Posted by DAisym on February 17, 2008, at 23:49:25
In reply to Therapy - Bang for the Buck?, posted by Hermitian on February 17, 2008, at 14:42:08
I would suggest that if you are really interested in some answers to your questions that you take a look at the attachment research. More and more it is being shown that the connection between therapist and client can actually change some of the neurobiological structures and help individuals learn to be less anxious, less self-destructive and more capable of sustaining relationships.
Learning to trust someone when you've been traumatized can be hard and can take time. Most therapy is hard, painful work - it hasn't been my experience that people are going in and having tea time each week. The idea of a paid-friend is one of those myths that persists and yet I'd guess most therapy clients would not characterize their therapy as a "fun time spent with a friend."
As lots of people have said, there are many kinds of therapy and therapists because there are many kinds of people. It occurs to me that we often discuss here long therapies - there is worry about it taking too long, or dependency, etc. But should we not also worry about short therapy and individuals who can't or won't attach? Can we assume that instead of being overly dependent that they are perhaps in denial or overly-defended against their feelings? How can we tell? I read somewhere of a therapist who swears he can "cure" almost anyone in three to six sessions. How can he know this?
I am very glad for all the research being done right now because sometimes I think people decide what they think about therapy - inclusive of techniques, medications, frequency, length of time, gender -- all of it -- based on a gut response or limited real (not media) experience with it. That includes those of us who might shake our heads at the 3-6 session guy. We need facts and lots of experiences to help us know what really helps, what harms and what is just a waste of money. Even then, we'll all still likely believe a whole bunch of different things.
Which is why I find the whole field fascinating.
Good discussion...
poster:DAisym
thread:813285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080210/msgs/813365.html