So you spend a lot of time and money talking to a therapist… You have behaviors/reactions that adversely affect your life… Therapist figures out its a traumatic event… How does that discovery help you change your behavior/reactions?
In: Other
The sudden epiphany therapy breakthrough is mostly a [TV trope](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EpiphanyTherapy) that makes for good drama and characterization.
There is a rough real-world counterpart which is going to therapy to deal with what are basically symptoms, but then getting to the point of recognizing, acknowledging, and admitting a problem/source and committing to working on self-improvement based on dealing with that issue – not just countering the symptoms. That can take years of hard work and involve multiple relapses, but it’s still a big step.
It allows you to get inside the normally automatic loop of thoughts – feelings – behavior and examine it consciously and start working on adjusting it from the inside. The therapist can coach you through that, with cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavior therapy or whatever type of therapy is appropriate.
But you kind of have to be consciously aware, not in denial, and ready for it for any approach to really be effective. So it’s a big step getting to that point, but still one of the beginning steps.
Latest Answers