psychotherapy

Bringing Mindfulness Into Therapy: The Three-Pronged Approach

Mindfulness has been heralded as one of the most powerful tools available to us in the struggle to achieve internal balance; described as being a state of “active, open attention to the present”, mindfulness is the process of observing one’s own thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them as good or bad. This objective system of emotional assessment can be useful for patients and therapists alike, in all of the following ways:

Mindfulness can create an emotional refuge for the therapist
When one is by nature (and by profession) a helper of others, a problem solver, it is quite easy to forget one’s self. People—therapists included—can lose sight of the fact that therapists are human, too, with complex needs and emotions of their own. They are also people who undertake, on a daily basis, difficult and emotionally draining work.

Mindfulness is therefore of particular use to therapists, as it requires them to continually bring attention to their experience in the present moment. Regret, ruminations, worries, and future projections, all fall by the wayside as one focuses on the sounds and sensations around them: the intake of breath, the feeling of sitting in a chair, and so on—becoming entirely immersed in the world of the present.

This brings with it manifold benefits; as our attention aligns fully with the present, we become much more active listeners, and much less preoccupied with nagging anxieties, allowing us to project a calmer, more reassuring demeanor. Plus, research demonstrates that for therapists, practicing mindfulness results in lower perceived job stress and a lower risk of burnout. Therapists, like all people who engage in mindfulness, experience an increase in self-acceptance, self-compassion, and an improved sense of well-being.

Psychotherapy: An Overview

If one really thinks about it, the 21^st century is riddled with all kinds of psychological problems. You hear of depression, suicides, cutting, substance abuse, and the like, running rampant in the world. Every individual has faced some kind of complication more than once in his life, be it troubles at home, in the workplace, or within any other site of social interaction. Sometimes such issues are intensified so much that one cannot help but feel as though the light at the end of the tunnel is but a mere fallacy. You feel lonely, betrayed, and above all, develop a cynical perspective of life. There seems to be no hope left.

The belief that you are the only one with insurmountable burdens is not true. You aren’t alone!

Various statistics can give a broader understanding of the prevalence of such troubled individuals. The National Institute of Mental Health, for example, has stated that more than a quarter of the adults living in America suffer from mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, just to name a few. Other than these, a variety of common, everyday life issues, like unemployment, peer pressure, death of a loved one, relationship break ups, and perhaps something as superficial as appearance and weight may acquire a level that could be crippling to the very person’s well-being. This wide array of difficulties may have varying time scales. Some could be short term hindrances whereas others could be occurring for a long time.

Why Psychotherapy?

Millions of Americans have benefited from consulting a psychologist and going through therapy. It has helped them overcome depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. However, in spite of the positive results provided by psychotherapy, many people still find it uncomfortable to consult a therapist or in some cases, to continue and sustain the therapy.

The most important question revolves around the fact as to why one should consider consulting a therapist. To understand this, one must first understand what the therapy is all about. Therapy is a partnership and a professional relationship between an individual and the therapist, who aims at dissolving the client’s distress. The therapist is usually a trained individual who is licensed to help people. He is trained to understand the client’s feelings and help them in altering their behavior in a positive direction. Facts provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration show that about one-thirds of the adults in the United States suffer from substance abuse related problems from a very early age, and, consequently, face emotional distress. Almost 25 percent of the population suffers from anxiety and depression at one point or another.

How Effective is Psychotherapy?

According to the American Psychological Association, ‘Psychotherapy’ includes any of a group of therapies used to treat psychological disorders, focusing on changing faulty behaviors, perceptions, thoughts, and emotions that may be associated with specific disorders. People sometimes question the necessity of consulting a psychotherapist at a point when they can easily talk to their friends or family members about it. This query can be simply satiated by the fact that the therapists are trained professionals who handle situations in novel ways unknown to common people. Rather, untrained individuals can unknowingly cause more damage when trying to provide help.

“Psychotherapy Research” journal quotes a number of studies that have been successful in proving the effectiveness of the therapies. They have indicated that a successful therapy brings about positive changes in people’s lives. This, in turn, facilitates the patient to overcome his distress. The studies indicate that 75% of the patients undergoing psychotherapy show a positive signs of improvement. Some researchers also refer to the fact that an average person who undergoes treatment is in a better state of mind than 80% of those who do not undergo psychotherapy at all. Yet, it is very difficult to evaluate effectiveness of psychotherapy due to variety of mental disorders and individual conditions of patients.

How to Find a Psychotherapist that You Can Trust?

Assuming you have decided to try out psychotherapy, you now need someone who can help you cope with your predicament and how to eventually get out of it. This certain ‘someone’ is called a psychologist. He or she is a trained individual in the field of not just psychotherapy but also other kinds of treatments related to psychological disorders.

Can you trust a psychologist? Yes. Psychologists and psychotherapists undergo intensive training after completing undergraduate and graduate studies. It is imperative for many to earn a doctoral degree. Overall it takes up to 10 years of studies to become a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Thereafter, they are expected to gain some professional experience for which they could either enroll as an intern at a hospital or in any other supervised health setting. These are the basic requirements that need to be met if they plan to really practice psychotherapy independently. Sometimes, one could also work after obtaining their doctorate. Such a rigorous and dedicated training sets this individual apart from the other types of “well-being experts”.