Some clients have avoided coming to therapy for a long time
fearing that to do so would be an admission of weakness. In this week’s blog I
challenge this notion.
Perhaps it is a residue left from our cultural history of
keeping a stiff upper lip, where any display of emotion was seen as
demonstrating a lack of moral fibre. It was almost as if you were supposed to
process your emotions on your own. Things have moved on since then. Psychological health is now viewed as being
comfortable finding appropriate expression for our emotions. Most often, problems occur because there
hasn’t been an appropriate outlet for our emotions. This sometimes leads to
depression as we cut ourselves off to varying degrees from the vitality of our
feelings. We are social beings, needing emotional contact with others for our
physical and emotional wellbeing and development.
Brene Brown gives an enjoyable and engaging talk on
vulnerability :- https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html
She makes a compelling argument for the importance of daring
to be vulnerable as part of our psychological well-being. Thus, therapy
provides a safe space in which you can dare to engage with your
vulnerabilities.
Another mistaken view of therapy can be that you are giving
control of yourself to someone else. Actually, the reverse is true. I see it as my job to empower my clients to
take control of their own lives. I often ask in the very first session, how the
client will know when our work is done. So, from the very beginning, I am
encouraging the client to be in charge of how they use their time with me and
to decide when they are happy to leave.
If you have any questions about this blog or any of the issues raised please feel free to contact me via my website: http://www.garycooktherapy.co.uk
