How therapy can change your life?

There are so many ways to look at this statement, “how therapy changed my life.” This can be answered theoretically based on the experience of practicing psychotherapy and can also be answered personally by the writer. This article will cover both. In graduate school, it is very encouraged and some programs even require that all psychology majors go through their own treatment. This is met at times with resistance but the majority of people who enter the field of psychology have themselves experienced something that made them that curious about how people operate psychologically. Having gone through counseling myself I can attest that psychotherapy has been the cornerstone of how I came to know myself as far as traits, triggers, coping, and esteem. For much of the treatment, I did not know exactly where certain paths would travel to but they led to insight, maturity, skill sets, and knowledge that is used to manage every area of life.

Empathy, validation, and the corrective experience

Perhaps one of the largest gifts of going through the process of therapy is feeling heard. So often in daily life people and the people who listen have their own lives, agendas, and opinions that often impede the ability to share and feel heard. Additionally, feeling heard coupled with validation and giving weight to experience makes it real, even normalized, and allows the process of understanding, healing, and even celebrating to begin between therapist and client. This becomes a corrective experience for so many who do not experience this in their relationships. As clients gain momentum, using the therapy relationship to also begin to share what they disagree with, etc. provides a safe and effective way to practice helpful communication skills that can be applied to daily life.

Skills, strategies, and goals

Therapy isn’t just about these but they are certainly the backbone of what can be learned once a person has discovered what they wish to change or need to improve. Cognitive distortions and unhealthy habits are examined to reveal and work on what is really desired vs. medicating pain or negative coping behaviors that lead to more damage. Examples of successful improvements include improved communication skills, esteem, work ethic and habits, self-care habits, health and well-being goals, interpersonal relationships, financial wellness, awareness of triggers, and emotional stability.