What is psychotherapy? – Everything you think you know is here
What psychotherapy is cannot be answered in one sentence. However, to give a definition: Psychotherapy aims to reduce, transform or eliminate mental disorders, behavioral disorders, psychosomatic problems and symptoms, dysfunctional habits or relationships.
It also aims to improve and develop the personality and interpersonal relationships of the psychotherapist.
This is achieved through natural techniques, without the use of medication (except in special cases where cooperation with a psychiatrist is recommended) or any other intervention and with the therapeutic relationship developed between therapist and client as a basic tool.
It is a method that aims to activate self-observation and then self-healing on a physical, mental and psychological level.
It enhances self-awareness and strengthens the connection and relationship with the self. It has positive benefits on mental and physical health and develops individual/social skills.
Psychotherapeutic Approaches
There are many psychotherapeutic approaches (psychodynamic-psychoanalytic, humanistic, behavioural, somatic, developmental, etc.).
At Healthcure Psychotherapy Centre, the composition of the psychotherapeutic techniques used emphasise the observation of emotions on a physical, sensory and energetic level and bodily awareness: the consolidation, deepening and support of the biological/developmental integration of the thymic states.
How does psychotherapy work?
We could therefore say to the question of what psychotherapy is that it is a method of therapy that gives conscious attention to more and more details in order to increase perceptual accuracy, to separate the past from the present and, when necessary, to create new categories/experiences.
The body is the vehicle of the soul and supports the daily course in life. Good physical and mental health are in complete alignment with breath, movement, speech and communication of emotions.
The medical community is becoming increasingly aware that most diseases and conditions are the result of dysregulation and disorganization occurring within the neuroendocrine communication network.
Symptoms and emotional pain can correspond and be reflected in the body, behavior, personality, relationships, work life, and even the diseases to which we are susceptible.
We strive to take a science-based approach to psychotherapy based on the experience of the embodied self and the self in relationship.
Through the use of bodily awareness this model enlists the body’s natural regulatory mechanisms to support the brain’s relationship to sensory experience and its interpretation.
Bodily mindfulness provides an opportunity to draw from experience – experience by promoting non-verbal capacity and enhancing the capacity for self-reflection – reflection that helps us to examine the internal relationships between the body , the brain and the self.
The role of the therapeutic relationship
The therapeutic relationship plays an important role in the psychotherapeutic process as it builds the foundations of trust and security, so that the person can express both his/her concerns and difficult experiences, open the gateway of the self and achieve connection with himself/herself and others.
This deepest early desire where it is also one of the greatest early fears. We all move spontaneously towards connection, health and aliveness.
It doesn’t matter how alienated or isolated we are or how severe the trauma we have experienced. At the deepest level everyone has a drive within them that moves them towards connection and healing , like a plant spontaneously turning towards the sun.
The process enhances mindfulness which aims to focus attention on one’s experience, more analytically: listening carefully to oneself, one’s thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.
Ultimately, he is trained to listen in such a way that he no longer rejects elements of his experience, but is aware that thoughts, feelings and sensations come and go.
The use of techniques that are oriented towards the resources and sources of strength of the individual, aimed at recognising the subtle changes that take place in the nervous system, contributes significantly to the effectiveness of the treatment.
Observing the here-and-now experience in the nervous system is fundamental to interrupting the predictive tendencies of the brain.
FIND US ON SOCIAL FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVICE + ANY QUESTIONS
The body is our connection to reality. The platform from which we work when we turn our attention to the body allows us to recognize the truths and myths of our personal narrative more easily.
The more we get in touch with our bodies, the more our capacity for self-regulation increases.
Avoiding the trap of making the past more important than the present, a dual awareness is used that is grounded in the present while exploring the cognitive, emotional and physical patterns that began in the past.
BOOK AN INFORMATIVE APPOINTMENT WITH US TO SEE HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
The coping strategies that initially helped us survive as children, over the years, turn into rigid beliefs about who we are and what the world is like.
As children we learn to live within the constraints imposed by our environment.
However, in adulthood, these initially adaptive constraints become our self-imposed prisons. What was adaptive in the child becomes maladaptive in the adult.
When does psychotherapy end?
In conclusion, and since we have solved what psychotherapy is, let’s see when and if it is completed. In a healing circle, connecting with the body, emotions and life force allows us to create greater connection with others, which in turn supports a greater connection with ourselves.
The growth process is completed when the therapist understands that they have integrated and perpetuated the failure of the early environment into their body, identity and behavior.
If you are ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing, we are here to support you every step of the way.
Contact us today to schedule a live or online session or to learn more about how bodywork therapy can benefit you. If you have any questions, or comments, we’re happy to field them and we’ll answer them all!
Your path to wellness starts here.
