Has anybody any positive experiences of therapy?

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Thanks so much to everyone for their answers so far. It is so hopeful to hear everyones' opinions.

In my opinion, I believe there are two oppossing views here about the types of therapy available.

1) People with AS go to therapy to try to learn and understand how NTs live and to try to blend in with their way of life so they dont feel like outsiders.
I dont feel I would need this type of therapy because thats what i've been doing for the last number of years, and i ve been doing it so well that no one even suspected I was any different to anybody else, not even my parents or those closest to me. (Hence they are having a hard time accepting my diagnosis to the extent of where I have almost been accused of lying about it, even though it is an official diagnosis)

2) People with AS go to therapy to try and learn about their own condition so they are more comfortable with themselves. I feel I am very much similar to Schneekugel. I can not handle going to specific social occasions, I can't even handle seeing certain individuals so I make up excuses to avoid these places and people. This takes alot of effort and is very tough to maintain. For many years, I felt so strange and weird for why I felt like this about what NTs consider everyday things. Every therapist I went to see would just say, you have to face your fears. Once you go to that party or see those people once, it will be easy after that. But with AS, it isnt that simple (not that any of the therapists seem to realise this though).

I really tried to get over my social problems last year and it looked at one stage I was succeeding, however, things took a turn for the worst and I went through the last few months of the year in a very bad place. I am beginning to somewhat recover from this but the only way I have been able to do this is to continue my avoidance and just accept I will never be able to function like a NT. I've had to minimise contact with one of my two best friends to do this. And as Schneekugel kind of described with his situation, he now thinks im mad with him. However I have had to ask myself the question, is it better if I am somewhat happy and back to what I call normal or is it better to be completely miserable by maintaining close contact with my friend just so he doesnt think im mad with him Ironically, the reason I went to therapy in the first place was because of my avoidance behaviour, and how it affected certain elements of my life. However it now seems to me that unless I adopt this avoidance behaviour, I literally can not function in any elements of life.

I think what I was hoping for was, that there would be a type of therapy where I would be able to accept my AS issues and overcome them, and eventually be able to function as normal in the NT world. However since joining this website, I now realise that I dont think this type of therapy exists.

So again, I would ask the more specific question, "has anybody who has avoidance/social issues like myself, and others who have written on this tread, ever underwent therapy which succeed in their issues subsiding or at the very least being reduced to some extent?"

I feel that therapy for anxiety and panic attacks has been very successful for me, but I think that is not your question.

I think that your question is probably about something like social skills training. I am certain that social skills can be acquired, and that having access to social skills therapy from an early age, with a therapist who understands ASD, could be successful. I am nearly fifty and have been receiving some low-key social skills training for a while - it does make a difference. It will never remove the issues, but it is improving my ability to recognize social cues and to remember socially important responses.

Horse Back Riding therapy was suggested for me by my special ed teacher in elementary school. I started going to horse back riding therapy program at around age 6 until i was 13 and it was just an awesome part of my life. The environment was family like there and as i progressed with riding, i would help out in the program with younger kids as well.

As for therapists, i've been through a ton of different ones. The best one was a psychologist, he was awesome and honest and a really good thinker. He is retired now, yet he was the best shrink i had.

I've been seeing the same therapist for ten years now, since I was in high school, and I can't even imagine not having been able to work through issues with her. She was really cool/helpful when I found out I was an aspie, too.

Yes there some positives coming up here about therapy and it has encouraged me to stick at it for another few sessions at least and see from there.
I suppose nearly all my therapy was conducted before I was diagnosed so it was probably a waste of time. The Doctor who diagnosed me is now my therapist also and we have had only 3 sessions so its hard to tell if it will be benficial.

I have only two other things to say
1) Alot of people say that if you dont make an effort with a therapist, then it wont work and I agree with this, but I have most certainly always made a big effort.I have to say I would think it pointless to pay a therapist €80 per hour if I wasnt going to try. I also think anybody who makes the effort to arrange to see a therapist and to look into getting a diagnosis would be automatically willing to co-operate with that therapist/doctor. I know people who are forced into seeing a therapist by a hospital or their GP or family may not be so willing to co-operate.

2) For most of the last 6 months, I have been on anti-depressants and sleeping tablets, which I felt were doing me no good at all. About six weeks ago, I decided that I would try to avoid what was causing my anxiety/stress/depression instead of trying to face it head on like I had being doing. I realised that due to my condition (atypical autism), I will always have certain social/anxiety issues and perhaps I must accept these and stop trying to life like a NT. Since I have started doing this, my form has improved hugely and I am now off all medication. I know that due to my avoidance behaviour I will never be able to live a normal life and therefore I will never be truly happy. However the way I feel now is one hundred times better than how I have felt during my periods of depression and when I tried to face my difficulties. I know my behaviour seems cowardly (or at least to any NTs,it would) but I just feel it is my best option. However having discussed this with my current therapist, who is also an AS specialist, she is not in favour of my approach.
So I'd just like to know have you guys any opinions or been in similar situations? Thanks