[e.clipse]

why do so many people always recommend therapists/therapy?

i see it all over this board, oh so many times, and IRL, too. therapy, therapy, therapy. i think it has replaced jesus/whatever deity as the new Psychological Crutch.

personally, i find it to be a waste of time and money. but about 99 percent of the world would disagree, it seems.

[melodymatters]

Ah, it depends. There are very few people who can take an unflinching, objective look at their life and then set about fixing what isn't working.


Then, some of us, can hear the truth from someone we respect and trust, and make those changes.

And THEN, some of us don't have the first two options or abilities, so a therapist can be bought to fill that role.

I think one needs to go in with a specific problem, and the desire to resolve it, for it to truly "take, otherwise it can become masturbatory whining, at a scheduled time and place each week.

[blind_otter]

Originally Posted by melodymatters

Ah, it depends. There are very few people who can take an unflinching, objective look at their life and then set about fixing what isn't working.


Then, some of us, can hear the truth from someone we respect and trust, and make those changes.

And THEN, some of us don't have the first two options or abilities, so a therapist can be bought to fill that role.

I think one needs to go in with a specific problem, and the desire to resolve it, for it to truly "take, otherwise it can become masturbatory whining, at a scheduled time and place each week.

I agree with this 100%. I think a lot of people just go into therapy thinking the therapist will "fix" them - and that's just not the case. They are there to provide guidance to help you discover your own path, and to help expand your philosophical toolkit so that you can apply what you have learned to future situations.

The thing is that they are trained in a variety of methologogies to help assist you in your process, and being unbiased and uninvolved in your situation, they can offer an outside perspective that most if not all of us are usually unable to achieve on our own. Most laypeople are unfamiliar with the training that a therapist must go through in order to become a therapist. IME most people, if left to their own devices, tend to fall victim to circular thinking patterns that are ultimately self-defeating.

But not all therapists are created equally. I went through several different mental health practitioners before I found one who clicked with me, and was able to communicate to me on my level in a way I could absorb and understand.

it's a mistake, and rather naieve, to go to one therapist and have a bad experience and then globalize that singular experience to say that all therapists aren't worth ****. And effective therapy should never be a crutch. I firmly believe there should be a timeline, and that therapy should NOT be something you do for a lifetime. As with any treatment, it should have a start and an end date.

[Lauriebell82]

Originally Posted by e.clipse

why do so many people always recommend therapists/therapy?

i see it all over this board, oh so many times, and IRL, too. therapy, therapy, therapy. i think it has replaced jesus/whatever deity as the new Psychological Crutch.

personally, i find it to be a waste of time and money. but about 99 percent of the world would disagree, it seems.

Ugh, posts like this drive me nuts. As a therapist, I know that success in therapy is what you put in it. If you are forced into it or have an attitude like the one you have regarding therapy, then of course you aren't going to get anything out of it.

Personally, I think it can be very helpful if you are willing to put in the work. You have to want to change, and we just give you the tools to do it. We are not magicians and can just wave and magic wand and make your life better, you have to incorporate what we give you into your everday life. I'm not surprised that you think that therapy is a waste of time and money, because with the attitude that you have, you are right it probably is.

[Trialbyfire]

Originally Posted by Lauriebell82

As a therapist, I know that success in therapy is what you put in it. If you are forced into it or have an attitude like the one you have regarding therapy, then of course you aren't going to get anything out of it.

Personally, I think it can be very helpful if you are willing to put in the work. You have to want to change, and we just give you the tools to do it. We are not magicians and can just wave and magic wand and make your life better, you have to incorporate what we give you into your everday life. I'm not surprised that you think that therapy is a waste of time and money, because with the attitude that you have, you are right it probably is.

If you can find the right therapist for you and be as open with them as possible, you'll find that you can reroute your own thought processes.

This means a lot of hard work on your part. A LOT of hard work, including not justifying yourself.

[Passionate69]

Originally Posted by e.clipse

why do so many people always recommend therapists/therapy?

i see it all over this board, oh so many times, and IRL, too. therapy, therapy, therapy. i think it has replaced jesus/whatever deity as the new Psychological Crutch.

personally, i find it to be a waste of time and money. but about 99 percent of the world would disagree, it seems.

because if you only depends jesus. jesus won't help you.. you need another individual to help you, besides yourself.

