Psychotherapy isn’t reserved for traumatic life events, even though we tend to think of it being used to help the depressed, repair relationships and tame anxieties. It’s true that therapy is useful for serious situations that require gentle intervention can be a life-saver. But there’s much more to therapy than that.
Psychotherapy, sometimes called talk therapy, can help people understand the origins of complex behaviors, thoughts, and emotions and how those actions and feelings affect their lives. Often there’s nothing wrong at all with how a person feels or thinks; therapy can be an excellent way of helping people accept themselves and develop better self-esteem.
Therapy is also useful for identifying behaviors and thoughts that are causing trouble in a person’s life. Such behavior doesn’t have to be dramatically destructive. Often, behaviors that are so habitual that we don’t ever think of them are those selfsame actions that cause the most trouble.
A source of this kind of behavior is automatic thinking. Automatic thinking forms a kind of mental framework we use to slot in and organize essentially everything that happens in our lives. Automatic thinking is reflexive; it forms the basis of our psychological perceptions. Unfortunately, it’s often so ingrained that we don’t see it, and it can lead us to trouble.
Automatic thinking can be based on cognitive fallacies, which are ways of seeing the world and other people that seem to make sense but are in fact rooted in error. The real problem is that when we run into a situation where our thoughts don’t fit the facts, we ignore reality. People often try to ignore or twist the facts to fit their cognitive framework. That is, it’s easier to ignore or attempt to re-shape reality than it is to change our way of thinking.
In situations like this, psychotherapy really shines. A therapist can identify a person’s automatic and incorrect, rigid thought processes and teach ways that help thinking become more flexible and more helpful. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are helpful are referred to as adaptive.
It’s easy for people to fear this kind of change. After all, no one wants to think that they are wrong about anything. That’s another problem right there. The fear of being wrong or simply incorrect may be so strong that a person is very hesitant to discuss issues with people close to them. The need to save face can be so strong that people keep behaving in ways that make them miserable.
Therapy with a trained, licensed counselor can make a big difference in a person’s life. By providing insight and education into a person’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings, therapists help clients make the changes they need to live a happier, more satisfying life.
If you’re looking to make changes that will help you, please contact your local Spokane healthcare professional. Reach out to Damaris through her contact page or calling 509-342-6592.
