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What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is based on the idea that symptoms such as depression, anxiety, stress, etc very rarely arrive out of the blue. Usually there is a long and complex history behind these phenomena - a very personal story, unique to every individual. At the same time, however, many people attempt to 'forget' their own life story, and it is only when their past makes itself known to them through various symptoms that they start to become interested in it again. Psychotherapy gives people the opportunity to tell their own stories, in their own time, and in their own way. This enables them to discover and explore the structures, processes and events that have shaped their own, unique histories. And by understanding and coming to terms with their past, individuals are then much better placed to decide how they want to live their future.
What can it treat?
Psychotherapy has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of psychological difficulties, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, phobia, eating disorders, body image problems, relationship and sexual difficulties, and bereavement and loss. It can also be useful in helping individuals address more general problems of loneliness and isolation, or a sense of unhappiness and discontentment with life.
How does it work?
Psychotherapy works primarily through speech. By talking freely about whatever is on their minds, clients can begin to uncover long forgotten thoughts, feelings and memories that may have been unknowingly troubling them for many years – often since childhood. It is the process of uncovering such hidden material, which is often playing havoc in their unconscious, that allows individuals to gain greater awareness of their psychological life and history, and how this affects their present day thoughts, feelings and relationships. It is important to note that psychotherapy is an open-ended process – it is for the client to decide how long he or she wants to keep attending sessions.
What will a session involve?
Typically, you would be invited to begin each session by saying whatever comes to mind and then to follow through any associations that occur to you. There is absolutely no restriction on what can be talked about (which some clients can find quite unnerving to start with!), and the therapist is totally non-judgemental. At the start of the work, the therapist is likely to be more talkative, asking questions about your life and experiences in order to gain a basic understanding of you, but as time goes by you would be invited to do most of the talking. |
