Why I Am A Big Advocate Of Therapy

For the longest time, going to therapy was seen as some kind of cliche. For the majority of people, going to therapy is seen as a negative thing. You go to therapy? You must be a crazy person. That’s why if someone did see a therapist, it was kept under wraps.

This wasn’t brought to my attention until I started going to therapy. It was then that I learned a good chunk of my family had also seen therapists at some point or another. It was then that I questioned why I never knew this. Why had no one ever said anything? What was there to be embarrassed about?

Of course I never asked these questions. At the end of the day it was no one’s business whether or not they are seeking professional help from someone like a therapist. If they wanted it to be a private matter, that is completely understandable and respectable.

I personally, just don’t have that mindset. Maybe its because I’ve had a pretty good experience with therapy, or maybe its because there are actual scientific benefits to going to therapy, but I am a strong advocate for going to therapy, and have no issue talking about and sharing my experience.

I’ll be honest though, it took me an extremely long time to get to this point. In the beginning, I absolutely hated going to therapy. Mainly it was because I didn’t like the person I was talking to and that’s the biggest thing right there. If you are not comfortable with the person you are being most vulnerable with, then how are you expected to be vulnerable with them? To share your inner thoughts, fears and dreams?

Because I had that issue, there was a brief period of time where I wasn’t seeing a therapist. At first, I was fine. I felt normal, convinced myself I was better and didn’t need to talk to a professional once a week every week. And then as time went on and events occurred in my life, I realized it was time to find someone new and return to therapy.

It took time but I eventually found someone I felt comfortable talking to and accepting advice from. It was then that I started to make actual progress and achieve the goals I made for myself.

Of course it wasn’t always easy and there were many times I said I hated therapy. It forced me to vocalize my inner thoughts, and these are sometimes hard to say and hard to hear out loud. Therapy also holds me accountable for my actions as well as my reactions. These things aren’t easy, hearing and confronting your thoughts and problems is hard, and sometimes I would resent the fact that I put myself in a situation to do so.

Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of reasons as to why I love therapy. First and foremost, therapy gives me the chance to talk to a third party, someone who is not personally involved in my daily life and can give me genuine advice from a fresh perspective.

Therapy also gives me a safe space to let out sticky thoughts. Physically going into an office and releasing all my inner thoughts is therapeutic and the fact that it can be separate from my safe space at home is a bonus. However, due to Covid I have not been able to go in person (hopefully this changes soon).

Lastly, another reason why I love therapy is because your therapist will always be on your side, and only want the best for you. There is no reason or them to cause you harm. They are your friend!

If you or a loved one is considering visiting a therapist, I personally recommend it, but of course there are many pros and cons to be considered!