…When you can "do
therapy" on yourself?
Going to a therapist today
can cost you anywhere from $40 (individual therapy) to $150
(family therapy), for an hour with a therapist. Indeed it
is so costly that one wonders why on earth you'd go there
in the first place.
Wait. Why exactly are you
considering going to a therapist? Are you suffering from depression?
Do you have issues you believe you can't handle yourself?
Are you in so much stress that you can't think straight and
even a vacation can't cure it? Are you in relationship woes
that happen over and over in cycles?
Well, if you truly believe
that you need someone else to process your issues, by all
means, go ahead; see a therapist. I myself, though, am a big
fan of self-help. But if you hear voices arguing with each
other in your head, or just plain talking to you, I believe
it is best that you call a local therapist right now. No kidding.
But if you're like any other
person who can normally function well, but who just can't
cope with life for the moment, let me tell you, there are
ways to get out of your cesspit. Indeed, it may take so much
education to become a psychotherapist, and truly, going through
all those levels of schooling at least makes them worthy of
what you pay them, however, you can use therapeutic techniques
that they use on your own. Sure, it may need some practice,
and the techniques may need some getting used to, but with
constant use, and with observation and analysis, you can help
yourself overcome your issues, live life to the fullest, and
be the person you want yourself to be. Heck, you can even
help others! Just get the right licenses and certifications.
Legal messes just might add to your problems.
WHAT THE SHRINKS DON'T WANT
YOU TO KNOW
Ever since Psychology was consolidated
as a discipline in the late 1890's, numerous techniques have
been employed to promote wellness in people. When physicians
had gone past slicing or marring people's brains in the name
of "curing" them, numerous ways to treat people
with emotional and mental problems have been developed. But
you know what? If you know how to think, and if you know how
to communicate, then congratulations, you have touched upon
the heart of psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy operates on
communication, basically. Freud, the most influential psychotherapist
ever since Psychology's birth, started his career and even
cured himself through introspection. What's that? Oh, that's
just a fancy name for thinking and thinking and following
your thoughts and ideas, writing them down, analyzing them,
and thinking some more.
Introspection is the basis
of mental health. With introspection, you can explore who
you are. You learn how to note which parts of you have to
change. You learn how to keep yourself in check when you're
going over the top. You actually get to know yourself more
when you introspect.
Then, another foundation of
psychotherapy and its applications to promoting mental health
and overall well-being is having healthy relationships. If
you notice, highly isolated people are rarely functional.
People who burn bridges often also have a poor inner climate.
Here is a short list of the
importance of having healthy relationships:
