The HOW of Therapy and What to Expect

 

Therapy or psychotherapy is a treatment procedure of a mental disorder by its definition but it is not limited to just that. Psychotherapy goes beyond the treatment aspect of eliminating the symptoms. Therapy is also a means to understanding oneself, recognizing the inner potentials and tapping into the wide sea commonly known as self-actualization, forming a better connection and relationship with oneself as well with others, working through with past trauma, difficult feelings and emotions and finding a better perspective of life to live. People usually have ambiguity regarding therapy and the therapy process and have many questions about how it works and how talking is really going to solve their problems or treat their symptoms. All the questions and uncertain feelings are valid as it is a rather complicated process and seems almost magical to layman. The conventional treatment method involves medications and therapy doesn’t, which is what makes most people feel that it’s an unreliable means of treatment. Here’s where I’d intervene and correct; therapy is a scientific means of treatment and is established by methodological and systematic scientific research methods. The typical and conventional medicinal treatment also has degree of unpredictability and is not foolproof but it’s just that we are used to of getting a pill for treatment and until we don’t get a pill, we don’t feel we got the treatment. Which is all in our heads.

Therapy birthed with Sigmund Freud who examined and established that the symptom of patients with severe psychiatric disorders benefited impressively and considerably by just talking about their feeling and symptoms and there was a marked improvement and diminution in their symptoms and the first line of therapy- psychoanalysis was originated then was called just “talk therapy”.

Therapy works solely on three things- the therapeutic relationship, the willingness of client to change and the expertise of the therapist. The therapeutic relationship is the professional relationship formed during the therapy process. Now this relationship is very tricky and the boundaries are very difficult to build and maintain. Building the therapeutic relationship is mostly on the part of therapist. Therapist wants the client to trust and be transparent and at the same time must be mindful of the client not becoming too dependent on the therapist. I would say that this relationship is the most intimate one as the client uncovers their deepest and naked feelings and is completely transparent with their emotions and experiences. The second is the willingness and receptivity of the client. If someone enters therapy with a mindset that nothing is wrong with me and I don’t need therapy, the outcome would be similar to someone severely sick and defers from taking medications for the sickness. Therapy is meaningless and nonsensical without the client’s willingness to change. This trusting relationship enables the client to change their old unhealthy and maladaptive patterns and acquire new ones only if the client is willing to change them. So not all the shots are in the therapist’s hand.

A question I face a great number of times is “what happens in therapy?”. Talk, yes a lot of unfiltered, raw, crude, and free flowing conversations happen in therapy. Therapist does more than just listening; it is called active and reflective listening. Therapist patiently and empathically listens and then when the time is right reflects professionally and provides with explanations for different behaviors, various vicious cycles, the chain effects and many more which are concealed and imperceptible for the layman. A therapist does not usually outrightly disclose and pinpoint the problem areas, but rather uses the long road of making the client recognize the problem themselves and acts as a facilitator in the process. Therapy is not a therapist doing all the work for you, therapist is a mere facilitator who facilitates the change but does not cause the change. The change taking place is in the power and clout of the client just as any doctor prescribes medicines for sickness but taking the medicine depends on the patient therefore the outcome of the treatment relies on the client’s part whether its therapy or pharmacological treatment. Without the proper commitment and the hard work of the client, therapy fails.

Many people expect to just sit in the client’s chair for 45-60 minutes, talk and come back home and do everything as before. This defeats the purpose and aim of therapy. Therapy necessitates lots of self-work, self-awareness, and self-control to break the old patterns and application of skills and techniques learned in therapy, then only the change is noticeable.

People are also hesitant to enter therapy because of a cognition or thought “What will I say to the therapist?” or “How will I explain my problem?”. A therapist is a person who is professionally trained to elicit that information and that is something the client does not need to worry about. The flow of conversation is the role and responsibility of the therapist. If you feel that you are in need of a therapy, book your session and the rest you will understand with time.