The word therapy conjures an image of the serious man having a steno pad taking notes while someone reclines on a black, leather couch, referring to her childhood. I have been to therapy a lot of times and never once have I reclined. Certainly one of my therapists would be a tough talking Texan who threw a Kush ball with me as we spoke. Another would be a completely bald little person who drank protein shakes and gave me existential philosophy CDs to listen to. Another liked to write possible solutions to my problems on a magnetic whiteboards.
While you will find therapists who employ the whole reclining around the black, leather couch while you discuss your childhood thing, that’s only one kind of psychotherapeutic treatment available. If you aren’t into that (I understand I’m not!), don’t allow it stop you from searching for some support for the issues. There are many, many other approaches and types of therapy available. Depending on your personal preferences and just what type of issues you may want to tackle, you have options. Many, many options. So many, that i am only going to tell you about a few. Click on through for a very abridged breakdown of probably the most popular types of therapy available.
Psychoanalysis
The Lowdown:?Here’s your traditional patient lays on the black, leather couch type of therapy. In line with the theories of Sigmund Freud (you may have heard of him), the individual, or “analysand,” goes to begin to see the analyst about four times per week, lies on a couch and practices free association. This includes verbalizing any thoughts, feelings, dreams or fantasies. From these musings, the analyst interprets the unconscious thoughts and drives (the Id) underneath the surface and disease fighting capability getting in the patient’s way. The idea is the fact that once repressed emotions are delivered to awareness (by the Ego), the patient has the capacity to confront them and change neurotic tendencies (the Superego).
Blah, blah, blah. That sounds really confusing. It’s basically lots of digging about how your parents screwed you up.
You’ll such as this kind of therapy if: You like to lay down and/or you’ve got a good deal of your time (and money) to devote to figuring yourself too much.
Cognitive Behavorial Therapy (CBT)
The Lowdown:?CBT, effective for treating many different types of disorders, is based on the tenant that thoughts control behavior. So if you identify your unproductive thoughts and learn to change them, what you do will change along with them. This is done through journaling, assessment of ideas, thoughts or beliefs, facing activities which have been avoided, focusing on the current moment and learning relaxation and breathing techniques.
This is a much more solution-oriented form of treatment, often adapted for the garden variety self-help books. When you may spend time talking about your childhood, it will cost more time learning techniques for dealing with your problems.
You’ll like this if:? You’re goal-oriented and prefer to know you’e focusing on something tangible.
Analytical Psychology Or Jungian Analysis
The Lowdown:?Jungian Analysis is Carl Jung’s spin on psychoanalysis. It’s less “doctor telling patient what’s happening in the unconscious” and much more of the dialogue between analyst and patient. While it still concentrates on the unconscious, the therapy relies upon the individual creating a healthy relationship with the unconscious — neither overtaken by it or repressing it. The idea is that when conscious and unconscious are in balance, this brings out a brand new harmony towards the personality, where suffering and pain take on new meaning and purpose. Treatment focuses on psychic development, healing and achieving whole through dreams, symbols, the understanding or even the person’s connection to humankind.
You’ll like this if: You’re a person with a spiritual bent who is looking for personal growth.
Family Systems Therapy
The Lowdown:?Also referred to as couples therapy or family therapy, this sort of psychotherapy concentrates on the dynamics of the family (or couple unit) in general, as opposed to a single person inside the family. Regardless of whether one individual, or even the entire family, manifests the “problem,” therapists focus on treatment poor the whole family unit.
You might recognize this type of therapy from shows like “Intervention,” which focuses on everyone getting well, rather than just the addict.
You’ll such as this if:? You’re a household, family members or couple who all want to focus on making things better together.
Group Therapy
The Lowdown:?This is a type of psychotherapy where a number of therapists works together with a small group of clients. The?group setting is thought to possess many benefits. Members who share common experiences can seem to be less isolated, study from one another, develop coping mechanisms and work on interpersonal skills.
You’ll such as this if: You’re a vicarious learner looking to develop more meaningful connections with others.
Humanistic and Existential Therapy
The Lowdown:?While both of these different schools of therapeutic thought, they are closely related for the reason that they both approach the person as a whole. Humanists believe that people are inherently good plus they shoot for self-actualization. It’s not so much a treatment as a perspective around the human condition that informs therapeutic treatment. The therapist and the patient make an effort to bring about the client’s best, most expressed self, and do whatever needs doing to get there.
Existential psychotherapy is based on the ideas of existential philosophy. The idea that life has no prescribed or determined meaning may trigger feelings of intense isolation and meaninglessness.? So, the antidote to this is creating meaning by working on the individual’s beliefs and values. It’s the “may as well enjoy it while you’re here” kind of approach.
You’ll such as this if: You’re a deep thinker, always questioning life and your place in the world and prefer a far more touchy-feely type of therapist.