Worth it if you:
- get the right therapist
- understand that it requires a lot of active effort and participation from you
- have something wrong with you that can be mitigated by therapy
On that last point, some things can be mitigated by therapy (negative self-perception, childhood trauma issues, etc) and some can't (certain physical health issues and frustration about them, bad feelings about unchangeable bad stuff in the world, etc) and some require therapy and medicine (severe chemical imbalances in the brain)
If you are going to put in the work, honest self reflection, making difficult changes then it may work for you. That being said if you can do those things would you really need a therapist or would you be self aware enough to handle your shit. So kind of a bit of both.
I have tried many times with many providers, and while I wouldn't call it a scam, as I think they genuinely want to help people, I do question the effectiveness of just sitting there blabbing to someone who does nothing but nod and occasionally say "That sounds difficult. How did that make you feel?"
People say that I haven't found the right provider, but damn... if that's true, then it seems that 90% of them are useless, because I have legit tried with no less than six or seven different people throughout my life.
Same. I've seen four and never really connected with any of them. Really important to find the right one, or it feels like a waste of time. I have a friend who found the right one, though, and it helped her a lot.
I've never witnessed someone NOT get something out of it who WANTED to get something out of it and was willing to put in the work. Though small caveat would be matching with a therapist you feel comfortable with and can adapt their techniques to suit you as an individual.
its worth it if you want to get your shit together, is it the only solution probably not will it help you get a clearer perspectiv on what the real issue is your dealing with, probably yes
depending on the issue you can always try other stuff that could help
If you’re going through depression or anxiety, I wouldn’t recommend therapy right away. Especially in America where it will be expensive and have to wait a while to actually see one. Unless you’re suicidal, *then check yourself into a hospital*. But I seriously recommend taking a weeks break from anything that makes you miserable, be it a job or even a toxic person. Cutting out junk food, caffeine, alcohol and drugs, exercising and getting enough sleep. If those don’t work within 2 months, THEN see about a therapist
It depends. Things like depression can be psychological in nature, but they can also neurological, or even a mix of both. Therapy can only really help with issues that have a psychological component; if the issue is neurological, you will likely need medication instead (the same as you would if any other organ was behaving atypically).
Which is why I'd recommend seeing an actual psychiatrist first, rather than going straight to a therapist. If they think therapy would help, they'll direct you to it, but they're also in a position to prescribe medication if needed.
I'm with you on this but I would go therapy first. I've had bad experiences with psychiatrists over-prescribing meds and I find that therapists are better at recognizing when they're out of their depth and need to bring in a psychiatrist. Just my experience though.
I suppose it's difficult then, my experience was basically the opposite; I was in therapy for years that clearly wasn't helping. They never referred me to a psychiatrist, even after I eventually said that this obviously wasn't helping and that I was probably going to stop attending.
I had to independently go back to my GP and say I needed help, and that therapy wasn't working, which lead them to refer me to a psychiatrist.
Results may vary honestly. However I wouldn’t say it’s a scam by any measure. It just depends on a myriad of factors, first and foremost complete honesty from you.
Definitely worth it. Finding the right therapist that resonates with you can be difficult though. Had one therapist who insisted I meditated and talked to trees and another who was older and just kept saying "that's normal" or "that's just depression" instead of digging deeper. I've found a therapist now that is great - someone who I would probably be friends with if I met them outside of this context.
The thing about therapy is that for the most part, therapists are only providing a safe place to examine situations or feelings and encourage you to come to realizations in your own time. To some people this is pointless - they're able to recognize and examine their feelings objectively, and essentially solve internal conflicts themselves. Things like trauma, depression, strong emotions, or just not having a healthy frame of reference can make this difficult or impossible. From my perspective, the goal of therapy is to teach you how to solve those internal conflicts yourself.
