Psycho-Analyzing the Psychologist
(many) Years ago I tried talking to and looking for a licensed psychologist, somewhere along the way I became dissilusioned and I realized that the entire concept of therapy just wasn't for me. Left and right, I became disillusioned with the medical system all around, but that's a story for another day. Here's a previous post where I discuss the topic but don't go into detail.
Although they aren't doctors, they're supposedly here to help.
before I get into the meat and potatoes of this post, I want to clear some things up. Although I realize these words aren't exactly the same, I'm going to be using therapist/psychologist interchangeably.
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Psychology irks me as an entire field. I have my reasons to be skeptical, but I'm going to list some main points down below.
In order to be a psychologist you have to psycho-analyze your patient and figure out what exactly is going on with them, and then decide which coping method/tool to give them because they either haven’t or simply can’t figure it out themselves.
And that’s all fine and good. Okay great, but not everyone can get better even with the “right” tools and a good pep talk session.
If your brain is wired a certain way because of trauma, you are not just going to guide it back into place because someone told you to reframe your thoughts once a week... You need to do that yourself, you need to fight your own brain.
What irks me most is that you have to pay for these treatments indefinitely. I'm sure that's not an issue in Europe, but it's a big issue here in America.
You sit in a little office, talk about your life for an hour, the psychologist nods, writes something down, and next week it’s like none of it even happened.
Those notes might as well disappear because last week’s session is never spoken about again.
Oh boy, then there is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which, if we are being honest, is just constant redirection of your thoughts.
“that belief is not helpful” “try thinking about it this way”
Look, there is nothing wrong with that in theory, and it's actually helpful to rewire your brain to think positively.
Until you realize they are skirting around your main issues and focusing on smaller things because it fits neatly into the method, and it brings them a long time patient in the process.
And, I'm supposed to believe that they care...No offense, but you are charging me by the hour, this is just a business arrangement with emotional undertones, nothing you've said is anything I already didn't know about myself.
The structure of this entire model is a little too convenient and too skewed for my liking.
There's no clear end, no real timeline to when you might see some progress, and all while your wallet burns through your pocket.
Good luck if you miss a session too, their time is money, and they will charge you for it.
And yes, I realize HIPAA exists. but you cannot expect a naturally skeptical person to believe nobody ever goes home and says “you would not believe what i heard today”
please...
and before anyone gets upset:
the ones I have spoken to already seem to have a plan before you even finish your first sentence, and when I was in college, I remember hanging out with some of the psych majors, not one of them cared about other people, you just knew from looking at them.
And look, there's a time and place for everything. If you absolutely need it, look for a seasoned therapist, one that actually has a good rapport. But if I'm being honest, most of this information that they use to treat you already exists anyway, scattered across articles and books and most importantly the internet.
If you really wanted to, you could learn some basic psychological analysis tools for yourself.
You can do that with any topic and with absolutely zero credentials, but that's besides the point. I'm simply highlighting what I disliked here.
You don't need to appeal to authority for every single facet of life. Don't hand away your own thinking brain for someone else to fix.
Maybe I am just too skeptical to benefit from therapy. Maybe I'm too far gone, or maybe...I have a point and I've simply psycho analyzed the psychologist.