What is psychotherapy good for?
1) Addressing psychological issues
1.1 What kind of issues can be resolved in therapy?
If you are suffering from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, feelings of shame and guilt, extreme anger or other distressing feelings, these difficult feelings can be related to some unhelpful patterns in your life.
We all have repeated patterns of thinking,feeling,behaving or relating which we might or might not be aware of. These patterns can be both healthy and unhealthy.
You may benefit from therapy if you are asking yourself the following questions:
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does everybody do this to me?
Why is it that no matter what I do, it’s never good enough?
Why can’t I trust anyone?
Why is life so unfair?
Why can’t I be happy?
In therapy we can explore the patterns that cause you pain and make you feel trapped. We can identify the roots of these patterns (usually in your childhood) and how they are maintained.
By becoming aware of your patterns, you can gain more control over your problems and make changes that feel appropriate to you.
Sometimes psychological pain can be related to changes or circumstances in life that are difficult to cope with, such as breakdown of a relationship, moving to another country, losing a job, birth of a child, etc. Changes can be very painful.In therapy we can see how you can manage dealing with these changes in your life, and how you can adapt to the new circumstances.
2.1 What is painful reality that cannot be changed?
Sometimes, painful reality of life is beyond our power to change, such as big loss, trauma or terminal illness. Dealing with such harsh reality can feel overwhelming. Moreover, it can be very difficult to find someone to talk to about these painful experiences and to receive emotional support from others, such as your friends or family. Sometimes, we feel too protective of our family and friends to share our painful experiences. We may fear causing pain to our loved ones. At other times, we may fear being rejected by our important others. You may also fear that if you start talking about your pain, you might become worse or fall apart. Therapy can be a safe place where you can talk about your pain, express your feelings and explore your difficult experiences. As therapists, we are here to listen to you, to empathize with your pain and to support you on your journey...
2) Self- awareness
Therapy is a place where you can explore your psyche and become more self-aware. Therapy can help you gain better understanding of who you are and your place in the world. By becoming more self-aware, you can better appreciate why you do what you do and feel the way you feel in relation to yourself, others and the world. You can also learn about what gives you purpose and makes your life meaningful.
You may benefit from therapy if you are asking yourself the following questions:
Who am I?
What do I want in life?
What gives my life meaning?
What do I believe?
What kind of relationship am I looking for?
3) Talking to someone you can trust who will listen to you without judging.
Sometimes we just need to talk to someone we can trust who will listen to us emphatically. You might find that therapy is a good place for you to talk and be listened to in a safe confidential setting.