The Gift of Therapy : Talk Therapy We All Should Have

Talking therapies work just as well whether you’re old or young, male or female, black or white, gay or straight, rich or poor. Your educational background makes no difference either. Talking about your thoughts and feelings can help you deal with times when you feel troubled about something. The worry grows if you worry over and over. But talking about it can help you work out what is really bothering you and explore what you could do about it.

Talking is an important part of our relationships. It can strengthen your ties with other people and help you stay in good mental health. And being listened to helps you feel that other people care about you and what you have to say. Sometimes, it is easier to talk to a stranger than to family or friends. A talking therapy involves a trained therapist who listens to you and helps you find your own answers to problems. The therapist will give you time to talk, cry, shout or just think. It’s an opportunity to look at your problems in a different way with someone who will respect you and your opinions.

Who Benefits from Talk Therapy

Talking therapies are available in different types but all of their aim is one- to make you feel better. Even if the talking therapy cannot solve your problems, you will find it easier to cope with them and feel happier.A talking therapy can help you with depression, anxiety, eating disorder, phobia, addiction, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. Dealing with personal issues like a relative or friend’s death, getting diagnosed with deadly diseases, sexual problems or losing a job also becomes easy.

Talking therapy is very effective when the therapist is skilled and compassionate. Studies show that people with personality disorders (classified as most common mental health problems), recover seven times faster with the help of talking therapy than they would without treatment.Talk therapy, according to research, can cause changes in brain function even, similar to those produced by medication.

Talk Therapy with Medication

Medication often works faster than talk therapy. On the other hand, talk therapy promises something pills can’t: the life skills for managing inappropriate emotions, countering negative thought patterns, and forging closer, more productive relationships. People suffering severe depression require medications as well along with therapy. Experts believe that a combination of medication and therapy is the ideal treatment in most cases.

Proof that Talk Therapy Works

A study done on depressed patients taking medication showed that 70% patients, who received interpersonal psychotherapy, experienced a significant reduction in symptoms after five weeks. While out of patients who received only a 20-minute support session, only 50% experienced this result.Twelve months later nearly all of the patients who initially responded to therapy continued to have reduced symptoms, and the disparity between the two groups was even more dramatic. The researchers noted that interpersonal psychotherapy was “significantly more effective in increasing social functioning.”

Talk Therapy is a Gift for Patients

Patients who have been at the receiving end of therapy report that a non-judgemental therapist eases the loneliness of depression, or lights the way to deeper, closer relationships. Many describe it as deep healing and were amazed at their transformation in therapy. A talk therapy can make you feel authentic and alive rather than feeling robotic all the time (a side-effect of high-stress job).An hour of therapy can help you replenish yourself. It is a gift everyone should have. The deep scars of life and experiences which are compounded by everyday slights can be left behind with a heart-to-heart session of talk therapy