David J. W. Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I have been looking into going into therapy and I was wondering which was the best kind. I am inclined to go with a therapist skilled in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as I did some reading on it and it looks like a good way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoCortex Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Obviously there are different kinds of therapy suited for different kinds of ''problems''. Would you mind elaborating a little more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NameName Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 There are no best therapies, but there are bad ones. I personally like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Internal Family Systems Therapy. But that's just my own opinion, keep looking and researching yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Beal Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Measuring the success of schools of therapy is tricky due to what they call "allegiance bias" which is exactly what it sounds like. A far better predictor of success in therapy is the actual therapeutic relationship, healthy boundaries, feelings of alliance and allegiance between client and therapist, things that allow for the client to feel safe working on things instead of working against themselves. This video is relevant too and goes into some depth what success means and generally what the benefits of therapy are: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David J. W. Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Obviously there are different kinds of therapy suited for different kinds of ''problems''. Would you mind elaborating a little more? If I had "problems", it would be general anxiety and recurring bouts of depression. All stemming from a lack of self-knowledge I am sure. Until recently I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue and I have this overall sense that I could be doing much better than I currently am if only I just "fixed" what was wrong with me, whatever that was. Measuring the success of schools of therapy is tricky due to what they call "allegiance bias" which is exactly what it sounds like. A far better predictor of success in therapy is the actual therapeutic relationship, healthy boundaries, feelings of alliance and allegiance between client and therapist, things that allow for the client to feel safe working on things instead of working against themselves. This video is relevant too and goes into some depth what success means and generally what the benefits of therapy are: Thanks for pointing me to that article. Instead of trying to figure out which model is best, I should just find a good therapist and work with the model they think would be most helpful. Perhaps looking into the various models is a form of procrastination on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoCortex Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 If I had "problems", it would be general anxiety and recurring bouts of depression. All stemming from a lack of self-knowledge I am sure. Until recently I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue and I have this overall sense that I could be doing much better than I currently am if only I just "fixed" what was wrong with me, whatever that was. Thanks for pointing me to that article. Instead of trying to figure out which model is best, I should just find a good therapist and work with the model they think would be most helpful. Perhaps looking into the various models is a form of procrastination on my part. If I had "problems", it would be general anxiety and recurring bouts of depression. All stemming from a lack of self-knowledge I am sure. Until recently I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue and I have this overall sense that I could be doing much better than I currently am if only I just "fixed" what was wrong with me, whatever that was. Thanks for pointing me to that article. Instead of trying to figure out which model is best, I should just find a good therapist and work with the model they think would be most helpful. Perhaps looking into the various models is a form of procrastination on my part. I think the video from Stef labelled ''procrastination''. I have had the same issues as you have, and still have them to some degree. The tl;dr goes like; You don't have to do anything, do what you want''. I know it sounds super cliche, watch the video for elaboration. For me this was a way to reduce my anxiety levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Beal Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I think the video from Stef labelled ''procrastination''. I have had the same issues as you have, and still have them to some degree. The tl;dr goes like; You don't have to do anything, do what you want''. I know it sounds super cliche, watch the video for elaboration. For me this was a way to reduce my anxiety levels. I don't think that I would characterize it that way. The way I understood it is to be aware of how you relate to your own goals. Do they seem imposed from the outside, like you're not really living your own life, but following some script? Then you aren't going to feel very motivated to do it. Rather it's better to establish for yourself what it is your values are and create goals which are in line with your values. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will feel organic and natural, or that you won't feel anxiety. You should feel anxiety about going beyond your comfort zone. Finding a way of creating goals that feel your own and not arbitrary (e.x. "this other person did it, so I will too") can be tricky, but it's important, because your life is important, you are important. You're worth staying in dialog with yourself about this and figuring it out. Don't settle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoCortex Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I don't think that I would characterize it that way. The way I understood it is to be aware of how you relate to your own goals. Do they seem imposed from the outside, like you're not really living your own life, but following some script? Then you aren't going to feel very motivated to do it. Rather it's better to establish for yourself what it is your values are and create goals which are in line with your values. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will feel organic and natural, or that you won't feel anxiety. You should feel anxiety about going beyond your comfort zone. Finding a way of creating goals that feel your own and not arbitrary (e.x. "this other person did it, so I will too") can be tricky, but it's important, because your life is important, you are important. You're worth staying in dialog with yourself about this and figuring it out. Don't settle. I should have stated that my anxiety started to feel more rational as soon as I had realigned my goals. The pressure point changes. You said what I wanted to say, guess that these kinds of things cannot be pushed into 2 sentences. Thanks for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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