“All that we are is
the result of what we have thought. The mind
is everything. What
we think we become. Peace comes from
within. Do not seek
it without.”

– Buddha

Psychotherapy

What is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is a way of approaching the human condition by what is referred to as the ‘talking cure.’ The ‘talking cure’ involves the act of speaking on the part of an individual to a psychotherapist who is trained to listen. The kind of listening involved rests on a particular concept of the way the mind functions, as a complex entity that resonates with both conscious and unconscious thoughts. The ability to listen calmly and without prejudice to another person who is speaking and sharing requires proper, thorough, professional training!

 
Psychotherapy depends on an understanding of how the mind works, how we adopt particular stances in relation to the world and other people.  This idea is based on the notion that we are sometimes led to do, to feel or to think in a certain way by activities of the mind they can’t easily make sense of and that they find disturbing.

Difficulties or distress in a person’s life can then become so serious that it affects their relationships, their work and their sense of well-being. Psychotherapy attempts to address these thoughts and feelings by exploring their source. Where the difficulties that a person encounters lie in the present, psychotherapy provides the context in which the person can find new ways to overcome their problems. Where the source of person’s difficulties lies in the past, this may be as a result of some event or situation in their own history that they are aware of but haven’t resolved.  In such a situation, psychotherapy can help the person to revisit their history in order to come to terms with whatever has transpired. 

In summary, the role of the psychotherapist is to assist the individual to overcome the psychological difficulties and suffering that they be encountered at times. In order to do this the psychotherapist must have a thorough understanding of how the mind works, how we develop particular interests, what motivates people and how and why interests and motivations sometimes veer away from the norm and can lead people into difficulties.