Accepting psychotherapeutic support in good time should no longer be a taboo subject!
Impairments of psychological well-being are widespread. It is all too easy for the inner psychological balance to become unbalanced. This destabilization can affect any of us. Depression ranked third in Switzerland in 2017, right after allergies and arthritis. But despite this, this topic is often still taboo. Accepting professional support for mental stress is often still viewed critically, but not for physical complaints. But there is only one health! Mental and physical health are inseparable.
Have you ever thought about seeking psychotherapeutic support and then not dared to do so? Perhaps out of fear of exclusion and rejection, out of shame, or the feeling of having failed?
Nicole dared to take this step. But it took some time before she learned to treat her psyche the same as her body. Nicole had already struggled with psychological problems as a child, triggered by family difficulties.
"I was often very sad and couldn't say why. I was desperate because I couldn't categorize all these negative feelings. I felt how demanding my condition was for my family and I myself could hardly bear these feelings. I remember well how my mother took me to different therapists. What finally helped me was kinesiology. "
When she then experienced increased depressive moods again at the age of 16, the feelings were not so much sadness alone but rather huge despair and an incredible inner turmoil, Nicole describes.
"I was prescribed antidepressants without further clarification. I took the tablets, I soon felt better and I was functioning again. But because I didn't deal with my feelings, I never completely got rid of this inner conflict. At some point, I knew that I should get help again, but in my condition, I was not able to take this step. Until I reached such a low point that I realized there was no way around it. So I went back to kinesiology, I use it preventively but also for constant reflection and to strengthen myself. I now treat my psyche like my body, I observe how I feel and act accordingly. Nevertheless, we should also reach out to these people and support them. This is why it is so important that we talk openly about these challenges."
Through her experience, Nicole can now recommend:
"Find the right form of therapy or coaching for you. If it doesn't feel right for someone, it may be because of the form of therapy or not liking the therapist. Think about what is important to you in a therapist and just try, don't wait too long, things rarely get better by themselves."
But what is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a healing process to help with mental distress with the aim of restoring your mental well-being. One of the most important factors in psychotherapy is the establishment of a healing relationship of trust between you and your psychotherapist. You are given a trusting and unprejudiced space to talk about all your issues. Someone listens to you about the issues you can't talk about with your family or friends, or can only talk about with difficulty. Perhaps you are now asking yourself, how can it be easier for me to talk about very private topics with a complete stranger?
"In the first session, the reason for the psychotherapy and the patient's goals are clarified. Above all, space is given for the patient's story, because telling about what is bothering is already a first important step in overcoming the problem. Many patients are insecure in this situation because it is not a normal conversation but an asymmetrical dialogue in which the therapist asks many questions and takes notes while the patient presents his problem. The following sessions differ depending on the direction of the therapy", this is the description from Mareike Haase, federally accredited psychotherapist at WePractice.
The reasons for psychotherapy can be very diverse. The meaning of life can get lost in various situations in life. With the support of psychotherapy, however, you get the opportunity to find it again. It can make you aware of why you had to experience certain situations and support you in dealing with them. Psychotherapy is there for everyone who wants to get to know and understand themselves and their own patterns of thinking and acting better. It is also there for people who find themselves in a situation of excessive demands and whose previous coping strategies are no longer sufficient to maintain mental well-being. Psychotherapy can be thought of as a journey inward, in which new perspectives on oneself and the world are made possible. In most psychotherapies, the focus is on experiencing in the here and now. The duration depends on one's own issues and the psychotherapy method. There are short-term therapies, which can last only 5 to 10 hours, or long-term therapies.
"Psychotherapy is work and requires the active participation of the patient. It can be scary because you suddenly realize that your life is going in the wrong direction and changes are coming. But it's true: the night is darkest before the day," says Mareike Haase.
That is why psychological crises are always an indication from the soul that something has become unbalanced and that one has moved away from oneself and one's own values. The poet Hermann Hesse very aptly described the necessity of lifelong and always painful development and maturation of the human being in his poem "Stufen" (Stages): "Life's call to us will never end, farewell then heart, take leave and be healthy."
And now, which psychotherapy direction is right for me?
If you have decided to look for a psychotherapist, then the question now arises: Who do I choose? Apart from the criterion of sympathy described above, other considerations may also be important. Do I need individual therapy or would I prefer group therapy? Do I want to do couples therapy with my partner or family therapy with my family? If you are looking for a therapist online, the therapist's specializations are usually listed on the homepage. If you come across the term "psychotherapy method" or "psychotherapy school", it might be important for you to know that the effectiveness of psychotherapy does not depend so much on the method or school, but more on the trusting relationship between you and the therapist.
And what does therapy do?
Psychotherapy can support you in getting to know yourself better, in feeling more stable again, and in dealing differently with the stress factors that have contributed to your psychological destabilization, so that you feel them to be less of a burden. They can support you in resolving inner conflicts and offer you a trusting framework to discuss difficult issues that you cannot confide in anyone else. A psychotherapist has a duty of confidentiality! He or she is not allowed to disclose any of your issues to the outside world. Even depositing stressful issues with someone else can be very relieving. But psychotherapy offers even more. Someone listens to you with an open ear, tries to understand you, and works with you to solve your issues. You are no longer alone with your burdens! The psychotherapist does not present you with a solution, but you work together with the therapist to find a way out of your stressful situation. You are the expert for your inner self and the psychotherapist supports you in putting your inner self in order again once it has become confused.
It needs to be dealt with openly! Please take your warning signals seriously and get support in time!
