Posted by madeline on December 6, 2006, at 9:43:41
In reply to Rejection of Therapy, posted by ace on December 5, 2006, at 20:23:02
It sounds to me as though you are describing a life coach rather than a psychotherapist.
I can only comment on my experience with therapy and it has been completely different from what you describe.
I was actually hoping that I could find someone to tell me how to live my life, because - man I wasn't doing that very well.
I didn't, I simply found a process that helped me to understand myself better, make better decisions based on that insight, and move myself toward becoming more human.
While there may be a biological basis for a lot of mental illness, pharmacological intervention in most cases can only do so much for a certain amount of time. In fact, a lot of studies show that the most efficacious treatment for depression is the combination of therapy and drugs. They just seem to work better together.
The power structure in a therapeutic relationship is tricky to manage I agree, and without a doubt there are some really really crappy therapists out there. However, as with any treatment, appropriately applied by trained personel, it can (and often does) work.
I'm not sure that we should call therapy an affront to science but rather consider it as an adjunct to science.
The methods used to quantify the success/failure of therapy are quite subjective. "Do you feel better" would hardly stand up to the rigors of the scientific method, but the answer to that question is important to know nonetheless.
I think of it as similar to pain management. No physician can ever know how much physical pain a patient is in either post-op or the result of trauma. Yet the efficiacy of so many analgesics is based solely on the patient's report of "I don't hurt anymore". Sure, we may know which receptors morphine binds to, but don't know how that correlates to pain relief in a particular patient. Yet no one would ever say pain management is an affront to science.
I'm not going to turn you into an advocate of therapy by any means, but rather present a different opinion.
With much respect,
Maddie
poster:madeline
thread:710731
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20061123/msgs/710834.html