Who Comes To Therapy?
Those who are accustomed to dealing in words and ideas, and who think about their thoughts and behavior.
Those who…
1) are comfortable expressing themselves
2) are able to observe their self with some objectivity
3) believe in an ability to create one’s own destiny
4) wish to change attitudes, and make sincere attempts to do so
5) have the courage to face unflattering aspects of oneself
6) readily grasp the idea of participating with the therapist to form a team engaging in a
joint effort
What is a therapist’s task then?
To help the patient understand himself, not to give advice, or impose his/her sense of morality
How do I get the most out of psychotherapy?
Take some time after the session to review what was said and to think about how to act on it. A therapy session usually lasts about an hour, but you have many more hours in the week to follow-up on what was said.
Pay attention to your emotions between sessions. Let your therapist know about any patterns that you notice. You may want to write things down and take them to the next session if you need to. If your therapist is good he or she will be thinking about what was said during the session in between your visits as well.
Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.
---Ralph Waldo Emerson