Being a therapist, I often have the privilege of being trusted with significant questions people have. Usually is not an answer from me what, deep down, they are looking for. It is more about making a space in which we can, together, take a closer look at whatever is going on in their inner worlds. At times people look at me, pain in their eyes, and directly ask:
“Is therapy for ME?”
I don’t always have a definitive answer for this powerful and very personal question, yet I try my best to share my views on therapy in the hopes that this aids people in making their own informed decisions. I share that, in my view, therapy tends to be hard work and thus requires a significant commitment to the process, or journey, that therapy entails. One one level, we can speak about therapy as representing both a time and a financial commitment. And, as significant as these are, therapy offers a gentle yet powerful invitation to commit at an even deeper level: to commit to one’s own personal growth, to our own self-knowledge, to working on ourselves to become the authors of the meaningful life we intend to create. More often than not, the type of therapy I practice requires some willingness to feel the pain we have been carrying with us. At times painful, at times joyful. A process. Work. Patience. Trust. Commitment. Investment. Relationship. Vulnerability. Indeed a humbling experience for both patient and therapist.
I have noticed that, oftentimes, we are more open to the process of therapy when we have suffered “enough”... and this makes a lot of sense. It does makes sense to try other avenues before giving therapy a try. We may try to look for answers in self-help books, or we may be inclined to "google" solutions to our problems, confide in friends or family members, or trust that our connection with our Source, Nature, the Universe, or God (whatever our beliefs may be) could help us ease the pain, sadness, anxiety, or any other set of feelings or circumstances that we feel need to addressed (given that our secret desire of them going away by themselves overnight did not really work).
So, no quick/ simple answers to this apparently simple question of whether therapy is the appropriate avenue to address the pain we are experiencing in our lives. I even share with my patients (or prospective patients) that --in my view--there are no quick fixes or easy answers to the very real challenges life presents us with.
But why? Isn’t there something that I can do? A strategy, a tool that I can apply that would help me get rid of (you name it), the anxiety, the sadness, the memories, the pain, or the anger?
Well, different approaches to therapy would answer this differently. Yes, I would say that there is a place in which something that we come to know about or experience in therapy helps us through difficult times. Most often, in my experience, it is the context of the therapeutic experience and the impact it has on our core being that allows for something new to emerge, be it in the form of a thought, a feeling, a stance, a narrative, a perspective, increased hope, or renewed confidence in ourselves and the possibilities that await for us. So, I believe therapy offers much more than the opportunity to learn specific tools, although that may be, for some, part of the process. The journey of therapy allows for an encounter with the core of who we are, and thus it requires a certain degree of openness, curiosity, and trust, and, more often than not, the feeling that we have had "enough."
That being said...
If you feel you can benefit from support in navigating strong, difficult emotions, such as loneliness, anxiety, sadness, or grief, OR would "just" like to have a space to BE and process what is going on in your life, I am here to help. You can start by scheduling a free 20-minute consultation at the end of this page to see if we are a good fit. I truly look forward to speaking with you.
Wishing you fulfillment and inner peace,
Dr. P
Click here to learn more about what therapy with Dr. Claudia Perolini, Licensed Psychologist, looks like.
Claudia Perolini, PhD is a psychologist in person in Weston, Florida and virtually throughout 40 states of the Unites States. She specializes in helping adults and adolescents who are struggling with anxiety, depression, or the effects of trauma live fuller and more rewarding lives.
Dr. Perolini enjoys writing on her blog about issues that she believes may be of interest to individuals who are curious about life, and interested in topics that may provide them with valuable knowledge or insight about this journey that we are all in: LIFE.