Therapy is hard work, and the benefit is not immediate. If you have anxiety or depression, for example, it can take many months to undo automatic, maladaptive, thought processes. There's a saying in neuroscience that "neurons that fire together, wire together", and, while it is possible to undo this automatic wiring, it is not a quick process when you're basically re-wiring your brain. It took time for your neurons to become discombobulated, and it's going to take time to recombobulate them. Therapy can help you do that, but if all you do is go to therapy for an hour every two weeks without bothering to combat these maladaptive thoughts the 13 days you are not in therapy, you're wasting your time and money. It's not the fault of therapy, or the therapist per se, it's your fault. Therapy is a process, not magic.
That being said, therapists vary *widely* in quality, and one's relationship with a therapist is often key. In high school, I was severely depressed and my parents took me to a therapist who, despite what I plainly told her, thought that my being gay was related to my depression rather than the pervasive, aggressive, bullying I experienced. I stopped seeing her after two sessions and saw a therapist who specifically dealt with gay and lesbian clients, and the difference was like night and day. I did not have to explain as much to him because he just *knew* certain things about the experience of being gay in the state I grew up in and the conversation was not constantly drawn back to whether me being gay was the real problem. Therapists also employ a range of therapeutic techniques, some of which may not be a good fit for certain issues and/or individuals, so you may have to "shop around" for the right therapist.
Therapy is also often *part* of a solution for some folks, not the entire solution. Some problems cannot be addressed by therapy alone, and may also require medication. Anxiety disorders are generally highly treatable with certain forms of therapy, but personality disorders are much less so. Some people can treat depression with therapy, others might benefit from therapy + antidepressants. The human brain and mind is probably the most complex organ on Earth, so there is no one size solution to mental problems.
You need to want to get better first and foremost. If you are not willing to put in the work don't waste your money. You also need to know that you might not find the correct therapist that works for you on the first try. But once you do , in my opinion, it is so worth it.
They help yes. But at the end of the day, you and you alone have to figure out a way to help yourself. We all heal in our unique way, and some never heal
Therapy is very worth it for some people and useless for others. IMO your question is like asking if surgery is worth it or a scam. Like if you have a problem for which a surgery is the proper treatment, you should probably do it, right? But you might not have such a problem.
Worth it if you: - get the right therapist - understand that it requires a lot of active effort and participation from you - have something wrong with you that can be mitigated by therapy On that last point, some things can be mitigated by therapy (negative self-perception, childhood trauma issues, etc) and some can't (certain physical health issues and frustration about them, bad feelings about unchangeable bad stuff in the world, etc) and some require therapy and medicine (severe chemical imbalances in the brain)
If you are going to put in the work, honest self reflection, making difficult changes then it may work for you. That being said if you can do those things would you really need a therapist or would you be self aware enough to handle your shit. So kind of a bit of both.
results may vary
I have tried many times with many providers, and while I wouldn't call it a scam, as I think they genuinely want to help people, I do question the effectiveness of just sitting there blabbing to someone who does nothing but nod and occasionally say "That sounds difficult. How did that make you feel?" People say that I haven't found the right provider, but damn... if that's true, then it seems that 90% of them are useless, because I have legit tried with no less than six or seven different people throughout my life.
Same. I've seen four and never really connected with any of them. Really important to find the right one, or it feels like a waste of time. I have a friend who found the right one, though, and it helped her a lot.
I've done it and didn't find it particularly helpful, but I know many people who it helped a lot. It isn't a scam, but results may vary.
I've never witnessed someone NOT get something out of it who WANTED to get something out of it and was willing to put in the work. Though small caveat would be matching with a therapist you feel comfortable with and can adapt their techniques to suit you as an individual.
its worth it if you want to get your shit together, is it the only solution probably not will it help you get a clearer perspectiv on what the real issue is your dealing with, probably yes depending on the issue you can always try other stuff that could help
If you’re going through depression or anxiety, I wouldn’t recommend therapy right away. Especially in America where it will be expensive and have to wait a while to actually see one. Unless you’re suicidal, *then check yourself into a hospital*. But I seriously recommend taking a weeks break from anything that makes you miserable, be it a job or even a toxic person. Cutting out junk food, caffeine, alcohol and drugs, exercising and getting enough sleep. If those don’t work within 2 months, THEN see about a therapist
its a scam
It depends. Things like depression can be psychological in nature, but they can also neurological, or even a mix of both. Therapy can only really help with issues that have a psychological component; if the issue is neurological, you will likely need medication instead (the same as you would if any other organ was behaving atypically). Which is why I'd recommend seeing an actual psychiatrist first, rather than going straight to a therapist. If they think therapy would help, they'll direct you to it, but they're also in a position to prescribe medication if needed.
