The Benefits of Psychotherapy
In this article, we are going to be breaking down the concept of psychotherapy What it is, its benefits and the different types and techniques within psychotherapy. At The Soke, we offer psychotherapy services from our extremely well regarded clinical team. Read on here to learn more about psychotherapy and how it could help you.
What is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is an opportunity to be listened to in an open and non-judgemental way - the chance to be offered alternative views to behaviours through the exploration of early relational patterns which are automatically laid down in childhood.
The process of psychotherapy begins in a session discussing the client’s background, leading to an agreement on treatment plan - otherwise known as a “contract” - which specifies the goals of the treatment. The psychotherapist selects a treatment modality that both therapist and client consider best suited to the circumstances and to addressing the presentations.
Through the process of psychotherapy, the client will be helped to develop a conscious awareness of how they interact with others and the patterns of behaviour in which they engage.
For the process to be effective and useful, the client needs to fully engage with it, prepared to commit the time it will take to achieve the desired outcome. Time is something we all struggle with – evidenced by the all too common tendency to seek a quick fix for our problems.
In this prioritisation of haste, “help” may be sought through a watered-down version which can offer more immediate relief through a surface-level coping mechanism rather than a resolution to the problem.
This choice to settle for a superficial quick fix is understandable and often comes from the frustration and burden of having too much to do with too little time to do it all. Our push button culture and desire for “top tips” is not what proper therapy is about. Proceeding thoughtfully and deconstructing defences in an attempt to rebuild oneself is the overall goal of therapy.
What are the Benefits of Psychotherapy?
To be truly heard by an objective and trained therapist offering you an alternative perspective on how you view yourself and how others view you.
To develop meaningful, in-depth self-awareness as a means to diminishing anxieties and depression whilst developing greater confidence and bolstering self-esteem.
There are many benefits to psychotherapy including – but not limited to:
Reducing/eliminating anxiety and depression
Recovery from bereavement, trauma, PTSD
Resolving issues within relationships and enhancing related skills
Developing a better understanding of self / personal skills
Overcoming and managing illnesses such as eating disorders
Boosting self-confidence
Addressing negative behaviours and substituting them with positive ones
Developing tools to manage stress and lifestyle pressures
Overcoming phobias and combatting intrusive thoughts
Reducing the need for acute mental health care
Overcoming addiction
Recovering from childhood trauma
In today’s culture self-esteem so often hinges on what we do, what we have or can show as a representation of who we are. The level of productivity and how that gets measured is a huge pressure. What we do, how much we do, how fast we can do… In Psychotherapy, we don’t DO. We experience, we engage with, we connect and relate to, and we learn. The ultimate aim is to learn to accept ourselves - we don’t DO any of that… we learn how. How to BE.
How we learn to BE depends on the different types of psychotherapy we engage with. The therapist can help by offering tools with which to implement techniques. Regardless of the type of therapy one is engaged in, if the client doesn’t really want things to be different, then change will seldom take place.
In addition to a genuine desire for things to be different, another contributory component to change is the relationship between the therapist and the client, and the existence of trust and respect. The fit and chemistry is the main ingredient for a successful therapeutic relationship, which is known as “the therapeutic alliance”.
Types of Psychotherapy
There are many different modalities of psychotherapy - as an integrative therapist, I implement a variety of techniques in order to find a bespoke recipe for each individual.
Additionally, a therapy session can entail two, three or more people. For example:
Individual talking therapy:
This therapy entails a non-judgmental, confidential and safe space for patients to alleviate their difficulties with the therapist. It can cover grief, anxiety, relationship difficulties, addiction and many other issues.
Couples therapy:
This method of therapy constructs a safe space for couples to deconstruct their internal and external conflicts whilst also confronting issues that may have led to a breakdown of trust or even what might simply be termed as “falling out of love”. The therapist will work to help the couple recover from their challenges and based on the desires of the individuals, either aim to save the relationship or if this relationship is irreparable, ensure that the couple separate in the best possible way.
Family therapy:
This therapy takes a more holistic approach. Determining that the root of the problem lies within the family rather than an individual, it concentrates on conflicts and interactions outside the therapy sessions, enabling individual members of the family to develop more meaningful awareness of their own behaviours.
Group therapy:
This is a therapy whereby the client works in a small group amongst one or more therapists to help recover or improve their ability to overcome particular issues – circumstantial or behavioural. The aim is to encourage the personal development of the entire group. The ideology is that the issues you have in your daily life will inevitably be reflected in your interactions within a group.
Animal therapy:
Animal therapy utilises animals as a therapeutic aid to improving mood and reducing anxiety. Research shows that caring for another being can improve one’s mental health. It can also be helpful in taking therapy out of its traditional space and placing the client and therapist in a setting more conducive to relaxation and the letting down of guards.
Art therapy:
This method of therapy allows patients to express their thoughts through altering shapes, sizes, textures, tones and colours. Patients world views and inner perspectives usually come through in the work they produce.
