What is psychotherapy? What is it for, approaches, benefits and more!

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Jennifer Sherman

General considerations about psychotherapy

Living in a world of excess and constant change can be very challenging for a person who is not used to dealing with their own emotions and feelings. After all, a world full of stimuli is capable of generating many feelings and sensations that most people do not know how to handle.

The monitoring of psychotherapy can undoubtedly help you live better in your day to day. All because this therapy aims to help people resolve emotional issues felt throughout their lives. In this article, we will learn more about psychotherapy, the different approaches and the main benefits that it can generate in your life. Read on!

Psychotherapy, what is it for, who is it indicated for and others

Anyone looking to improve care for their own well-being and the way they relate to life and people, soon think of psychotherapy. It is able to help you develop self-knowledge, enabling you to be better prepared for the nuances of life. Understand more about psychotherapy in the following topics.

What is psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is popularly known as therapy, emerged from the concepts of psychology. It is applied through dialogues and conversations about emotional aspects, having as a tool various approaches, connections with the subconscious among others.

The word psychotherapy has a Greek origin. Psyche means mind and therapeuein is to cure, that is, it is a therapy that seeks to treat issues related to the mind and psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, difficulties in relationships among other problems. A psychologist is able to help you better deal with these problems.

What is it used for

Psychotherapy aims to broaden the field of perception of the patient, doing everything possible so that he gets a broader worldview. That is, to give the person the possibility to perceive and understand what happens around him, in his daily life, in his relationships. This is necessary so that the person can give new meaning to the facts that are causing him suffering.

The motivation for sadness and discomfort, regularly do not get to be anything apparent. These small or large nuisances end up affecting the well-being of an individual reflecting for your daily life. It is at these times that psychotherapy acts and can help better deal with the phase in which it is experiencing.

For whom psychotherapy is indicated

Psychotherapy is for all ages and can be indicated for various situations. All this because it seeks to understand various behaviors, emotions and feelings. Unfortunately in a mistaken way some people think that psychotherapy is intended only for people who have some kind of mental illness.

This is a real lie, after all we all have internal conflicts and emotions and the need to understand them for a better development. Some reasons that lead a person to seek psychotherapy are:

- difficulties in solving some problem;

- difficulties in developing self-knowledge;

- feeling of sadness for a long period;

- problems in relationships and at work;

- constant lack of concentration;

- frequent bouts of anxiety;

- or simply when you have attitudes that displease you and others.

Emotional issues addressed by psychotherapy

There is no clear limits of emotional issues that psychotherapy is able to treat. All because the human mind is something complex and that every day something new is discovered about it and other emotional issues appear. Therefore, psychotherapy is a very powerful treatment, by taking the individuality and complexity of the human being as being one of the factors of analysis.

However, there are some more common psychological disorders and syndromes that can be treated through psychotherapy, including depression, anxiety, binge eating, stress, schizophrenia, autism, Asperger's syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), personality disorders such as bipolar disorder and Borderline Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Posttraumatic Stress(PTSD).

How psychotherapy works

Generally a psychotherapy process begins with an initial interview between the psychologist and the patient, with the objective of the patient reporting to the psychologist his complaints, that is, which situations, symptoms or issues that motivated his search for a psychologist.

It is also common to have a moment to make the closing of a contract, containing information about the treatment, such as deadlines, values, days of the sessions, among other information. The most common is that consultations take place with a time of 50 minutes.

However, as each case is unique, there is the possibility of other formats that are molded to the needs of each individual. Thus, the duration of treatment may vary according to some aspects such as clinical condition of the patient, commitment to treatment, complaints portrayed, among others.

The different approaches and types of psychotherapy

There are many different approaches to psychotherapy. Each theoretical perspective acts as a roadmap to help the psychologist understand their clients and their problems, thus developing solutions for them. Check out in the next topics some of these existing approaches.

