WHY THERAPY

I am asked this frequently – why should someone go to therapy?

 

Check out my insights below. I hope my thoughts resonate and spark your curiosity to enter the mystical therapy room.

 

First, some thoughts on what therapy is NOT.

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Therapy is not paying someone to be your friend.

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Your therapist might be friendly. Your therapist might be funny. But your therapist is not a friend for hire. Therapists study extensively to understand the science of humanity – how our brains work, how our bodies work, how trauma presents and how to heal it. They study and support culture. While you are surely a wonderful person, your therapist isn’t hype about being your friend, but vested in building your healing.

 

Therapy is not for crazy people.

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What do we even mean when we call someone crazy?

The person is weird, angry, sensitive, sad? The person’s mood changes. That’s not crazy, that’s being human in a stimulating world. That’s being responsive to how we often mistreat or disregard each other, failing to recognize the light and sovereignty God has placed in all of us. That type of neglect and worse leads people to behave in less than favorable ways. That’s not crazy.   And no, you are not crazy if you go to therapy, but you might find a crazy amount of happiness and peace if you do go.

 

So why Therapy?

 

1. Because…People

We live in a world with other people. People can be uplifting. People can also be harmful. Whether intentionally or inadvertently, people harm other people – physically, emotionally, spiritually. Sins always hold a sting, and people in a fallen world sin against each other daily.

The resulting anger, trauma, insecurities are healed in a good therapy room.

 

2. Connection

Therapy allows for the opportunity to be in connection with an unbiased, non-judgemental individual trained in the science of the mind and spirit. Therapy creates space for one to process what’s happening in one’s mind, world, relationships freely and make connections necessary to take control.

 

3. Childhood

When we are young and our minds are not yet ready to make sense of all the sensations, emotions, actions and interactions we face, we can become easily overwhelmed. As young people, we are extremely impressionable. Trauma can often occur in childhood. We take our trauma into adulthood, and even though we grow chronologically older, we do not grow emotionally older. This shows up as pain, bad behavior, addiction, anger.

 

4. Life Transitions

We graduate high school. We earn degrees. We move. We marry. We accept jobs. We lose jobs. We get married and end marriages. We lose family and friends either through conflict or death. We have babies. You get the picture. Life is filled with transition. There are so many opportunities to lose sight of our authentic selves. Therapy helps you regain a firm grip on You.

 

5. Cognitions

At every turn in life, we develop new narratives, or thought stories that affect how we see the world and ourselves. If the thought stories are healthy and helpful, this is how we proceed through life. But if the thought stories are harmful and limiting, this will show up in our lives as procrastination, depression, anxiety, anger, etc. Can you afford to live with limiting and harmful thoughts guiding your every move?

 

 

So why therapy?

 

In short:

• Because you deserve to be seen and heard.

• Because you deserve to be well and healed

• Because you are not crazy, but you may need support to know that.

• Because you deserve to express yourself without judgement.

• Because as life changes, you change and grow. Growing pains deserve support.

Therapy is what we expect church to be – a place of loving, judgement free support.

 

I hope you see the value in a therapeutic relationship. I hope to see you in “church.”

 

© Ashley C May 2021