2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
Recently, psychotherapy and conversations about it have become more frequent, almost everyday, in addition, here and there advice on how to make your life better, love yourself, cope with anxiety and stop being offended. Social media is popularizing therapy, and television is not far behind.
And everyone seems to know who a psychotherapist, psychologist is. And they even think about seeking advice, but very often a lot of doubts and prejudices stop and frighten. “How is it, suddenly tell a stranger about your innermost?”, “Is it possible to trust him, suddenly condemn him?”, “Who can help me at all, since even I myself cannot”, “No one knows me better than myself, no time to waste."
Often, misconceptions about psychotherapy create not only barriers to seeking help from a specialist, but also harbor many illusions!
Therefore, I hasten to discuss with you the top 6 myths about psychotherapy I have collected. Collecting information, I looked at it not with one pair of eyes, but from the side of both the client and the practicing consultant.
It took a long time, so I'll cover the topic in two articles. So let's go.
Myth 1. Psychotherapy lasts for years
No. This is wrong.
There are different methods of psychotherapy, including modern short-term ones (for example, cognitive-behavioral and its many branches). With their help, the solution of tasks and problems can occur in a few months - a year. Of course, the duration of therapy is always individual, depending on the issue and on the person himself.
How long does the therapy last then? There are two possible options for the therapist's answer - “I don’t know, this is unpredictable” and “usually this question takes about…. sessions”. Yes, there are protocols for specific problems (anxiety disorder, for example), there is a certain structure of work, despite the fact that each person is unique. Accordingly, it is possible to make predictions and assumptions about the duration of therapy.
Myth 2. Therapy is expensive
A very vague and superficial statement. Well, there is no one “dear” for everyone.
This is definitely not from the category of goods in the lux segment, although this is possible.
What do you want to compare the price of therapy with, and is it necessary? The price list of consultants varies at times, you can always find a comfortable price for yourself among the offers of professionals.
It should be immediately stipulated that the price should still be significant, because it is a recognized fact that often people devalue and do not take seriously what they got on the ball. The fee is a kind of confirmation that you are serious and ready to work.
At the same time, it does not mean at all that with an increase in the price tag for a consultation, the quality or speed of resolving the issue increases.
(Perhaps I will somehow talk about my experience of finding a therapist.)
Everything is individual here, and everyone can choose a “therapeutic” price for himself - it should be both significant and acceptable for the budget.
Myth 3. A psychotherapist will bring a magic pill and all problems will melt away
Well, I do not!
Let's start with the fact that real drugs are prescribed by a psychiatrist.
And no one will give tablets in the form of ready-made solutions and clear schemes “one for all”. And if you are offered this, run away from this specialist. Psychotherapists do not give advice, it is not productive and can even be dangerous.
In therapy, both the client and the therapist act on equal terms - they cooperate, interact, often the therapist draws the person's attention to the fact that he himself knows the answers to his questions, knows where the solution lies.
It requires the client's full involvement, the ability to hear the therapist, the desire to explore oneself, in order to eventually find the state when it is not scary to be yourself.
Ideally, the skill is formed to hear oneself and treat oneself with understanding and compassion, and not frenziedly criticize and devour oneself from the inside. Yes, this often requires a second person, and a specially trained second person. As well as time and patience.
To be continued…
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