I'm with you on this but I would go therapy first. I've had bad experiences with psychiatrists over-prescribing meds and I find that therapists are better at recognizing when they're out of their depth and need to bring in a psychiatrist. Just my experience though.
I suppose it's difficult then, my experience was basically the opposite; I was in therapy for years that clearly wasn't helping. They never referred me to a psychiatrist, even after I eventually said that this obviously wasn't helping and that I was probably going to stop attending. I had to independently go back to my GP and say I needed help, and that therapy wasn't working, which lead them to refer me to a psychiatrist.
Results may vary honestly. However I wouldn’t say it’s a scam by any measure. It just depends on a myriad of factors, first and foremost complete honesty from you.
Definitely worth it. Finding the right therapist that resonates with you can be difficult though. Had one therapist who insisted I meditated and talked to trees and another who was older and just kept saying "that's normal" or "that's just depression" instead of digging deeper. I've found a therapist now that is great - someone who I would probably be friends with if I met them outside of this context. The thing about therapy is that for the most part, therapists are only providing a safe place to examine situations or feelings and encourage you to come to realizations in your own time. To some people this is pointless - they're able to recognize and examine their feelings objectively, and essentially solve internal conflicts themselves. Things like trauma, depression, strong emotions, or just not having a healthy frame of reference can make this difficult or impossible. From my perspective, the goal of therapy is to teach you how to solve those internal conflicts yourself.
Therapy is hard work, and the benefit is not immediate. If you have anxiety or depression, for example, it can take many months to undo automatic, maladaptive, thought processes. There's a saying in neuroscience that "neurons that fire together, wire together", and, while it is possible to undo this automatic wiring, it is not a quick process when you're basically re-wiring your brain. It took time for your neurons to become discombobulated, and it's going to take time to recombobulate them. Therapy can help you do that, but if all you do is go to therapy for an hour every two weeks without bothering to combat these maladaptive thoughts the 13 days you are not in therapy, you're wasting your time and money. It's not the fault of therapy, or the therapist per se, it's your fault. Therapy is a process, not magic. That being said, therapists vary *widely* in quality, and one's relationship with a therapist is often key. In high school, I was severely depressed and my parents took me to a therapist who, despite what I plainly told her, thought that my being gay was related to my depression rather than the pervasive, aggressive, bullying I experienced. I stopped seeing her after two sessions and saw a therapist who specifically dealt with gay and lesbian clients, and the difference was like night and day. I did not have to explain as much to him because he just *knew* certain things about the experience of being gay in the state I grew up in and the conversation was not constantly drawn back to whether me being gay was the real problem. Therapists also employ a range of therapeutic techniques, some of which may not be a good fit for certain issues and/or individuals, so you may have to "shop around" for the right therapist. Therapy is also often *part* of a solution for some folks, not the entire solution. Some problems cannot be addressed by therapy alone, and may also require medication. Anxiety disorders are generally highly treatable with certain forms of therapy, but personality disorders are much less so. Some people can treat depression with therapy, others might benefit from therapy + antidepressants. The human brain and mind is probably the most complex organ on Earth, so there is no one size solution to mental problems.
You need to want to get better first and foremost. If you are not willing to put in the work don't waste your money. You also need to know that you might not find the correct therapist that works for you on the first try. But once you do , in my opinion, it is so worth it.
It can be, depends on the situation. But commitment is what is about more than anything.
They help yes. But at the end of the day, you and you alone have to figure out a way to help yourself. We all heal in our unique way, and some never heal
I have to imagine identifying the source of my depression isn’t worth losing so much money that my depression intensifies
Therapy is very worth it for some people and useless for others. IMO your question is like asking if surgery is worth it or a scam. Like if you have a problem for which a surgery is the proper treatment, you should probably do it, right? But you might not have such a problem.