LogFAQs > #945413965

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Therapy is extremely effective. The reasons why are more debatable - is it just a case of having someone who listens when you talk serving a valuable psychological need to vent, or a therapist offering a differing perspective and advice that helps you understand yourself in ways you otherwise wouldn't? Is it deliberately breaking down psychological blocks, or otherwise trying to reconstruct who you are on a basic level to fix problems you've had for years?

Different therapists tend to approach the process in different ways, and different patients tend to benefit from it in different ways. But it's very true that therapy in general can be extremely helpful, even if you don't think it will.

It is definitely a combination of different therapeutic and client factors. What studies have found is that the therapeutic relationship tends to play a larger role than the therapist's specific theoretical approach. This makes so much sense to me. Good relationships in general have the ability to provide various healing experiences that people carry into their futures. Therapists are trained to help provide corrective emotional experiences which help clients to gain insight, safety, and the courage to try healthy new interactional patterns with other people outside of the therapy room. I think it also helps to explore life's meaning, one's responsibility and gain a greater sense of agency in one's life.