What are your views on professional therapy?

[Blackdanger***]

For a reason unknown to me, there is a wave of people in my circle of friends seeking therapists.

Most of them are hitting 30 years old, recently exited a failed relationship, and are now seeking professional therapy. All of a sudden, they have become conscious of all their flaws, one friend in particular that he's lived his all his life with these bad habits, he even told me he finds some of his behaviours disgusting. He's a really smart guy, he debates like a champ. He says that when he wants to evacuate frustration, he brings people into his strength zone, which is debate, and rapes them silly. I for one, have been subjected to this.

Anyway, i've noticed they all take their therapy by the book, and have become extremely self-centered in the sense that they will walk the straight line their therapy demands and by no means will waver off of it.

I've also looked back in the past and two of my past girlfriends seeked therapy for family issues while being in a relationship with me. Both relationships failed not shortly after the therapy started, and in my mind, they had become very self centered.

I know part of the process is to be selfish and think about bettering yourself, but does therapy have to be taken word for word?

Thoughts?

 

[faustian]

No rape threads man.

 

[weed]

I can't let the boys know, they would think I'm too weak. a boss has to look strong. they can't know I'm sharing our business details with a shrink, they would think I was Hannibal Lecter or something

 

[Iroh]

Besides some bad therapists and the fact that it's expensive, I don't think there is that much wrong with it.

Of course your gfs became self centered, if you want to fix yourself you gotta focus on yourself, define your flaws, find the cause of it and device a solution. That requires a lot of introspection.

 

[Funkymonk]

It's a bunch of non-sense. Shut up, stuff it down and move on.

 

[mrsinister]

All the theory behind it is crap. You're really just paying for a friend to talk to. It might be the best for some, though.

 

[Bearstronaut]

Therapy is a waste of money. I don't need to pay someone to talk to them.

 

[lakersfan45]

I think.its.one.of.the best thing a person can do. Its good to.talk to a completely objective person and be completely honest about yourself and your life.

I did it when my dog.died and i was depressed and constantly getting panic attacks. It got.me out of the depression and ive been in a really good state of mind ever since

 

[jackietreehorn8]

From the very little we know about all the people you describe, it sounds like they could all benefit from some therapy. Your perception is that it's making them self-centered...that may or may not be true, but I'd be willing to bet it's making them more stable and overall putting them on at least a slightly better life track than they were on before it.

I've never personally seen a professional therapist, but I firmly believe they can do lots of people lots of good.

Look at Will Hunting for christ sake.

 

[Satsui Ryu]

Outside of being able to talk to someone incessantly about your problems without them telling you to leave them alone I see no value in them. I'd never judge someone for going to one. I can respect someone who can admit they are struggling as long as they don't do things to try to get attention.

 

[Vincent86]

better than amateur therapy

 

[dza76wutang]

As someone in the healthcare industry:
Mental health is losing its stigma and we as a society are becoming more sensitive to people's mental suffering and learning how to be better equipped to treat it. Furthermore, techniques continue to improve allowing more people to reach resolution and steady state normal mental health than in previous generations.

I'm skeptical and think it's over diagnosed and people are just desperate for excuses, but I can't deny the evidence at times.

 

[Omegaboy13]

Once you hit a certain age, I think you are who you are. There is no changing it at a certain point. If someone has reached the age of 30 and they are now finding out they have flaws, they are far behind the curve or normal well centered people. Unfortunately people in our generation are self-centered as a whole, think about how the evolution of Myspace turned to the social media giant(s) that we have today, all based on the ideas of narcissism and self absorbtion.

Therapists exist to bring to light those flaws or to deal with issues that haunt us in some way. It will help those who want to be helped. Most of the people my age use it to re-inforce what they already know or think they know about themselves. If you're paying someone ass loads of money to LISTEN to you, you're probably a shitty friend to begin with because I for one know a handful of people who would just sit there and listen to me while I propped my feet on a couch without telling me waht I need to do.

 

[MajinSaga**]

better than amateur therapy

Funny you say that. Around my campus, there's a bunch of fools thinking they are some sort of psychiatric genius since taking a psychology class :icon_lol:.

 

[ISWThunder]

I think there are some people who would be benefitted greatly by therapy. Unfortunately, they are rarely the people that go to therapy. Most people just use it as an excuse to talk about themselves without anyone telling them to stop bitching.

 

[Blackdanger***]

As someone in the healthcare industry:
Mental health is losing its stigma and we as a society are becoming more sensitive to people's mental suffering and learning how to be better equipped to treat it. Furthermore, techniques continue to improve allowing more people to reach resolution and steady state normal mental health than in previous generations.

I'm skeptical and think it's over diagnosed and people are just desperate for excuses, but I can't deny the evidence at times.

This is probably the post that is the more in synch with my opinion on the matter. Definitely people who have lived through very hard situations might need to talk to a professional in order to refocus and to figure out what steps to take next.

I also think that if you go into therapy, not really knowing why you're there, other than feeling sad, lost, or mildy depressed, it can have negative effect. No therapist will tell you "you're fine, go home and get over it." They will milk it and find little bugs for you to fix.

And i do think its extremely over-diagnosed and i have problems with certain therapy pedagogics, like pro-active communication for example.

 

[Iroh]

better than amateur therapy

Not better than amateur porn.

 

[Vincent86]

Not better than amateur porn.

definitely not

 

[CrazyN8]

I'm for it. I was in a bad way once and a therapist really helped me get out of my head and put things in perspective. It really helps to talk to someone who is not only knowledgeable but also unbiased.

 

[Blackdanger***]

I really depends on the person, thats for sure. I feel that i've always had a certain introspective, starting at a young age that my brother, or my friends didn't have. I've also kept a really strong relationship with a childhood friend and we are able to talk to each other. When i'm in a mental crysis i give her a call and we talk. I always feel better after.

If you're a person that doesnt have enough foresight, or introspective, or someone suited for you to talk to, i can understand how therapy can become a viable option.