The Many Gifts of Therapy
Do you feel alone in your emotional experiences?
Are you debating whether or not to pursue therapy?
Does it feel intimidating to open up to, essentially, a stranger?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not the only one who feels this way. It can be scary to imagine sharing the most intimate and personal details of your life with someone you don’t know. Luckily, mental health therapists are trained to hold space for the intimate details of your life and are committed to your health and wellbeing. Therapy can be a beautiful and profound experience, offering countless treasures along the way. Below are some gifts and benefits that are likely to come out of your decision to start therapy.
Understand yourself on a deeper level.
Going to therapy can help you unpack parts of yourself that may have been suppressed or neglected. It provides a safe and inclusive space to speak freely about your identity, your past, your culture, your fears and worries, your strengths, and everything in between. A mental health professional will use reflective questioning to encourage a deeper connection with yourself and your subconscious.
Create a plan for healthy change.
If you feel like you always think about ways you want to change and goals you want to accomplish but can’t seem to follow through, therapy can be helpful for you. Your therapist can collaborate with you to identify personal goals and prioritize them in a way that will create positive change in your life. Building and organizing a treatment plan can encourage you to stay on track with your goals and hold you accountable for your progress.
Unpack family systems and intergenerational trauma.
Family issues can sometimes be hard to identify because these dynamics have been so normalized throughout your upbringing. Oftentimes, strains within your family can ripple outwards, impacting your interpersonal relationships, core beliefs, and daily functioning. Your therapist will work with you to address some of these dynamics and help you to unlearn any destructive narratives that originate from childhood and across generations within your family.
Improve your interpersonal relationships.
If there are relationships in your life you would like to mend, therapy could be a great start. Gaining a deeper understanding of yourself can also help you understand the role you play in your relationships. Being in therapy can help you process any unresolved conflict or hurt from past or current relationships in your life and provide a space to learn and apply healthy communication skills.
Open up without fear of judgment.
People in our immediate social circle, like family and friends, are great support systems. However, they may naturally have their own opinions and sentiments about our decisions and experiences. One benefit of therapy is that it is a completely accepting, nonjudgmental space a step removed from your personal community.
Develop new ways of thinking and adopt new perspectives.
Because your therapist is unbiased and outside of your immediate circle, they can challenge you in ways that you may not have thought of before. They can pull knowledge from their professional background to apply to situations in your life, such as challenging your core beliefs or allowing you to more clearly understand your partner’s perspective during a disagreement. Going to therapy can encourage you to be more open-minded, use new skills, and reframe old ways of thinking to adopt new perspectives.
These gifts and many more can have a ripple effect on one’s life and expedite the process of healing, growth, and transformation. If you’re ready to get started on your therapeutic journey, schedule a free 15 minute consultation with one of our providers here.