I've had Therapy. About 6 months after my daughter died I was still just an emotional wreck and didn't seem to be making ANY progress in wading through my grief. My brother knew a guy that he'd gone to when his marriage ended (it was not pretty), and he'd ended up friends with the therapist. I was desperate so I went. The first time I met him he said "This isn't lifetime business. If you aren't where you want to be in 6 months you need to fire me and find someone that can help you."
We did some 'standard' grief counseling but what he found early on was that I had PTSD without a military reason. That simple thing answered so many questions that the rest actually came fairly easily. I was with him for 3 months and done.
Which is to say that I think professional help has it's place. Not as a substitute for human interaction but on the level of any specialist. I had a guy in Spokane that sharpened all my edge tools. Not that I couldn't do it but it took forever and I wasn't particularly good at it. Same with the therapist. I suspect I'd have gotten around to where I needed to be but it would have taken some serious time and considerable effort on my part.
It'll be interesting to see what/how/why you think of the process. I'll be watching for your next report.
This is where it can be beneficial as with some things (and who we each are) we can get stuck in a loop of sorts without the tools to break free. The risk is that we keep lowering the threshold before we seek help, rather than expanding our toolkit. I think you understand what I mean by this.
And with this too - I think there are times where we could spend time on something more valuable than finding our own solution. This way we can leverage the learning of others - but it has the same risk as above - that we end up learning nothing, but follow a lot of lists.
I am looking forward to it as for a long time I have been told I need help. Normally from people who I talk about Hive with :D
Exactly. Finding specialists who can do a thing faster and better is often the most cost effective way. Emotional or physical cost.
Even when I was a serious mechanic I didn't rewind starters. There was a guy with a shop and that's all he did. In a real push I could take a starter to him and get it back in a couple of hours. Same with carburetors. I could overhaul them, but there was a shop that could do it in less than half the time. I could be working productively on something else instead of spinning my wheels by overhauling a carb.
I think with some of your examples you are hinting at the problem of getting help too soon - you can do these things yourself - and then you outsource them. I think with psychological skills, it would be good if everyone has some level of proficiency before outsourcing as at some times in life - there is only us, we are alone.
You must think psychotherapy is like watching television for the patient.
What makes you think that?
Because passive activities like watching television is what makes people soft. From what I know about psychotherapy, the goal is change when a patient is stuck in ways of coping with whatever is ailing them that are keeping them dysfunctional or worsening their condition. When psychotherapy is effective it should increase a persons resiliency in the face of adversity through serious effort. We all know how difficult (profound) change is.
The problem I see with it from those I know use it is that it depends heavily on the person to begin with and their ability to take agency. Some use it as a crutch and whenever they get uncomfortable or want some sympathy, they go to a therapist. Perhaps they need someone to talk to, but they don't necessarily need a therapist. But hey, this is the world where some think intimacy isn't needed or whatever the Internet offers as a subsititute is enough. I think the rise in people going to therapy is a symptom of disconnection for the lost part. Some people need it, many don't.
!ENGAGE 40
ENGAGEtokens.