In today’s time, as mental health issues are on the rise, more people have begun to feel the need for mental health assistance. Unfortunately, oftentimes they feel restricted to go ahead and actively seek it. People usually enter the world of therapy in order to gain inner wholeness, overcome reservations and deal with their problems effectively. One can accomplish such a sense of inner peace by several ways, the most common being going to a therapist. What if we told you, you could be your own therapist? Wondering how that works? People turn to therapy for several reasons, the prime ones among them being geographical location, low income, or difficulty in accessing therapeutic resources. You might wonder, what is then, the ultimate solution for those who become unable to access a therapist for any of the above reasons. Keep reading this blog, if you want to find out whether self-therapy could be your solution.
In layman's terms, self-therapy could be understood as the idea of self-treatment of psychological or emotional issues through the use of different therapeutic techniques. It is important to note here, that no professional is involved in this entire treatment process.The term is essentially psychotherapies that we conduct on ourselves without the intervention of a professional therapist. Some of the standard ways in which individuals could practice self-therapy could be by seeking help from online courses, self-help books, step-by-step guides, and several other online tools that are accessible for free. These self-help methods help you learn emotional skills and navigate relationships and life situations more effectively. Self-therapy can be highly effective in such cases, bringing a positive impact on your life.
It is important to note that self-therapy however, cannot be a replacement for professional treatment, as the latter consists of several sessions with a professional. Hence, it cannot be replicated with self-treatment in any case. However, self-reflection remains a goal in self-therapy as well as therapy administered by a professional. After your therapy session, you must self-reflect, and have clarity of thought, so as to move towards a constructive solution. In self-therapy, you are your own therapist where you seek clarity and ask questions to yourself to understand yourself better.
People turn to the self-therapy approach due to several reasons. Some may feel they don’t have enough time to spend or they can’t leave their homes or some may have a bad financial situation that is preventing them from having access to therapy. And now that we are talking about self-therapy if you were to take a step like that you must have a well-guided approach towards it.
The effectiveness of self-therapy depends on the nature and kind of symptoms and challenges that you have been facing, along with the varied sources that you have been taking help from.
In 2017 there was a literature review that investigated how effective a self-guided internet cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) is for symptoms of depression. The review revealed that roughly 5 to 11 sessions of ICT were in fact effective enough to bring about a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression among the participants. This review was conducted on 13 studies involving more than 3,800 participants.
Another small study conducted in 2021 also explored the effectiveness of a self-guided virtual form of CBT and attempted to study people with panic disorder. These results showed that 4 weeks of self-guided interventions had a real positive impact on people who had been experiencing fewer or less intense symptoms.
People who make use of self therapy also develop useful skills like CBT which can be applied onto themselves to keep them happy and healthy. Furthermore, you could learn more skills from CBT either with your therapist’s help or through an elaborate online guide. Self-help techniques really work in areas of skill-building. However, the use of these techniques often run parallel to your therapy sessions. A professional therapist can help you with a step-by-step guide to work on yourself as they process the information we give them and build a trustworthy relationship with us. You can easily help yourself with the help of tools and realizations with the help from your therapist, which otherwise would not have occurred to you.
Such findings affirm the fact that self-therapy could be helpful for individuals dealing with certain mental health conditions. However, there isn't much material to criticize the use of self-therapy for the treatment of psychological issues. Therefore, it’s vital to understand that while self-therapy can help you be more honest and open with your emotions, it can also prove detrimental if it is misguided.
However, self-therapy might not be of much use to you, if you don't have proper knowledge of the psychological interventions.
Generally speaking, people who turn to self-therapy know about its procedures either through research or the natural ability of looking at things differently. However, individuals who struggle to develop an understanding of the same, find it difficult to apply it in their lives. Having said that sometimes self-therapy exists to supplement your current session or make yourself feel better if you are having a bad day.
So if you guide yourself through the process of recovery on your own, then you must ensure that you follow the below mentioned steps so as to assure effectiveness of the technique:
Understand the ambit of your problem. Is it a small problem or a big problem? Think of it the way you’ll understand your work or school assignment, can it be completed overnight or does it require days of preparation? Once you understand what you’re dealing with it will be easier for you to comprehend if you can do this on your own or with some help.
The next step is to understand the problem at a much deeper level. Like you would make subheads for your project, try splitting your problem into 2 parts, the feelings part and the action part. Once you take a note of all similarities and differences, you can begin working on constructive solutions.
The most vital step is to understand your emotions and feelings that are on the backdrop of your problem. If your problem is a behavioral one, then it might require you to find out the specific feelings that are acting as causes for that problematic behavior.
These are all important aspects of self-therapy that one should consider before signing up for it. Sometimes, doing it all on your own can turn out to be overwhelming for the self. Therefore, in such cases, you must not hesitate from seeking professional help.
1. Confused about your goals and whether or not your efforts are working.
2. You feel overwhelmed by situations and emotions.
3. You are unable to go on about your day-to-day and there’s a visible impact on your performance at work or school.
4. Use of substances as a coping mechanism.
5. Struggle with relationships, sleep, or appetite.
6. Survived a very traumatic event in life, like death of a loved one, or divorce.
7. In case you have thoughts of self-harm or self-isolation.
Don't look for sunshine elsewhere, when you can be your own sunshine! Self-therapy can be highly useful for you but it is important to keep in mind that having a second person’s perspective in the process, always makes it more effective. With the advent of technology, this help can be received within the comforts of your home. Therefore, many barriers that initially stopped people from going to therapy are now being lifted. A therapist, or a specialist (in this field) knows of the right and exact ways to guide you along the right path. Thus, the best way to pursue this is by adopting a perfect blend of self-therapy and professional therapy.
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