Body therapy:
Not only does this focus on the therapy of our thoughts and emotions but incorporates the body. They might also work with massage or encourage patients to experiment with movement and practice breathing exercises. The aim is to process traumatic or damaging memories which are internalised in the body.
Dance therapy:
Dance therapy is the discovery of the connection between the body and mind. The movements that the patient will deliver will subconsciously reveal how the patient is feeling, representing their unconscious processes.
Drama therapy:
Drama therapy uses theatrical techniques to help patients imitate the ways of acting in real life. Some of the techniques used are role-playing, games, mime or improvisation. All of this helps to develop the patient’s creativity and personal growth.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR):
This therapy helps process distressing life experiences; it is a way in which patients reflect on past events in an attempt to discover the triggers. Early trauma can be detected and understood via a thorough exploration of early childhood experiences.
While the patient is asked to recall past events, the therapist uses hand tapping, eye movements or sound to help condition the event with different insights. The aim is to unblock disturbing memories and mitigate physical symptoms.
Hypnosis:
Hypnosis is used to transport the patient to a realm of intense relaxation and altered awareness, the therapist uses specific exercises or words, making it easier to discuss the memories.
Nature therapy:
This is a therapy that is centred on the relationship between the individual and nature, it is a therapy conducted in a different environment, such as a park. This increases the client’s awareness of the natural world and helps to diminish depression, anxiety, stress or anger.
Play therapy:
This uses toys and puppets to assist children with their expression and aims to enhance their coping mechanisms. It is helpful for children with low self-esteem and behavioural problems.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy:
CBT is a more directive type of therapy focused on offering practical exercises and giving homework to practice between sessions. Written exercises to help examine thoughts and potentially alter the patient’s perception of their feelings and behaviour by providing an alternate route. It is useful for very specific issues such as phobias, intrusive thoughts and OCD.
People seek psychotherapy for many reasons- we have seen a huge surge in anxiety and depression brought on by the pandemic of the past eighteen months. The threat of the unknown and the resounding feelings of impotence have impacted us all immensely and in various ways.
Lockdown was a perfect breeding ground to challenge all that we knew to be true. This newfound uncertainty resulted in a lack of control experienced by many. Control is almost always at the heart of Disordered Eating and in more extreme situations, Eating Disorders. With so much unknown these days, grasping for some certainty through restrictive eating has been a common form of regulation.
Conversations revolving around weight gain and weight loss contributed to the pressure that many felt guided by social media and what everyone else was doing online. Being homebound with food at the heart of our day to day living has been challenging for many. It has left us feeling exhausted. Despite our exhaustion and need for sleep, worries have stolen our “ZZZ’s” and for many, this stress interrupted our capacity to sleep and often resulted in insomnia.
Sleep is required daily for our bodies and minds to have the time to switch off from the day and to rejuvenate. But in fact, our minds don‘t stop. Sleep is a very active time; it is when the brain experiences different phases of neural activity processing all the unconscious activity that goes on, unnoticed, during the day. The mind sorts through that all as it engages in the phases and process of dreaming. If we aren’t getting the required number of hours and quality of sleep that we need to function optimally, this will impact our days. And so the cycle continues…
NHS Therapy vs Private Mental Health Care
Mental health care has taken a long time to get a seat at the health table and to be acknowledged as a necessary component of general wellbeing. The division between mental and physical health has long been upheld with no view of how each impacts the other. In the past, mental health problems were reserved for the “very sick” and relegated to hospitals and stories too worrying to be able to disclose and discuss.
The Pandemic has forced mental health into view normalising/humanising us all and revealing that we can no longer ignore our psychological.
The differences in mental health care
The NHS provides free mental healthcare alongside other beneficial qualities, including:
Chosen therapy that a specialist considers best
Veering towards short term therapies
Talking to various specialists
However, these are some issues that also detract from the excellent work of our NHS, such as:
Extensive waiting time
Induction session assessment
The absence of a capacity to diagnose all mental health conditions
The government has been slow to recognise the need and make provisions for the growing demand for mental health services.
Private Mental Health Care:
There are many reasons why some patients would rather request private mental health care, for instance:
Picking a preferred location of treatment
Selecting the specialist of choice
Relatively swift response to need
However, these are some attributes patients may also want to consider:
The cost
The quality of service
The accreditation of the specialist
Private health care enables more flexibility in terms of treatment and number of sessions and the type of therapies that can be offered. Flexible hours, alternative and less sterile or clinical environments and creative treatment can be offered.
A common concern of those who opt for care, be it private or NHS, is whether their problems are really severe enough to necessitate help. Whether you have the means to afford private health care or whether you are getting help on the NHS, we all are entitled to mental wellbeing. It is way past the time of noticing the importance of mental health and doing all we can to ensure that we are taking care of ourselves- Body and Mind.
For additional information consult the following websites: www.psychotherapy.org.uk and www.bacp.co.uk
