Quintessential Secrets of Psychotherapy

""We cannot change anything unless we accept it." --C.G. Jung "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." --Carl Rogers "Freedom from suffering requires accepting rather than resisting reality." --Marsha Linehan "How many psychotherapists does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Only one. But the light bulb has to really want to change." --An old psychotherapy joke"

"What is psychotherapy? Such a seemingly simple, straightforward question. Something those who have never personally experienced this enigmatic, mysterious process are understandably curious about. (Perhaps sufficiently curious to be reading this article right now.) But, strangely enough, it remains a profound question even for those that have at some time been psychotherapy patients or clients. And, if truth be told, this is still an open and hotly debated question even among professional providers of psychotherapy: clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, counselors, and other licensed mental health professionals who have spent years studying, practicing, teaching and, in many cases, receiving psychotherapy themselves."

Psychotherapy encompasses diverse approaches and remains debated among clinicians and recipients. Acceptance of one’s current state is presented as essential for facilitating change. Several influential clinicians emphasize acceptance as a route to reduced suffering. Empirical findings indicate psychotherapy is effective for roughly 80% of people who try it. The variety of theoretical orientations contributes to ongoing confusion and controversy about definitions and mechanisms. Historical techniques include Freud’s free association, where patients recline and verbalize whatever comes to mind. The precise ways psychotherapy produces change remain a central clinical and scientific question.

Read at Psychology Today