Analytic-behavioral

As the name implies, who uses this approach in psychotherapy will work directly with the behavior of people. With this, the psychologist will understand what the patient needs and through specific techniques, will assist in the behavioral transformation of the person.

This therapy is linked to behaviorism (set of approaches that proposes publicly observable behavior as the object of study of psychology) and aims to treat personal relationships with their environment.

For this to happen, positive reinforcement is used to create changes in a person's behavior. It is a very efficient technique for people who have anxiety, panic, social phobia, depression, drug addiction and learning problems.

Cognitive-constructivist

This type of approach includes a variety of techniques aimed at the process of changing a person's pattern of experience. However, it is not defined by a specific technique, but rather by the way in which the different techniques adapt to the person and the pace of their development.

Cognitive-behavioral

This approach to psychology is specific and focused on the patient's current problem. It has as its way of thinking, what affects people is not the events but the way one interprets the situations that are presented throughout life.

The therapist needs to help the patient to have a different and more adequate worldview to cope with external stimuli. However, this approach focuses on modifying negative and destructive thoughts through understanding and understanding a person's emotions and attitudes.

Jungian Psychotherapy

Jungian psychotherapy has as its main object of study the dreams and the unconscious. The therapist tries to keep the conversation always around the problems that made the patient come to him. This approach seeks to find the answers to what is bothering the person.

To stimulate the imagination, techniques generally linked to the arts are used such as paintings, sculptures, drawings, writing techniques, and the sandbox (Sandplay). Thus, it is indicated for those who seek a deeper self-knowledge.

Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy aims to focus on how one means the meaning of the world and one's own experiences. It focuses on the perception of things and the meanings one attaches to them as an experience to be analyzed by psychotherapy.

It is a therapy that focuses on the present, that is, it takes advantage not only of what the patient says, but also of his gestures, expressions and the environment in which he lives. However, this approach does not seek the causes of a symptom, but rather its understanding from various aspects.

It is an open, non-directed approach, causing the patient to develop and find a positive way of being in the world in the present moment.

Psychoanalysis

Being one of the best known therapies due to the success of its creator, Freud, psychoanalysis seeks to describe the causes of mental disorders, human development, personality and motivations.

This approach seeks to stimulate the patient himself to have his own ideas, that is, that he himself understands what is happening to him. Therefore, to experience the process of this therapy, the person creates connection with his subconscious to find answers, ideas about himself and his own self-knowledge.

EMDR

EMDR is a therapeutic approach to Trauma Desensitization and Reprocessing. This therapy can help people overcome painful past experiences by causing their brain to reprogram, enabling the person to move on to find more quality of life.

Bringing the dream simulations as one of the techniques it helps in overcoming traumas and bad memories. This type of therapy is indicated for those who have suffered some kind of abuse, accidents, violence and phobias.

Child psychotherapy

Even the youngest go through situations that end up generating traumas and insecurities during their development, which can disturb their daily lives. For this, there is child psychotherapy, which seeks to create a safe space to work on the child's anguishes, fears and insecurities.

In this case, the Ludotherapy (psychotherapy aimed at the psychological treatment of children, using tools such as play) is indicated for children because through playful games end up attracting their attention helping to deal with deeper issues. However, the goal is to provide a path of play and learning, improving the child's well-being.

Psychodrama

This type of approach is a little different from the others. Through role-plays or dramatic representations in groups or individually it seeks to evaluate the emotions of the individual. Psychodrama therapy, besides verbal language, uses the body in its various expressions and interactions with other bodies.

In staging the person can see himself and the situation from another perspective, thus the therapeutic process is carried out in the here and now. The focus is to see the human being as a builder of himself and his world, seeking to rescue the spontaneous side, creativity and intuition of a person. With this, it ends up cultivating in the person the reach of freedom, sensitivity andempathy.

The main benefits of psychotherapy

Every day that passes therapy has become more and more popular among people. All because diseases that are related to the mind become more frequent due to the increase of stimuli in people's daily lives. In the next topics we list the main benefits of psychotherapy. Check it out!

