In memory, Band, a young law student ranked first in her class but struggling with her personal life with an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, and intimacy issues. An acquaintance put her in touch with a therapist who recommended that she attend group therapy sessions.
The author had to open up to the other members of the group during the sessions and share parts of herself that she preferred to keep hidden. She, in turn, listened to the other members of the group tell their own stories and question the aspects of their lives that made the least sense. The author maintained the group therapy sessions for decades and credited them with saving his life.
Psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy is an approach that some historians say dates back to antiquity. Over the past few decades, scientists have learned to measure the benefits of talk therapy. In some circumstances, researchers find talk therapy to be best.
What is talk therapy?
talk therapy it is when a person meets with a licensed mental health professional to address their concerns. There are a variety of reasons a person may seek help through talk therapy, including stress, coping with trauma, or specific symptoms such as irritability.
Psychotherapists use a variety of techniques, including problem-solving strategies, mindfulness, or behavior monitoring. A psychotherapist can use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help a person change their habits. An example of CBT would be facing a fear through exposure therapy.
Does psychotherapy work?
Psychotherapy is effective, and two-thirds of people who had talk therapy said their mental health had improved. They reported having less depression, anxiety, and neurotic behaviors.
Researchers have also found that psychotherapy benefits people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a 2019 study In JAMA Psychiatry, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of 12 randomized clinical trials involving 922 people treated for PTSD. Participants were treated with psychotherapy, pharmaceuticals, or a combination of the two strategies.
The authors saw no evidence that pharmaceuticals were an effective first treatment approach. In follow-ups, psychotherapy showed greater benefit than medication. The study confirmed previous research that talk therapy provided the most lasting relief for people with PTSD.
A 2016 study In Depression and anxiety, for example, concluded that talk therapy should be the first approach for PTSD. The authors analyzed 55 studies involving 6,313 participants who were undergoing various treatments for PTSD, including medication and talk therapy. People who received talk therapy were less likely to drop out of their treatment program.
The authors found that the effects of talk therapy were stronger than those of pharmaceuticals, prompting them to conclude “…by all measures considered in this study, [trauma-focused psychotherapies] were superior to drugs.
Learn more: Do antidepressants change your personality?
Benefits of talk therapy
Versatility is an asset of psychotherapy. While one person may benefit from one-on-one talk therapy, another may benefit from group support. In memory Band, the author described how she battled binge eating and admitted to her therapist that she ate seven apples in one session. He identified her habit of secrecy as problematic and challenged her to call a group member every day to report what she ate. She found the responsibility useful.
Researchers are considering other ways that talk therapy can be effective in different settings. A 2020 study in Journal of Clinical Psychology conducted a literature review of studies on the effectiveness of talking therapy in the natural environment.
Between 1994 and 2019, they found 38 qualifying articles that detailed outdoor psychotherapy. A common theme was that nature-based talk therapy worked in situations where both client and clinician felt at peace in natural spaces. They also found the outdoor setting worked for people who were uncomfortable or bothered by the idea of traditional therapy.
Outdoor therapy can allow a client or clinician to apply metaphors from the natural world to life. A person may consider, for example, how a gardener can plant seeds and nurture a growing plant, but outside factors mean the outcome is beyond their control.
New Types of Talk Therapy
The application of metaphors from nature to the personal challenges of life is one of many new twists in the approach to talk therapy. Psychotherapy as a term came into use at the end of the 19th century, but it was eclipsed until the middle of the 20th century by psychoanalysis.
With psychoanalysis, clients would lie on a couch, facing the therapist, and talk about their memories of once-forgotten events. Over time, the analyst offered insight into what was troubling the person’s thinking, which was believed to reduce anxiety and bring a sense of peace.
The technique was most associated with the famous neurologist Sigmund Freud, who often attributed clients’ problems to one of his unproven theories. A woman’s anxiety, for example, could be diagnosed as a symptom of penis envy.
A historian described how The Freudian approach fell out of favor “…because of his frequent refusal to take the painful speeches of patients at face value; instead, he badgered them into admitting to esoteric sexual fantasies.
How to find a therapist
Unlike psychoanalysis, proponents of talk therapy in Freud’s day encouraged clinicians to empathize with a client and validate “their true sources of upset.”
Today, clients are encouraged to find a therapist who best meets their needs. Many psychotherapists specialize in treating specific conditions such as PTSD or anxiety. Others use specific treatments such as CBT, and some offer various frameworks such as virtual or outdoor.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recommends people have preliminary conversations with potential therapists, and They offer a list of questions on their website that clients can ask potential therapists when meeting.
If the therapist doesn’t feel like the right match, the NIMH advises people to keep looking because “rapport and trust are key” in a client-therapist relationship.
Learn more: How effective is Alcoholics Anonymous?