Read down to find the answers to some of the questions related to therapy itself.
What is psychotherapy?
The answer will depend on the therapist. For me, psychotherapy is a specific process that takes place between a client and a psychotherapist. With adults, psychotherapy is an enquiry between you, who hold all the information, and the therapist, who has the knowledge to lead the process towards the results the client wants, through specific questions and interventions. In my practice, and in the case of children, the parents are always actively involved.
Psychotherapy gradually leads to the deep personal changes you wish for. Painting the picture of your difficulties is only the first step of a successful psychotherapy. It leads inexorably to becoming aware of, and to consolidating, the forces of renewal that live in you despite your wounds. If the sessions are not experienced as useful by the patient, and after a few months no evolution is observed, then other troubling factors are at play and/or the psychotherapy is not happening.
Psychotherapy is a process distinct from writing reports and establishing diagnoses of mental illness. Psychotherapy liberates and sets in motion; diagnosis categorises. In principle, the two require completely different specialisations.
Psychotherapy as I practise it makes no distinction between prevention and treatment. It deals with both by addressing our deeper being. It is interested in the change you want, the evolution that is possible, the reunion with our essence in the making. It draws on various theoretical viewpoints and techniques according to their usefulness for your quest. It prevents and treats psychological suffering by re-centring you in your energy, your voice, your strength, your aspirations. It is concerned with the present, the future and — when needed — the past, with your dreams and your actions. It leads to change through the integration of elements that were forgotten, dissociated, repressed, minimised, projected, denied or intellectualised. It takes into account all that determines you, but also believes in your freedom of choice. The length of a psychotherapy depends on your personal goals: 10 to 30 sessions for specific aims, years for complex or severe difficulties (trauma, situations of abuse, chronic illness).
Is the type of therapy essential to the outcome?
Regardless of theoretical background, it has been shown that therapists considered “good” lead the process in a similar way. They make similar interventions and share the same ethics. There are more than a hundred types of psychotherapy. Therapists have different personalities, experiences and styles. The main factor in the outcome is the therapeutic quality of the relationship established between you and them.
How long does it take to get better?
The length of psychotherapy varies. It is not realistic to expect to feel better in a few weeks if you have been suffering for years. Quick fixes are appealing but may not last. Very long and intensive approaches — requiring 3 to 4 sessions a week over several years — are meant to help understand and overcome deeply disabling internal psychological variables, but are known to be unsuitable for certain disorders. In all other cases, the length varies according to your level of need, the complexity of your situation and the goals you wish to reach.
What happens in therapy?
Psychotherapy evolves in three phases: the initial phase is essentially focused on information; the intermediate phase gives the impression of moving from one realisation to the next; and the third phase emerges once a relatively stable comfort zone has been reached. Realisations are exhilarating because they touch the mind, the heart and the body, and have an impact on behaviour. They give the feeling that evolution and progress are possible. They differ from intellectual knowledge.
Once the client has completed therapy, is he cured?
A completed psychotherapy does not immunise you permanently against the impact of new difficulties. As life unfolds in complex, unpredictable and unexpected ways, new situations may overwhelm you again. Besides teaching humility, every difficulty can be seen as a learning opportunity. There is no shame in asking for help again.
When should someone seek therapy?
When it feels urgent to find a private and neutral space to sort certain things out — for example:
- to OVERCOME blocks, anger, sadness, fears, resentment, a burden;
- to RECOVER passion, enthusiasm, joy, a sense of your own worth, the feeling that life has meaning;
- to MATERIALISE dreams, goals, values;
- to MANAGE complex situations, difficult partners or relationships;
- to COMMUNICATE effectively.
Who really needs therapy?
Anyone who feels the need for psychotherapy needs it. A need is a subjective feeling, not always clearly linked to difficult external circumstances. It is, however, always a signal telling us that something real is troubling us. It asks for attention. Some people feel the need for psychotherapy but feel guilty about asking for it because everything seems promising. On the other hand, some people in terrible life circumstances, or with seemingly deeply disturbed or maladjusted behaviour, refuse to contact a therapist. Only those who ask for help can be helped.
When should the Dr Alfred Tomatis method be added?
This training has multiple effects on the psychomotor and speech levels, on verbal and bodily expression, and on the emotional, cognitive and interpersonal-communication levels. In adults it facilitates psychotherapy because it soothes, improves listening and balance, brings buried memories back to the surface, and trains organisation and discernment. It is particularly useful in chronic complex trauma, or when psychotherapy seems to stop being useful.