Does psychotherapy encourage self-absorption?

[misombra]

If I had to pick two phrases that describe life they would be these:

1. Shit happens.

2. This too shall pass.

#1 should be obvious. #2 is also, except to remember it applies to positive things as well as negative, so enjoy what you can while you can.

Remember this, and pretty much everything else falls into place. We don't need drugs then.

there are medications to cure that passing stuff you know.

[ecojeanne]

healthy body = healthy mind. people eat too much crap/junk food and that is what is affecting people negatively. people are getting depressed more than ever now and i believe that if they were to eat a healthy diet and exercise more instead of sitting indoors munching on crap and watching crap on tv with no friends life would be so much better and over analyzing personal issues wouldn't happen so much to require counseling

just my thoughts

[Illusional]

in my eyes, drinking solves everything. problems are better when you have forgotten about them.. it's like sweeping the dust underneath the rug.

raverboy

[Rollerderby]

Well, I disagree that the self and the ego are the same. Ego is more of the personality, and one side of the self, which I agree is made up of body, mind and spirit. Everyone's self-absorbed to a certain degree. There are unhealthy levels and normal levels.

What is your take on: Reiki, EFT, acupuncture, acupressure, Tai Chi, Yoga, Meditation... etc.

Could you be more specific on what kind of everyday crappy situations are not reasons to see a counselor? Maybe an "if" and "then" kind of scenario like "if this person is only this crazy, no but if they have exceeded crazy by X amount, then...."

[PussyCatDoll]

I think having therapy is really an american thing.

Over here, therapy is not even advertised and there has been not one person i have met who has been to therapy..ever.

aand i think although the idea of paying to talk to a shrink is kinda lame, the actual talking about your problems is good.

[vashti]

Everyone's self-absorbed to a certain degree. There are unhealthy levels and normal levels.

uhh, yeah. I think I already conceded this.

What is your take on:

Reiki = ineffective

EFT = placebo for suggestible people

acupuncture = of some value

acupressure = jury is out; I'd rather have a massage

Tai Chi = I consider this to have many of the same health benefits as other exercises with minimal risk of injury, esp. for the elderly

Yoga = great for your health

Meditation = good for stress and pain

Could you be more specific on what kind of everyday crappy situations are not reasons to see a counselor?

Nah... too much effort. I think I layed out the gist of my thoughts pretty well already, and everyone else seemed to understand my point, even if they didn't agree. Maybe you want to go back and re-read?

[starbuck]

I'm surprised that so many of the people on this forum seem to be anti-therapy. I think therapy can be quite helpful for some, especially for those who don't have good family support in their lives or who haven't been taught good self-esteem.

The key is finding a good therapist who isn't going to allow you to wallow in self-absorbtion and one who knows when to end the sessions when the work is becoming redundant.

I understand what ya'll are saying here, but I have to say, good therapy has gotten me through some rough times. Mind you, the therapy I had was cognitive therapy, not psychoanalysis. (can't really speak to that since I've never had it).

[DoesntMatter]

I would rather masturbate than go to therapy

[vashti]

I'm surprised that so many of the people on this forum seem to be anti-therapy.

I don't really have a problem with short-term therapy to get through a rough spot here and there...

........................

[Illusional]

I think having therapy is really an american thing.

Over here, therapy is not even advertised and there has been not one person i have met who has been to therapy..ever.

aand i think although the idea of paying to talk to a shrink is kinda lame, the actual talking about your problems is good.

over here?? where are you from again?

raverboy

[Rollerderby]

Yeah, I got your point, and I could use my imagination on who needs counseling and who doesn't, but some cases are fine lines. I was just curious if you had some specific examples to back up the points you were making. If you are too busy to respond, that's fine, but I figured since you started this thread you might want to discuss specifics a bit. Especially since the thread got off track a bit in the middle.

[starbuck]

........................

I wasn't talking specifically about you, Vash, but about the thread in general. It seems like the overall consensus of this thread is that therapy is more harmful than useful.

Am I wrong about the over-arching theme of this thread?

[Rollerderby]

Starbuck, I think what Vash is saying is that short-term therapy/counseling for "normal" (as in not having a serious chemical imbalance in your brain that prevents you from ever functioning normally) is one thing, but to depend on it over time, after your problems have been "solved" and you continue is can nurture unhealthy self-absorption.

I think many people would benefit from some sort of counseling. It promotes self-reflection which, providing you are "normal", is one of the healthiest ways of self-healing.

However, maybe it's like a hypochondriac who runs to the doctor every 5 minutes thinking they are ill; going to therapy regularly, when you are just experiencing emotional highs and lows is a waste. I think today, a lot of people forget that we have emotions that are not always linked to logical responses, but that doesn't mean something is clinically wrong with us.

On the contrary, I think traumas can occur that can range from large scale (i.e. Rape, molestation, witnessing murder) or on a smaller scale (i.e. experiencing something as a child that an adult could handle and process, but is too much for the child's mind) that can lead to dysfunctional behavior and self-harming cycles.

But fixing any kind of problem you need to get to the root of where that problem began. I feel that some western therapists can ignore the emotional side of behavioral problems in favor of focusing on the psychiatric side. I feel, however, that in order to self-heal, you need to heal the whole self, not just the mind.

[ecojeanne]

what needs to be combined more is going to the doctor and he/she asking about stresses on ones life that might be causing an illness, rather than trying to diagnose and hand pills out to mask the symptoms for a physical ailment that was brought on by stress or emotions; which general doctors are not able to see because they don't seem to be trained to look at that side of things.

[Rollerderby]

Valid point eco, but wanna put a few commas and or periods in that? lol.