Self-knowledge

It is normal throughout life people seek to reflect on their attitudes and their own emotions. However, accompanied by a psychotherapy this reflection and change becomes more accurate and effective. The monitoring of a psychologist will help broaden the vision about yourself, increasing the possibility of internal resources to deal with the challenges and strands of life.

Having more effective in the process of self-knowledge, you will increase the chances of having more well-being in important areas of life, such as relationships, work, family and your own relationship with yourself. For those seeking improvement and a deep self-knowledge, psychotherapy serves as a guide amid so many thoughts and emotions.

A new meaning to life

Throughout life a person is able to accumulate a lot of learning and concepts created about things, people and the world. It happens that these concepts created most of the time end up limiting the experience of a person, either by prejudice, fear or insecurity.

Psychotherapy helps you to break down certain internal concepts, increasing your vision about life itself, thus allowing you to become more open to the events during your journey here on earth. To create a new meaning for life, you need to look within with affection.

Personal empowerment

Taking the attitude of looking inside yourself can help you see valuable inner resources, increasing the perception about yourself. Accepting your differences, your limitations, your fears and insecurities will give you more strength to develop.

Moreover, this is the result of self-knowledge, give you more strength to deal with your routine and your self-love. That is, your self-confidence tends to increase, because you start to accept your weaknesses and value your qualities.

The discovery of skills

Throughout life some people end up creating some concepts about themselves limiting their abilities. Experiencing a process of psychotherapy you will be able to enhance their self-knowledge and connect with some skills and competencies that you did not even know existed.

Problems like public speaking, not knowing how to deal with others' feelings, and other issues that test an individual's ability can be worked on in therapy. If you want to break down barriers and strengthen your emotional intelligence, seek the help of a psychologist.

Contact and understanding of one's own emotions

We go through many changes and mood swings throughout the days. Having a keen eye for the development of self-knowledge will increase your inner resources for dealing with these nuances. It is very difficult to deal with emotions for some people, and this difficulty happens because they ignore their own emotions.

To understand yourself it takes time and dedication, so the help of a professional as in the case of the psychologist, can facilitate this search to develop internal and external skills to deal with the world.

The work on frustrations and social difficulties

Some standards and behavioral concepts are imposed by society and we start to live them without even realizing it. It is common to find people who live an entire life based on other people's opinions and social impositions, making them charge a lot.

Generally this happens because you have not developed a process of self-knowledge, which aims at a better self-acceptance. However, by experiencing a therapeutic process, you will find a safe and judgment-free space, which will enhance the search for who you want to become.

The change of perception in relationships

By experiencing a process of therapy you are not only able to improve your own behavior, but also to broaden your vision for relationships. By understanding yourself better every day, you will develop a maturity that ends up reflecting in your relationships, whether at work, at home or with friends.

Therapy is able to help you create a more empathetic and broader view of people and the relationships you create with them.

I understand what psychotherapy is, when to know if it is the best alternative for my case?

Experiencing a psychotherapy process should be an experience for anyone who wants to better understand and deal with their emotions, enabling improvements in their quality of life. However, some more serious cases should be treated as soon as possible.

Some signs, such as intense emotions, thoughts fixed on traumas, frequent lack of motivation, constant mood swings, difficult relationships with other people and professional performance below expectations, may indicate that you need to look carefully at your emotions and seek the help of a professional.

However, never put off experiencing a therapeutic process when there are indications that there is something wrong with you. By experiencing a therapy process you will be able to develop your skills, understand your weaknesses and deepen your understanding of human issues and emotions.

As an expert in the field of dreams, spirituality and esotericism, I am dedicated to helping others find the meaning in their dreams. Dreams are a powerful tool for understanding our subconscious minds and can offer valuable insights into our daily lives. My own journey into the world of dreams and spirituality began over 20 years ago, and since then I have studied extensively in these areas. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with others and helping them to connect with their spiritual selves.