Some people believe that psychotherapy is for those with significant disturbances in their lives, or even worse for those who are ‘crazy’! Those individuals need to be fixed and told how to live their lives. But these people ignore the fact that psychotherapy has changed over time, and is not stuck in the times of asylums as it was more than 100 years ago. Indeed, psychotherapy like most fields has evolved over time, and is still evolving. Today there are so many techniques, strategies and directions of therapy that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to decide which type of therapy to go for. Furthermore, one has to decide, if medication is another route to go, or if that venue is a definite no. Some individuals prefer to pop some pills and go about their ways as usual, and some individuals do actually want to get to the bottom of their issues. Those who do want to tackle their issues and look into that what stops them from becoming who they want to be, for those individuals psychotherapy can be an important venue.
These people are motivated to grow, become gradually more and more like `themselves`, become more confident and willing to change their lives. This change is accomplished gradually, step by step, in small and consistent steps, on a daily basis in real life. These individuals do actively participate in their therapy, seeing it as a collaborative process, willing to risk mistakes in the process, and yet not giving up. These individuals are motivated to look at their own lives in a creative and explorative manner and implement solutions that may be out of the box, and different than what they have always done. These individuals are from any walks of life, business people, stay at home mothers, people in transitions in their lives, employees who are seriously looking at making some changes in their lives, couples who want to sincerely talk their conflicts over. These individuals experience empathy, genuine constructive feedback and an increase in their awareness and understanding of themselves and their processes during psychotherapy. This in itself can lead to a growth experience and self-realization process.
This process in itself can be experienced with humor and does not always have to be a stern and sinister endeavor. Humor does not take away from sincerity, and does not make fun of pain and hurt. A good dose of humor testifies of heart, wisdom and insight. The therapeutic process is not easy, and indeed, can sometimes be quite a difficult and strenuous endeavor. After all it is usually much easier to bury the head into the sand, then face one`s issues straight in the eye, with the heart of a warrior and the courage of an hero. It is not easy, but it is safe and can be experienced as a breakthrough and eye opener. It can be productive in many ways.
Despite all these explanations, of what psychotherapy can be like, it is definitely not for everyone, and sometimes, it really is just for others.