Therapy is a process. In our culture (and in this day and age) quick fix solutions are often very popular. From the constant internet advertising about the newest easiest solution, to a problem on that infomercial playing on your TV during the late hours, our American culture has been plagued with the ideas of easy fixes for a long time. However, psychotherapy is different. Many clients seeking psychotherapy may have strong misperceptions that the therapist has all of the answers, easy solutions, quick fixes, and knows exactly what tools the client can use to “fix” their situation. In my humble opinion, if you find a therapist that makes these types of promises, it might serve you best to continue your search. Not one person on this planet (aside from Jesus Christ himself) has ever walked the earth knowing all the answers, solutions, or can promise easy fixes to (mostly) challenging, complex, and difficult feelings, situations, and concerns.
Again, therapy is a process. If you find the right therapist, I would encourage you to trust the process. What is the process? For most of psychotherapy, it is a process of mutual discovery, noticing unhelpful internal experiences, how these internal experiences have been impacted by past events or trauma, and how to effectively respond more proactively to these internal experiences that are more helpful to improving a person’s quality of life (or integrate these internal experiences in a way that promotes new views of oneself and the world). This process takes time. Typically, the process also doesn’t happen quickly but can happen through actions of commitment to therapy, finding a therapist that is the right fit, and finding a therapist that you trust. One profound experience I have found when working with many clients (especially with men) is promoting the ability and skill to simply acknowledge internal experiences, thoughts/feelings, and reflecting on past memories they are connected to. For many clients, the initial reactions might be painful ones such as feelings of sadness and grief. However, over time, acknowledging feelings, speaking it out honestly, and linking it to a past trauma memory can promote experiences of relief, healing, and growth. Thankfully, there are many different types of therapies that can promote this development. Below are some helpful resources on different types of therapies that may help. That being said, my hope with writing this blog was to normalize therapy as a process that takes time, encourage you to stick with (or find!) a therapist you trust, and keep putting one foot in front of the other (even when your mind tells you many discouraging things!). Trauma-Focused Therapy Resources: EMDR Cognitive Processing Therapy Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
0 Comments
|
Details
AuthorCorbin Henningsen, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist in the Oklahoma City and Edmond, OK areas. He enjoys helping people who struggle with depression, anxiety, and traumatic memories. He has worked as a therapist since 2016 and has operated a robust and growing private practice since 2020. He loves to help his clients through a down-to-earth approach that helps them make sense of their internal pain while taking reasonable steps toward values, meaning, and purpose. Archives
June 2024
|