The Pros and Cons of Psychotherapy
“Nothing is perfect in this world, everything has its pros and cons……”
— — Nivendita Sharma
As the value of mental well-being increasingly resonates with the general public, more and more people are considering using therapy for following purposes:
work on relationship issues,
resolve conflicts/concerns,
obtain emotional / inner growth,
seek clarity in decision-making process,
better understand their goals, values, preferences, etc.
Like many of my previous satisfied clients reported, they found an answer that truly belongs to them, even though it may sound like someone else’s choice or resemble one of the many options available.
Indeed, they know the above list of benefits is not at all exhausted.
Hmm……Sounds good. But what is the catch?
A million-dollar question, isn’t it? Anyway, no pain, no gain.
All right, let’s cut to the chase and look at all the cons—
The therapy process requires efforts on client’s part.
It is a common myth that treatment success results from some magical doing on the part of the therapist. As a matter of fact, clients shall be active participants, instead, if desirable outcome is to be achieved.
If we see treatment as patient’s journey, clients shall be the drivers and therapists the passengers. In every meeting, it is up to the client to decide whether to drive (participate or not), when to go (topics to explore), how far to travel (depth of revealing) and how fast to move (how many concerns to discuss). The therapist, like the passenger, is to observe, reflect and help client explore some uncharted territory. Without the client being active and engaged, treatment won’t go far regardless.
Change will sometimes be easy & effortless, but most of the time, it can be slow & frustrating (for talk therapy, mostly)
Walking out of our comfort zone not only is scary to our mind but also demanding to our body. Fears of changes can activate our homeostasis, a built-in mechanism for our body to go back to the previous state of being, in no time. But good news is, we human being can unlearn the unhealthy and unhelpful behaviors. Sooner or later, the once new will become our second nature.. (Non-talk therapy can help speed up healing and reprocessing for you, though)
Recalling and resolving unfinished business that may have held you back can bring on strong feelings….
Sadness, anger, depression, helplessness, hopelessness, jealousy, hurt, shame, guilt……the surge of these once repressed feelings can be very overwhelming at times especially when certain topics were touched upon. At times it may feel like opening the floodgates to other deeper feelings……(No worries, your skilled therapist can help you “open the wound” in the meeting and then “stich it up” at the end of the session)
Attempts to resolve relational issues (partnership, marriage, friendship, parent-child relationship, etc.) can lead to changes that you did not intend to see.
Individual therapy is all about personal growth and development (the “me” part) while relationships focus on “us”. If you are seeking ways to better relationship with someone else in 1:1 therapy, pls note that down the road, that person may need to confront their own contribution to the current predicament. Just imagine that engaging in 1:1 therapy is like all of a sudden you stop walking and hop on a race car toward being healthier. The more engaged and committed you are to your own wellbeing in treatment, the faster you are growing on the inside. Sooner or later, you will find yourself experiencing positive changes in mindsets, and behaviors. If he/she refused to adjust their speed (use therapy service), or move in the same direction (ready to be healthier) or takes too long to act, the felt distance between both of you may be worsened.
The above-mentioned may sound daunting, but many clients of mind told me that they never looked back after they tasted freedom and well-being in treatment. They are the perfect illustration of a tenet, “ Your actions today determine your future.” If you are still reading this article, I bet that you are in full agreement.
I see you in next blog post.
