Our brain is designed in such a way that it grasps words very quickly and is very quickly affected by them.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that "some words have magic".
That is, the purpose of this is that some words are so enchanting that the listener accepts the effect of these words.
Looking at the effect of these words, experts say that with the help of words, we can persuade another person to do anything. For example, when a hypnotist hypnotizes his routine, he awakens the magic of his words and repeats the instructions again and again.
This shows that we can cure a patient with words, especially mentally ill patients.
Seeing the effects of these words, experts have come up with an excellent treatment method for patients with depression called psychotherapy, which is a safe, effective and feasible treatment method.
Table of Contents
- What is psychotherapy?
- Types of Psychotherapy
- 1. Psycho-dynamic Therapy
- 2. Behavioral therapy
- 3. Cognitive Therapy
- 4. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- 5. Humanistic Therapy
- 6. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- 7. Integrative or Holistic Therapy
- 8. Supportive Psychotherapy
- Benefits of Psychotherapy
- What happens in psychotherapy sessions?
- Summary
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy, also known colloquially as "talk therapy", is a non-drug treatment for mental health problems.
In this treatment, a psychologist called a psychotherapist regularly talks to the mentally ill.
During a psychotherapy session, the patient openly expresses his thoughts to his therapist, tells his feelings and the psychologist tries to understand them well, due to which, on the one hand, the patient openly describes his inner thoughts, which are his feelings, and brings them out.
This allows you to better recognize your inner feelings and thoughts. This understanding helps you gain better control over your behaviors and life. In this way, you not only solve your problems, but also achieve mental peace and well-being.
Types of Psychotherapy
There are many types of psychotherapy, in which each type has its own method, which is the therapist, that is, the therapist looks at what type of therapy the person needs, and the therapist chooses the type of therapy by looking at the mentality of each person.
Some of the most important and effective types are as follows
1. Psycho-dynamic Therapy
In this type of therapy, the therapist focuses on understanding the unconscious thoughts within your mind that are automatically produced unconsciously.
The goal is for the therapist to work out the thoughts that are causing you trouble so that they can be dealt with. Through this you can better understand your thoughts and motivations to make your life more peaceful. But an important thing in this is that there should be mutual trust between the patient and the doctor so that the doctor can understand the patient's problem and give a solution to it. The patient has to trust the doctor.
2. Behavioral therapy
In this style of therapy, the therapist emphasizes the patient's behaviors and tries to tell him that some of our behaviors are learned from the beginning.
This approach emphasizes action, that is, trying to change the behavior we have and practice good behavior.
3. Cognitive Therapy
In this disorder, the therapist focuses on what you think, what is the angle of your thinking and what you do with your thinking. In this therapy, it is believed that our thinking changes our behavior. If our thinking is positive, then we will act the same way.
By reading the patient's thoughts, the therapist tries to make them constructive thoughts so that there is a positive change in the patient's thinking and behavior and the patient can be removed from negative attitudes and can be made a good constructive person.
4. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
It is a type of cognitive therapy. This method of treatment is especially effective for people who cannot control their emotions and thoughts, especially those who have difficulties in building relationships with others.
In this method of therapy, the therapist teaches the patient some practical skills so that he can practice them to control his emotions and build good relationships with people.
Let's understand this therapy with a simple example. Suppose a person is 'Ali' who gets very angry about something and because of this his relationship with his wife and children is deteriorating. He knows his behavior is wrong, but he can't control it. In such a situation, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) can help Ali. In this therapy, the psychologist will teach Ali certain skills.
First, he will be taught mindfulness, in which he will feel his anger and recognize the effects it has on his body, such as an increased heart rate. This will stop him from reacting immediately. Then it's an emotional regulatorY Techniques will be taught, which will help him reduce his anger, such as taking long, deep breaths. Drinking a glass of water – Along with this, he will be taught ways to cope with stress so that he does not take any wrong step even under intense emotional stress. Finally, he will be taught effective interpersonal skills so that he can express himself in a calm and positive way instead of getting angry, such as telling his wife, "I'm hurt by your so-and-so." With the help of all these methods, Ali will gradually control his anger and his relations will improve.
5. Humanistic Therapy
In this method of treatment, the doctor tells the patient that you can make correct and positive decisions about your life, that no one else can make the best decisions you make about yourself, that whatever decision you make for yourself will be very good and that you have the ability to lead you to improvement.
The doctor will try to convince the patient that you should not think that people will be happy with your decision or not, what people will say, don't try to please people, but try to improve yourself.
In this, the physician emphasizes that every person has a different point of view, you try to do better according to your point of view, the physician will not ask the patient negative questions about his decision, but will encourage him by asking positive questions and will try to convince him that he has the ability to make a better decision so that he can live a full and happy life by increasing his ability.
6. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
This therapy makes you aware of your thoughts and feelings. It teaches to accept certain ideas and learn to live with them. When you understand your thoughts, it helps you to make wise and positive changes in your life accordingly.
