What Is Psychotherapy And How Does It Help Us In Life?

It is quite natural for someone beginning their search for psychological help to ask similar questions, questioning the scope and impact of the therapist’s work.

Uncertainty about what to expect from a process can be overwhelming and is often what discourages people from finding a professional who meets their needs. 

Here are three concrete ideas to temper your expectations of psychotherapy:

• 1) Finding a therapist is like looking for an outfit for a special event, it may take more than one try until you feel comfortable.
• 2) The professional is not a magician who makes problems disappear, but rather a guide and companion on your path of growth.
• 3) The diversity of psychotherapy is important to consider, there are different approaches for different people and problems.

Always feel free to ask questions about style, approach, therapy goals, and approach to problems of a psychologist you have just met.

Taking these types of considerations will help you make an informed decision about your process because ultimately, you have control over it.

Once you have found a warm space, psychotherapy develops according to your openness, flexibility, introspection, and reflection on yourself, your discomfort, and your context. Share what you want to share, and push yourself to consider other perspectives.

For the treatment of personality disorders, as for any other significant ailment, the tools that can be drawn from the therapeutic process are diverse. These can be as creative and unique as the client himself and must be adapted to his particular context and needs. Any ritual, phrase, trick, mantra, etc., that has the function of breaking previous dysfunctional patterns can be considered useful in any situation or pathology.

*Professor at the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Humanities, Rafael Landívar University.