People tend to avoid going to therapy. There are lots of possible reasons why; financial concerns, time concerns, not knowing how the process actually works, fear, etc. While I genuinely understand all of the hesitations and reason I also want to explore what is holding you back from living a more authentic life, a more peaceful life, a more fulfilling life.
If what is stopping you is financial then please look into low-cost options in your area; check out student therapists who often charge a lower rate, interns who work on sliding scales, agencies that offer low-cost or pro-bono sessions. If you would like to use insurance ask your insurance for a list of providers in your area.
Time concerns are valid but with teletherapy now an option for a majority of therapists you can cut out travel time at the least to help curb those concerns. Or look at it this way, how much time do you spend on the thing that you would like to shift? If it’s more than an hour a week maybe therapy is a better use of that time.
Being afraid of the process is easily mitigated by calling a therapist and asking how they structure therapy but most of the time therapy is just talking. Your therapist will ask you questions and you can think, cry, talk, examine, process, whatever you need to do in that time and space to work on shifting your thoughts and actions in a new way. Your therapist will keep the session moving if you feel stuck or don’t know what to say.
If fear is holding you back I would ask you to be brave. Being brave is not the absence of fear, it is being scared and doing it anyway. You might uncover feelings that you would prefer never to have felt and that is a scary thought. Yes it is. What is also true is that ignoring feelings does not make them go away. They grow, like black mold, and become unhealthy and even harder to manage. It is hard and scary to work through old feelings, but you can do it. You can do hard things. Are you ready?
Written by Lisa Toms M.S., MFT-Intern.
Find more information about Lisa and book an appointment by visiting: https://mftlv.com/