7. Integrative or Holistic Therapy
In this therapy, the doctor treats the patient by combining different types of methods, they may include two or more methods, especially by looking at the patient's psychology and needs, the doctor prepares a combination of different therapies, then guides the patient and applies them to him.
8. Supportive Psychotherapy
The goal of this therapy is to give you the strength to deal with stressful and difficult situations. It makes you mentally strong and improves the skills to face the challenges in life. It becomes a support for you in a way.
Simply put, it is a therapy that helps you understand and improve your state of mind through talk and guidance.
Benefits of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a safe and effective treatment method that is non-medical, that is, it does not use drugs and only tries to solve the problem by examining the emotional and mental behavior of the patient.
It is preferred for its many benefits, including:
1. Treatment without drugs
Mental problems related to the mind, such as depression, anxiety and stress, can also be treated with counseling without medication.
Another advantage is that when the medicine is not used, the patient is spared from the side effects of the medicine
Sometimes not every drug can be applied to every patient because some drugs make some patients suffer from various other diseases, so psychotherapy is a good alternative.
For some people, both are applied, ie, they are given a small amount of medication and psychotherapy can be used to combine the doses to achieve good results.
2. Root causes and their solutions
The symptoms of mental problems can be reduced by medication but the underlying causes cannot be eliminated by medication and can be resolved only through counseling.
3. Long-term effects
One of the great advantages of psychotherapy is that the patient is given techniques that he can apply throughout his life.
By which he is prepared in advance to deal with the difficulties and problems that may arise in the future, that is, through psychotherapy, the patient can be improved for a long time.
4. Self-understanding and self-improvement.
In this method of treatment, the patient gives an opportunity to find a better solution by understanding her own behavior, thoughts and feelings
Another benefit is that the patient gains self-confidence and is able to make better decisions.
5.Useful for many types of problems
Psychotherapy Treats many mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, fear, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Along with this, it also helps in getting rid of marital problems and addiction.
This therapy also guides you to better manage the stresses of daily life, workplace issues, and relationship tensions.
6. Privacy and security
Psychotherapy is a treatment where your privacy is fully respected. You can speak your heart out, because you trust that nothing you say will go out.
The therapist listens to you without judgment or judgment and does not criticize you. He only guides you so that you can solve your own problems
7. Improvement in mental and physical health
Another advantage of this treatment is that when you are mentally calm, you will feel better physically.
As you will not get better, your blood pressure will be better and your immunity will also increase due to less use of medicines.
You will feel very light and relaxed
8. Beneficial for people of all ages
This method of treatment is beneficial for people of all ages including children, youth, women and men
It meets the needs of people of all ages whether it is child, youth, man, woman, old or anyone. It is effective according to the needs of all people.
It is beneficial for children, youth, adults and seniors alike.
What happens in psychotherapy sessions?
The number of psychotherapy sessions and how often you will need to see a therapist varies from person to person. The therapist decides what sessions are needed and how long they will last after examining the patient.
What happens in a psychotherapy session is what is checked.
First, the therapist looks at your mental state, what kind of therapy you need, and the therapist makes a decision by examining your mind.
Second, it is checked how fast your improvement is, whether you are improving quickly or not, or whether you are improving gradually.
Then it is seen how much your family is related to you, how much your friends support you, what is their attitude towards you.
After that, it will be seen what is the nature of your problem and how severe it is.
How much are these problems affecting your mind and where is your attitude heading?
After checking these things, the therapist decides that if the problem is very complex and serious, the treatment can sometimes last from a few weeks to a year.
Or maybe more or less
When your sessions start, you may find it very difficult at first. You will have various fears and thoughts in your heart. Sometimes you will become so emotional that you will cry or even get angry. But with the help of therapy paste, you will be able to control things. But when you feel that it feels better to talk, you will talk openly.
So the therapist will give you some exercises to control all these emotions and assign some activities like homework that you will have to do later and after a few sessions you will feel that you can deal with these problems and your mental capacity and physical health are improving.
Some patients have in mind whether what we are going to share with the paste will remain a secret or not, so you should be mentally prepared for the therapist not to reveal anything about you, all your problems will be kept confidential. No problem because he remains within the jurisdiction of the law.
It is very important for treatment to talk openly with the therapist. Complete all the sessions honestly and follow the instructions given to you 100% only then the session can be made successful. Whatever is done is only for your good.
If you feel that I am not getting enough benefit from these sessions, then talk to the therapist so that he can analyze your problem further and suggest a better treatment and method because in this method it tries to make you deal with these problems well and solve them. By facing these problems, you can improve your life and move forward by living a calm and confident life.
Your therapist will never want you to get caught up in the problems that arise because of your mental health issues, but rather, he or she will try to make you a confident and better person.
Summary
Psychotherapy is a safe, effective, and long-lasting treatment that not only helps you manage your mental illness, but also improves your quality of life.
If you or someone you know is suffering from mental health issues, you should definitely consider this treatment as it is a positive and harmless treatment method. However, you should seek the help of a professional psychologist.