WHAT IS WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY, AND WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE? TYPES OD PSYCHOTHERAPY:

Psychotherapy — is a serious long-term work, as a result of which a person changes his attitude towards himself and others, begins to act and look at life in a new way, and also increases the level of personal maturity.

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY?

Karen Horney thought the goal of psychotherapy was to resolve internal conflicts, as a result of which you release some huge resources and internal capabilities. Adler believed its main goal was to reduce the feeling of inferiority. Robert Dilts regarded psychotherapy as a technique for achieving excellence. Cognitive behavioral therapy seeks to model effective behavioral strategies. In general, psychotherapy is aimed at the formation of a mature personality and living a happy life.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN TYPES OF PSYCHOTHERAPY?

● Psychoanalysis — is an approach created by Z. Freud, who said that the human psyche consists of several parts: conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. His work was continued and transformed by K. Jung, who deeply explored the figurative and archetypal symbols of our psyche. The psychoanalyst helps you identify and analyze the unconscious motives of certain actions that create difficulties in life, as well as analyze childhood traumas and their neurotic character. The psychoanalyst is what you most often see in movies when the patient lies on the couch and says everything that comes to mind, while the psychoanalyst interprets his words using the association and archetype methods. It is a strictly regulated process that takes place 3-5 times a week within 3-6 years.

● Gestalt therapy. The goal of gestalt therapy is to become more self-aware. The concept of “close gestalt” refers specifically to gestalt therapy and means “to complete an unfinished action”, which helps you gain a holistic view of yourself (gestalt), give up living in the world of the past and fantasies, and be “here and now”. The psychologist helps the client understand what he is experiencing “here and now”, deal with his emotions, and realize his internal conflicts, as well as be aware of the “true I” and take responsibility for his life. The duration of therapy is at least 6 months of weekly meetings.

● Psychodrama. The main goal is to teach people to solve their problems using their fantasies, conflicts, and fears. It is most often carried out in the group therapy format when participants imagine difficult life situations and take over different roles. This helps them deal with negative emotions and internal conflicts, as well as see the situation from a different point of view. The duration is from one session to 2-3 years of weekly meetings.

● Body-oriented therapy — is based on the idea that the body and psyche are interconnected and each psychological trauma remains in the body, forming a chronic muscle tension called muscular armor. Removing this muscle tension helps you remove your psychological problems. The task of the client is to understand his body and realize the bodily manifestations of his needs, desires, and feelings. Duration: group meetings, on average about a year.

● Existential therapy. The main goal is to work with the meaning of life and the individuality of the client. You need to realize there are no universal solutions or universal patterns of behavior, and each of us has unique experiences, behavioral patterns, and emotional reactions. According to this approach, a person must realize that his life, his attitude to life, the situations he gets in, and the opportunities he encounters are unique. Therefore, he must make his unique choice and bear responsibility for it. The duration is from several meetings to several years.

● Neuro-linguistic programming — is the formation of new thinking patterns to activate your resources and achieve goals. It is a communication and thinking technique aimed at changing habitual patterns of interaction, gaining confidence in life, and optimizing creativity. The founders of the direction are R. Bandler and D. Grinder. The duration is from several meetings to 1 year.

● Family therapy — implies working with family members, with a couple, when more than one person is present at the session. The actions and intentions of each participant are perceived not as individual manifestations but as a consequence of the laws and rules of the family system. Meetings are held in a dialogue form when all family members openly express their opinions and get the feeling that they were heard. The duration is from several meetings to several years.услышали.Продолжительность — от нескольких встреч до нескольких лет.

● Transactional analysis — helps you detect the various habitual strategies and life scenarios learned in childhood. It helps you realize your thoughts and behavior through 3 ego states: Inner Parent, Adult, and Child. The creator of this theory is Eric Berne, who wrote the famous book “Games people play” and described the idea that each transaction (i.e. interaction) is made from one role or another and has certain needs. We can play all roles, but the main idea of ​​maturity is to strive as much as possible for the role of an Adult, which helps you resolve many conflicts and difficult life situations. Meetings are held in a dialogue form. The problem is solved through the understanding of different strategies and the needs that lie behind them. The duration is from several meetings to several years.

● Transpersonal therapy — is an attempt to combine Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices. This approach to psychotherapy is not recognized all over the world. It is often called modern shamanism, but at the same time, it gives good results when working with existential crises and severe stress, as well as when trying to solve life problems that have no logical explanations and origins. You find your way out through the understanding of archetypal images, perinatal experiences, and past-life experiences. Breathing practices and holotropic breathwork are often used. The duration is from one to several meetings.

● Cognitive-behavioral therapy — helps you get rid of irrational attitudes through the understanding of unconscious needs, encouragement of desired behaviors, and lack of reinforcement of unwanted behaviors. In psychotherapy, the focus is on working with automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions. It works great with phobias, anxiety, PTSD, etc. The duration is from several meetings to several years.

● How do I know which type of psychotherapy I need?

“All types of psychotherapy are equally effective”. There is such a myth that any psychotherapy is good. It is the same as saying that any sport suits me – basketball, tennis, and yoga. The main thing is to play sports. But you understand it’s not true. If yoga suits you, then most likely you won’t play basketball, and vice versa. It is easier to understand when taking sports as an example since we at least roughly understand what this or that sport is. However, psychotherapy is much more complicated. It is even harder to choose the type of psychotherapy. If you’re not a professional psychologist, you will never know which type of psychotherapy is good for you. Even a psychotherapist may experience difficulties trying to determine what will work best with a particular client. Therefore, if you’re a client, your goal is to find a psychologist who makes you feel comfortable instead of choosing a certain approach.

Here is a list of the main approaches. However, today there are more than 100 approaches to psychotherapy.