subject: Psychotherapy Can Help You Grow Away From Whatever Is Holding You Back [print this page] Delays on the road to self-discovery are like a highway construction project that slows down travel progress. Often, travelers are helped through these barriers by highway flaggers who guide them around the problem. Similarly, a skilled professional psychotherapist can act as a flagger, helping us find the best way to cross our self-imposed roadblocks and ultimately grow from negative or difficult experiences.
The perception of feeling stalled by life events - such as the loss of a job or a loved one, a rebellious teenager, divorce, or mounting debt - is like being paralyzed by an external cause. Working with a psychotherapist can help us understand how our reaction to these challenges determines how we integrate life's lessons. The goal should be to move forward, but many find themselves losing momentum and bogged down with emotional stress. Serious emotional stress can eventually result in real physical illness if left unchecked.
The course of psychotherapy can be short- or long-term, composed of individual or group sessions, or a combination of both. There are many schools of thought about what course of therapy is the most effective for different issues. Some will concentrate on training the mind through the body with movement or biofeedback training. Other methods, such as Gestalt or IMAGO counseling, use direct conversations about key relationships and their effect on individual mental health.
Behavioral medicine focuses on the connections between our behavior, thoughts and feelings, and our physical health. In other words, your thoughts can make you sick - or well. This treatment uses cognitive behavioral therapy, often referred to as CBT, to address anxiety, pain and stress issues.
Biofeedback training is another form of behavioral medicine that teaches the individual to become aware of, monitor, and ultimately gain control over what were previously thought to be automatic bodily functions (such as breathing, pulse rate and the like). Thoughts become visible, in a way. After initial training, this technique becomes client-directed and is used to help reduce stress, relieve pain and even control asthma symptoms.
The Jungian theory of psychology values the role of dreams in revealing individual connections to universal experience. Hypnotherapy is a guided technique that uses relaxation, meditation and imagery to achieve wellness and mindfulness-based stress reduction. This technique is built on the teachings of Jon Kabat-Zinn, famous for saying, "No matter where you go, there you are."
Assistance from parents, friends, support groups or church can help an individual on the road to mental health. However, for those who are reluctant or unable to find this type of support, seeking out the right therapist can get them to their destination.
