Why Therapy?
Emotional distress is the primary reason we seek therapy.
Emotional balance and freedom of choice give us the foundation for a happier and more fulfilling life.
Psychotherapy helps alleviate distress, resulting in emotional balance and freedom of choice for a happier and more fulfilling life.
Emotions like joy, fear, anger and sorrow make us human, they are integral parts of our identity. Feelings are just as real as our physical attributes, like skin, hair color, and height. Like a compass, emotions are useful to us, helping us navigate our path in life and work. Yet sometimes we experience very powerful, distressing emotions - so strong and disturbing they surprise us and make life difficult. Painful emotions are different from normal levels of joy, fear, anger and sorrow; they are intense and sometimes long-lasting; they interfere with our quality of life; and they seem to repeat over and over again. Emotional distress such as anxiousness, confusion, sadness, depression, and panic leave us feeling confused, out of control, frustrated, and diminished. When we suppress these feelings and avoid confronting this part of ourselves, the pain only gets worse. Ironically, emotional distress leaves us feeling embarrassed at not being more balanced in the first place, and leads to even more distress at our fear and shame of feeling so bad and "broken."
Therapy involves working with a trusted professional, in a facilitated process, and using a set of evidence-based tools, to help face and understand these distressed parts of ourselves. With time, we gain more compassion for ourselves; we observe patterns and learn from them; and we practice handling life’s challenges with greater wisdom and courage. The goal of therapy is to help us grow into the more resilient and successful people we’ve always hoped to be.