[burning 4 revenge]

It would be a good thing if people left their shrinks and returned to the Roman Church, but so long as the heretical changes of Vatican II remain in place that will never happen, for people don't feel any emtional pull towards the tepid

[e.clipse]

Originally Posted by Lauriebell82

Ugh, posts like this drive me nuts. As a therapist, I know that success in therapy is what you put in it. If you are forced into it or have an attitude like the one you have regarding therapy, then of course you aren't going to get anything out of it.

Personally, I think it can be very helpful if you are willing to put in the work. You have to want to change, and we just give you the tools to do it. We are not magicians and can just wave and magic wand and make your life better, you have to incorporate what we give you into your everday life. I'm not surprised that you think that therapy is a waste of time and money, because with the attitude that you have, you are right it probably is.

so, you are saying that if i put in enough effort and energy to try to fix/change my life, i will see results? really? never would have guessed it.

i fail to see the role of a therapist in that.

and don't get me wrong, not all therapy is bogus. addiction counseling is good. psychiatry, for people who have real mental illnesses is good too. and perhaps marriage counseling, since a third, unbiased opinion can be helpful in troubles for two. but, that's it.

the therapy that is ridiculous to me is the kind that is offered when you are having difficulty getting over a relationship. that's just dumb.

It would be a good thing if people left their shrinks and returned to the Roman Church, but so long as the heretical changes of Vatican II remain in place that will never happen, for people don't feel any emtional pull towards the tepid

[Ariadne]

Therapists are retarded.

Here's some words from Osho about therapists that I agree.

[Lizzie60]

I would say that MOST therapists are 'charlatans'..
I've seen many therapists, psychologists and most are no good..
Almost anyone can be a therapist.. it only takes a few years in school... but a diploma doesn't make them good..

Therapy is overestimated..

[darlin_coco]

Originally Posted by Lizzie60

I would say that MOST therapists are 'charlatans'..
I've seen many therapists, psychologists and most are no good..
Almost anyone can be a therapist.. it only takes a few years in school... but a diploma doesn't make them good..

Therapy is overestimated..

I'll keep that in mind when I go back to Uni to complete my psych degree

Whatever. If it's not for you, it's not for you. If you go into it with a smart arse attitude and think you're better then everyone else because you seem to think your problems make you special, of course it won't work.

[carhill]

I was lucky. Our psychologist is my intellectual superior and that takes a lot. I respect him and he's taught me many tools to better understand my psychology and to have a healthier relationship. I think therapy/counseling is as individual as each of us are unique humans. There is no singular answer. In the past, I thought myself out of the box, but it took me years of deep introspection. I see the psychologist as a time-saver and educator. Money and time well-spent, IMO, and I've spent plenty. For me, if I divorce, it will now be for the right reasons, not some half-baked emotional truths I believed prior. Clarity

Of course, YMMV.

[Lauriebell82]

Originally Posted by darlin_coco

I'll keep that in mind when I go back to Uni to complete my psych degree

Whatever. If it's not for you, it's not for you. If you go into it with a smart arse attitude and think you're better then everyone else because you seem to think your problems make you special, of course it won't work.

Yeah I agree. People are shooting their mouths off about something they know nothing about. You have to find the right therapists for you. And DUH if you have an f'up attitude about the whole thing it probably isn't going to do you any good. I've been to psychologists when I was a child, some worked, and some didn't. Like I said before, you don't think you need help, then solve your problems on your own, and quit bashing a profession you know nothing about. Sheesh.

[allina]

I don't understand therapy, I'm not bashing the profession but I just don't get it. I see people going to therapy because they're depressed, ok but they're depressed because they hate their job their bf treats them like sh*t. What I don't understand is why don't people just change the factor in their life that is making them depressed instead of paying money and talking to a stranger.

[Ariadne]

Originally Posted by allina

I don't understand therapy, I'm not bashing the profession but I just don't get it. I see people going to therapy because they're depressed, ok but they're depressed because they hate their job their bf treats them like sh*t. What I don't understand is why don't people just change the factor in their life that is making them depressed instead of paying money and talking to a stranger.

Not only that.

The therapists they go to are absolutely retarded for the most part.

They fk up things more than they are almost 100% of the time.