What Should I Be Doing?
Dear Self,
Sometimes it feels like everybody got the handbook for life, except for you.
Sometimes it feels like that with therapy and healing as well. Questions like, Am I focusing on the right things? Should I be talking about this or that? Should I be doing a different type of therapy? What type of therapist do I need? Is this even working? Am I just making this all up? Am I wasting my time? Am I secretly a fraud and just pretending to be better? What is everybody else doing in therapy? often cross your mind. It is so hard to figure out what you need and then how to successfully find it. Below is a little guide to help you on your journey. It is not an exhaustive list and it certainly is not a handbook, but it is something.
Mental Health Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is typically where people start when they seek professional help for emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. There are various different therapeutic approaches and styles of therapy. It is important to find the approach that best resonates with you because every therapist is different.
What To Expect:
Sitting across from a therapist who creates a nonjudgemental, safe space to process your current struggles
The goals and topics of discussion will be centered around your needs, not the therapist
Trauma-informed care
Identifying negative thought patterns, exploring past experiences, and developing coping strategies to improve quality of life
Different Types of Psychotherapy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
yes… therapy loves the 3-letter acronyms…
Person-Centered Therapy/Humanistic Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
More information on mental health psychotherapy can be found at https://www.dearselftraumatherapy.com/mental-health-psychotherapy
Trauma Therapy
Trauma-focused therapy is a specialized type of psychotherapy designed to help people process distressing events and heal from prolonged periods of abuse. Trauma therapy will involve working with the body in addition to talking. People often seek trauma therapy after they have done traditional talk-therapy and wish to go deeper, after they have been diagnoses with PTSD or CPTSD, and/or they have physical symptoms that cannot be explained by medical doctors.
What To Expect:
Focuses on the mind-body connection
Emphasizes safety and moves slowly in order to avoid re-traumatization
Works with fight/flight/freeze responses
Focuses on nervous system regulation
Different Types of Trauma Therapy:
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Exposure Therapy
Brain Spotting
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
More information about Somatic Experiencing can be found at https://www.dearselftraumatherapy.com/somatic-experiencing and more information about EMDR can be found at https://www.dearselftraumatherapy.com/emdr-therapy
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy combines the uses of psychedelics and psychotherapy for the treatment of mental health related concerns and deep healing. People often seek out psychedelic healing after they have tried different types of psychotherapy and psychiatric medication and still long for more meaningful change.
What To Expect:
Preparation Sessions (before taking the psychedelic)
Dosing Sessions (during the process of taking the psychedelic)
Integration Sessions (after taking the psychedelic)
Different Types of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy:
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy
MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy
Ayahuasca and DMT
More information about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy can be found at https://www.dearselftraumatherapy.com/ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy
I know this is a lot of information and this is only a fraction of the healing modalities available. Let’s not forget about Neurofeedback, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), and Art/Music Therapy. And what about couples and family therapy, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), yoga therapy, Reiki, Acupuncture, Mindfulness….. the list never ends.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, which undoubtedly you feel right now, I would like to offer a different perspective. There are so many options, so if one thing or many things do not work, you are NOT STUCK. One size does not fit all or there wouldn’t be so many sizes (therapy treatments are the sizes in this metaphor).
You are not hopeless. It is tempting to give up after many failed attempts of treatment, but there are always more options. I wish we could all know what works for us on the first try, but that is never guaranteed. Typically we spend money, time, and energy on the wrong things first. While some people are fortunate and find the right fit immediately, this is not the most common experience.
If you are unsure what type of therapy you need, try asking a therapist. Some of us have special therapy-matchmaking-abilities!
xoxo,
Self