From self-awareness all the way to healing, there are many benefits of seeing a therapist. Throughout my journey through depression, and in more recent years of dealing with my seizures, I have had two amazing therapists. My first therapist helped me work through a great deal of grief and loss after the death of someone extremely close to me, also giving me an introduction to mindfulness. My current therapist has been fantastic in helping me adjust to my ‘zonks’ as I call them, while also helping me to gain a better understanding of myself.
Contrary to popular belief, therapists are not a magical cure-all. Therapists are not only for people with major mental health challenges or losses, either. Therapists do not tell you what to feel or what to do. Instead, they simply provide a space to help you work through life in a way that is healthy and safe.
What are the biggest benefits of seeing a therapist? Let’s take a look to find out how a therapist can help.
Top Benefits of Seeing a Therapist
I saw my first therapist for about a year or so. She had a lot of work to do – my baggage was rather heavy at that point in my life. Being able to speak to someone about my loss, grief, fears, and beliefs helped me find the path to healing. Along with medication and other strategies, this played a huge role in getting through depression. Eventually, I was able to go slowly off meds as I found new ways to cope.
I see my current therapist only once a month. He helped me work through my confusion, doubts, fears, and anxiety surrounding my seizures. Even as the seizures begin to ease, I will keep seeing him because I believe that therapy plays an essential role in self care. To show you what I mean, here are some of the primary benefits of seeing a therapist.
1/ Therapy helps you heal.
Healing is one of the biggest benefits of therapy. Whether you are battling with depression, anxiety, loss, stress or any other situation in life that is affecting you negatively, speaking to someone that can help you through your challenges is a good way to start the healing process. A good therapist who is trained in mindfulness, CBT and other strategies will be able to provide an integrative healing approach designed to help you through your struggles.
2/ Therapy helps you gain insight into yourself.
As cheesy as it sounds, therapy really does help you find yourself. Somewhere along the line, talking to a trained professional helps to encourage a better understanding of the self. So often, we are unware of the patterns, behaviours, hidden fears, and habits that make us repeat certain stages in life over and over again. We are also often unaware of how to make changes – especially when we have deeply ingrained beliefs about ourselves. Therapy helps to unlock all of that insight, which, in turn, helps to find clarity and peace.
3/ Therapy helps you find solutions.
You might be feeling that there is no way out of your current situation. Things may feel hopeless and dark, with no clear path to healing. It is this benefit that makes me long for affordable, accessable therapy for ALL humans – regardless of financial state. When that feeling of hopelessness hits, it is hugely important to find help. I went through that, feeling trapped, scared and defeated. Speaking to someone during this time can save lives. Even when you are not desperate and rather simply feel as though you are stuck in life, one of the major benefits of seeing a therapist is the ability to find solutions in a realistic, doable way.
4/ Therapy helps you breathe easier.
Getting help – especially from someone trained to provide genuine help – is a relief. When I found my current therapist, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I was having five or more seizures a day (even if they were small, aware seizures), starting to get anxiety after having one in a busy store, feeling scared that my brain would never go back to normal, and generally feeling exhausted, unsure, and confused. After surviving depression, I knew I could not go back to that again and I needed to find someone to help. Finding my lovely therapist gave me breathing room. Along with yin yoga, meditation and other self care strategies, therapy has helped me know that I can get through any hurdle with the support I need.
5/ Therapy helps you grow.
Finally, therapy is also an essential coping tool for growth. Rather than trying to fix everything and take on everything alone, it gives you a way to deal with life in a healthy, balanced way. I do not need my therapist as much as I did a few months ago, but I will continue to go once a month to further my awareness of mindfulness and to continue growing and learning about myself. This is how I will continue to look after myself – mind, body and spirit.
Now it’s your turn. What are the biggest benefits of seeing a therapist that you have found?