The Benefits of Therapy and Talking Through Your Challenges
Many people think that therapy is the type of help that is mandated, or even just used when life gets to the very bottom. However, therapy is the type of assistance that will benefit you for years down the road. A therapist’s job is to not only treat mental health symptoms, but also to give you tools to work through future problems. At Lifeline Connections, we believe that therapy is a major part of addiction recovery, but also for general life. Think about these reasons when you are considering taking the leap of faith and calling someone.
Therapists are unbiased, it’s part of the job description
Some people think of a therapist simply as a “paid friend.” However, talking to a therapist goes beyond just a listening ear. Friends and family members often don’t check their biases and feelings at the door. When you start feeling down about something, it’s common for a spouse to feel defensive or a friend to give advice before you’re ready to hear it. When you talk to a therapist, they know that the session will never be productive if they are trying to dictate your life. They will listen, and advise only when asked. They help you dig deep by asking question. What you talk about with your therapist will remain between you two until you feel like you are ready to open up to others. The fear of admitting feelings to friends and family members for fear of hurting others or even possible retribution becomes nonexistent in a patient-therapist relationship.
You Set the Agenda
Because you’re the one going to the therapist for help, the session is completely about you. At your first meeting, your therapist asks you what you want to accomplish, and you create goals to work toward in the meetings. Because it’s your therapist’s job to discuss you, he or she will focus solely on your needs. Oftentimes a friend can be difficult to talk to about deeply painful feelings because they may turn the situation on themselves, or undermine your feelings. Feel free to make the meetings all about your needs because that’s what it’s meant to be.
Repressed Emotions Can Cause Physical and Psychological Pain
Even when you aren’t going through something very difficult, everyone experiences stress that can be hard to process. In particular, addiction can prove to make even everyday stress seem too hard to handle. Talking to a therapist can help you process that pain and overcome it, helping to avoid any potential triggers. Getting through it can help to avoid the feelings returning and causing even more pain. Talking through all emotions like sadness, fear, and anger will help you dig down and find the true source of pain.
There are Many Different Types of Therapy
Sometimes people feel better in group therapy. The process can help you verbalize your problems, while also allowing you validation for your pain when you hear the feelings that other people are going through. There is also relationship therapy, and one-on-one treatment that takes many forms. Some therapists work particularly with children, adults, people with chemical dependency, or people dealing with past abuse. Many people take advantage of more than one type of therapy to help them with many different reasons. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is often used with addiction treatment because of the complexity of addiction. It creates a safe atmosphere for understanding patterns of thought and behavior that lead to relapse. Again, a therapist’s whole purpose is to focus on the patient’s recovery.
At Lifeline Connections, we take your recovery seriously. We offer group and individual therapy. We include these options into your custom treatment plan. Additionally, we offer recovery coaches who can be there with you every step of the way. Please call us when you are ready to move toward complete recovery 360-397-8246 ext. 7580. You may also email us at admission_office@lifelineconnections.org.
