Finding Your Path to Therapy: A Personal Journey

When we think about starting therapy, a mix of emotions may come up—excitement, nervousness, fear, or even shame. Mental health is still perceived differently from our physical health. We have come a long way in destigmatizing mental health, but there is a lot more work to do.

There is no formula that works for everyone, and finding a therapist who works for you is important. Our pain and wounds are often relational, meaning it was people or systems that hurt us, so the idea of opening up to a stranger can feel uncomfortable.

We learn to “adapt” ourselves to protect ourselves from hurt and pain, which is one reason I love Coherence Therapy. With Coherence Therapy, we work on uncovering the core painful experiences, emotional learnings, and the resulting adaptations you made.

We can learn to pause and listen to the messages of our emotions. Sometimes these “ emotional learnings” were helpful in the past, but may not serve us in our lives now.

For example, you may have been made fun of while doing a presentation on a hobby and learned that the things you enjoy do not matter. You adapted by not sharing your ideas and instead focusing only on what others need. Implicit learnings like this run in our subconscious, and therapy can help us uncover this.

When that inner critic comes up, it may be helpful to ask, "What is this trying to protect me from feeling or doing, and is this helpful right now?"

Judith Klapak

jcmindscience@outlook.com

Disclaimer:
This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care . If you are experiencing distress or a mental health crisis, please contact local emergency services.