crap and learning to let go of stuff. They don't have a learning experience when the junk truck pulls up and all their stuff gets thrown out without their input - they mourn for that lost stuff and seek to replace it. It's different when they have stood there with an item and decided of their own free will to let it go. That is the liberating moment that gets the ball rolling, that's what they really need - to experience that pain and come out the other side ready to let go of something that is only weighing them down, feeling the sense of freedom from letting go of that item which leads them to let go of the next item and the next... no one can do that for them, they've got to learn to do it themselves or they will never recover.
I doubt a lot of them "recover" anyway. I'm sure that once they decide to let something go, they are out the same or the next day, replacing what they just got rid of.
I remember that dude! Young guy. Wasn't his dad hiding booze in every cabinet in the house too? But I do remember all the pet hair on the staircase and all over the carpet.
I saw the update from that episode. It was amazing. Dad got help for his drinking.. He was actually likable and looked great. the house was clean, and the young boy was so much happier.
Since that show, I have definitely been able to tell which houses are hoarders in my neighborhood.. There are waaay too many.. I just want to pull over and help them..
I even see cars filled with junk in the goodwill parking lot.. WHYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?!
I used to be a car parts hoarder. I would save avery little screw, washer, wire out of a car. I had the thought in my mind that if I would have thrown a measly washer away the next day I would probably need it.
I got over that thought and threw everything away, the next day I ended up needing a few screws and washers for a job I was doing. Sheesh!
boy does that sound familiar. the above is one of my primary reasons for being a pack-rat: i've often regretted getting rid of something, but the only times i've regretted not getting rid of something was when i've had to move it
Gladys Jean Bergmeier was known by her neighbors to be a pack rat who filled her house with plants and plastic bags stuffed with a mix of important papers and trash. Outdated newspapers and magazines were piled throughout her house in the 9200 block of Catalina Drive.
Has anyone heard of if/when the next season starts?
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