Psychotherapy is one of the cornerstones of mental health treatment. The benefits of psychotherapy are numerous. Its origins date back to the late 1800’s when Sigmund Freud developed the practice of psychoanalysis. There are many different forms of psychotherapy, but the goal of each is to improve your mental health by expanding awareness and acceptance.
There are countless research studies demonstrating the effectiveness of psychotherapy in improving mental health. For many problems, such as anxiety and depression, therapy has been shown to be equally as effective as medications. In many situations, the combination of psychotherapy with medications has been proven to be more effective than either one alone.
No matter what type of psychotherapy is utilized, it is important to understand that the therapeutic process takes time to unfold. A therapist can assist you in discovering the origins of your emotions and help you better understand your reactions and impulses, but effective therapy requires trust. It may take several sessions before you feel relaxed enough to open-up about personal details of your life. You should always look for a therapist who makes you feel at ease.
You will learn many things about yourself over the course of therapy. You must be prepared to experience uncomfortable emotions and difficult truths. Sometimes, real change requires facing unpleasant aspects of your past that you may have tucked away in the corners of your mind. You may discover that you have unhealthy habits or coping strategies. Fortunately, psychotherapy can help you rebuild a stronger emotional foundation to stand upon.
Psychotherapy is effective in treating most all mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, sleep disorders and addiction. The roots of these conditions can be deeply implanted in our minds. Imagine that mental health disorders are like a pair of glasses that change the way we see the world. After a while, you don’t even realize that you are looking through the glasses anymore. Our minds can adapt to a dark and troubled pattern of thought that changes our perception. This is a phenomenon known as “cognitive distortion”. Through therapy, you can start to remove those glasses and see your life through a different lens with new meaning and brighter colors.
At the Center for Perceptual Medicine, we draw from numerous forms of therapy to address your individual needs. A few notable types of therapy include Jungian, transpersonal, cognitive, interpersonal and supportive psychotherapy.
Jungian therapy, also referred to as analytical therapy, focuses on aspects of the conscious and unconscious mind in order to join them together in a more harmonious way. It is believed that most people have a true self that they hide from the outside world. This form of therapy can be useful for those who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of themselves, as well as those who suffer from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and other psychological problems.
Transpersonal therapy is a unique form of therapy developed by Stan Groff, M.D., that attempts to address all aspects of well-being, including physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual needs. This is achieved through an open-minded approach to exploring spirituality and meaning. It may also involve exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness as a tool for personal growth, such as those achieved through ketamine therapy, breathwork and meditation. This type of therapy may be useful for treating forms of depression, anxiety and addiction.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly effective for depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, PTSD, OCD and various other conditions. CBT attempts to help individuals recognize unhealthy thought patterns and change them through various exercises of the mind. It involves understanding that the way we perceive a situation or problem will determine our reaction to that situation, but also recognizing that what we perceive is not always reflective of reality.
Interpersonal psychotherapy is a form of therapy with a specific focus on our relationships and interactions with others along with our overall social functioning. This form of therapy is primarily used to treat depression and addiction by examining how our unhealthy relationships affect our behavior and how we can change those relationships by managing our expectations of others.
Lastly, supportive psychotherapy is a broader approach to mental health treatment that can help patients deal with various aspects of their lives that are a consequence of mental illness. Your therapist may utilize a variety of strategies to achieve this goal, including providing supportive listening, encouragement, problem-solving, guidance, and assisted social interventions. This form of therapy may provide more immediate results in affecting change but is also considered to be more superficial.
We are all individuals who approach the world with a different past and a diverse set of problems, thus, everyone’s experience in therapy will be unique. When combined, the different types of psychotherapy provide us with valuable tools to assist you in addressing your current problems, discovering the source of unhealthy thought patterns, and affecting positive changes in your life. Contact Us today for a free 15-minute consultation.
Initial Evaluation – Psychotherapy – 50 mins.
Follow-up – Psychotherapy – 50 mins.
Teletherapy – Psychotherapy – 25 mins.
Follow-up/interval sessions.