“When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.” Talking about your thoughts and feelings can get you through troubled times. The worry grows if you worry over and over. But talking about what is bothering you can help you work it out.
Talking therapies are great in dealing with negative thoughts and feelings and make positive changes. Whether you’re old or young, male or female, white or black, gay or straight, rich or poor, educated or not, nothing makes a difference- talking therapies work well for all.
Sometimes, it is easier to talk to a stranger than to family or friends. A talking therapy involves a trained therapist who listens to you and helps you find your own answers to problems. The best part- he doesn’t judge you (a reason that doesn’t allow you to talk to your family and friends).
The therapist will let you talk, cry, shout, or just think. He/she respects and encourages your opinions and the decisions that you make which gives you an opportunity to look at your problems in a different light.
Who Benefits from Talk Therapy
Talking therapies are available in different types but all of their aims is one- to make you feel better. Even if the talking therapy cannot solve your problems, you will find it easier to cope with them and feel happier.
A talking therapy can help you with depression, anxiety, eating disorder, phobia, addiction, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. Dealing with personal issues like a relative or friend’s death, getting diagnosed with deadly diseases, sexual problems or losing a job also becomes easy.
Talking therapy is very effective when the therapist is skilled and compassionate. Studies show that people with personality disorders (classified as most common mental health problems) recover seven times faster with the help of talking therapy than they would without treatment.
Talk therapy, according to research, can cause changes in brain function even, similar to those produced by medication.
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Talk Therapy with Medication
Even if not more effective, certain types of talk therapies are as effective as medication for mild or moderate depression. These include cognitive-behavioural therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy.
People suffering severe depression require medications as well along with therapy. Experts believe that a combination of medication and therapy is the ideal treatment in most cases.
Proof that Talk Therapy Works
A study done on depressed patients taking medication showed that 70% patients, who received interpersonal psychotherapy, experienced a significant reduction in symptoms after five weeks. While out of patients who received only a 20-minute support session, only 50% experienced this result.
Twelve months later nearly all of the patients who initially responded to therapy continued to have reduced symptoms, and the disparity between the two groups was even more dramatic. The researchers noted that interpersonal psychotherapy was "significantly more effective in increasing social functioning."
Talk Therapy is a Gift for Patients
Patients who have been at the receiving end of therapy report that a non-judgemental therapist eases the loneliness of depression, or lights the way to deeper, closer relationships. Many describe it as deep healing and were amazed at their transformation in therapy. A talk therapy can make you feel authentic and alive rather than feeling robotic all the time (the side-effect of a high-stress job).
An hour of therapy can help you replenish yourself. It is a gift everyone should have. The deep scars of life and experiences which are compounded by everyday slights can be left behind with a heart-to-heart session of talk therapy.
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