What you need to understand about therapy

Now, here’s how I’ve come to understand therapy, and how I think you should understand it too.

 

Therapeutic progress is a gradual process

 

There is often not about that one big moment where we overcome our issues and suddenly everything is fine. Therapy is gradual and instead involves a series of small victories. This process requires us to work outside therapy as well by applying to our lives what we realize in the therapy room. Be patient; let’s give ourselves time to understand what’s going on within us.

 

Therapy is empowering

 

Being treated medically involves complete eradication of the illness or disease using chemical medication. In therapy, we are helped by becoming empowered by working on our strengths. We can then feel like stronger individuals who are equipped to deal with the challenges of life, with or without therapy.

 

Therapy is an interactive process

 

Sometimes there are more questions, sometimes there is less talking, sometimes there is so much to say, sometimes there is complete silence. But there is always interaction.

A good therapist will not tell us what to do, but will guide us and help us look for solutions that come from us, and seem best according to us to resolve our concerns.

Whatever it is that we choose to do through therapy is created and resolved together.

 

Therapy is for everyone

 

Therapy is not only exclusively for people diagnosed with mental illness. Therapy can help everyone explore themselves and help us lead a more meaningful or more aware life. It can help us understand our emotions and find our strengths to work on which will help us build a strong foundation for our future selves.

 

Therapy can be enjoyable

 

Some think that therapy is a scary process that involves uncomfortable questions about the past – mainly childhood – where a therapist keeps digging for unconscious issues. This is not true.

You can talk about whatever you like in therapy – issues and happinesses alike.

You can talk about anything that matters to you. Sometimes this can involve your past – but it’s really up to you how much you’d like to talk about it.

 

Therapy is not easy

 

I said that therapy can be enjoyable, but it also involves hard work. When you go for therapy, you challenge beliefs and ideas that you have held on to for years. You try to change but might find yourself slipping into a web of challenges. Sometimes just opening up to your therapist can be challenging. But you need to remember that this is all part of the process, and all towards making you feel better about your past, present and future.

Let’s change the way we view therapy.

Talk about our experiences, write about them or sing about them. Let more people know what therapy is like.

Let’s reduce the assumptions that stop people from receiving help they need, and accepting therapy as one possible avenue for this. Let’s invite society to accept therapy as a healthy and positive choice.

This article was originally written for The Shrinking Couch.