Debunking 5 Common Therapy Myths

Nov 4

When we first hear about therapy or are recommended to try it, many mixed emotions, fears, and anxiety can arise. Totally normal! Here, I’d like to dispel common myths that might be holding you back from starting therapy.

Therapy is for someone with severe mental health issues.

While it’s common to see a therapist when mental health symptoms impact your daily life, therapy can also benefit anyone. It can effectively improve mental health, heal relationships, and manage stress and anxiety. A treatment plan, where you set goals with your therapist to meet your needs, is what adapts to your individual goals.

Therapy is a sign of weakness.

Taking the first step to contact a therapist for your initial consultation or intake appointment can be a challenging process. Therapy involves expressing yourself and opening up to vulnerability. This is hard when you are sharing the most personal parts of yourself. This is a sign of courage. During sessions, you might feel uncomfortable or have unpleasant emotions about yourself or your life. Still, the reward is gaining a deeper understanding of yourself, promoting personal growth, enhancing your well-being, and learning healthier ways to manage what causes you distress. That is hard work!

Therapy didn’t work for me the first time.

While therapy might not always be a pleasant experience when you dare to reach out, not every therapist may be a good fit. That’s okay! Every therapist has their own personality, approach, and style of working in sessions. You get to try different therapists until you find one with whom you align and feel comfortable. Consultations are a great way to “shop” for a therapist.

Therapy is only for getting advice.

Although you may receive resources and suggestions in the therapy room, the relationship between the therapist and client is a collaboration. The session is guided by your needs and strategies that help manage life and improve the quality of life.

What do you actually get with therapy?

A non-judgmental environment where you can express your thoughts and feelings without fear of criticism.
Therapists use various methods to help you understand and change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. Examples include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Identifies and challenges negative thought patterns by focusing on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Focuses on teaching you skills to effectively manage intense emotions and foster healthier relationships.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Helps process traumatic memories.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS): Focuses on recognizing your mind as a system of protective and wounded inner “parts” and guiding your compassionate core (the self) to heal these wounded parts of self.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): You gain an understanding and acceptance of your thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to change them. This process helps you acknowledge your relationship with these internal experiences while committing to behaviors that are consistent with your values.
Receive support and accountability to help you clarify your goals and create a manageable plan to achieve them.
Therapy is a quick fix.

Although it would be amazing to change overnight, healing and growth take time. As humans, we want to move away from discomfort immediately; that is our body’s way of saying, ‘This is a lot, let me protect you.’ However, slowly our body learns other ways of coping and adapting.

Just like plants need attention, nurturing, and basic needs, we are not so different from them. We can heal a plant that is losing its leaves or yellowing, just as we need nurturing, and for our needs to be met. That’s why therapy is not a one-size-fits-all process; everyone is unique and different.

The honest answer is it depends. There may be setbacks, small victories, celebrations, whatever it is, it’s all part of the learning process. What makes therapy work and show progress is the effort you put in, not only during sessions but outside of them. Our brain is a muscle, and just like working out, we build that muscle, take rest days, and see significant changes or not.