An Introduction to Psychotherapy
by Anne Stone
October 21, 2000

What do you do when you are upset, angry or anxious about something personal? Most people talk about it. Letting it all out to a trusted friend or family member can be very therapeutic. Sometimes consulting a counselor can help. These are both simple forms of psychotherapy. When problems are too difficult to be solved by these means then talking to a psychotherapist may be the answer. Psychotherapists have professional training and organize each session with their patients to gain the best results. They are not usually medically trained and cannot prescribe drugs.

Most people have heard of the Austrian Psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). It is through his work that psychotherapy was developed. Although Freud had many theories and his work has received much criticism, his method of helping patients relive the traumatic experiences they have repressed has proved beneficial in solving nervous problems. In the psychotherapy practiced today, the therapist and patient build a close relationship, which assists the therapy. Psychotherapy can also assist people in finding out more about themselves and enrich their lives and relationships.

Psychotherapy is mostly to help people with personal, emotional or behavioral problems such as, depression, tension, insomnia, stress, obsessive-compulsive behavior, fears and phobias. It can also help people with physical ailments that may be related to emotional stresses, such as, angina, ulcers and psoriasis.

Psychotherapy can be offered in many types of treatment usually split into two categories, short-term and long-term. Short-term therapy may be offered in the forms of Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Therapy or Primal Therapy. These are mostly used with patients who have quite simple problems such as phobias. Occasionally the short-term therapies may expose deeper and more complicated problems, which may only be helped with long-term therapy. These therapies enable the therapist analyse in depth the patientís unconscious fears or longings, suppressed emotions and past traumas. Long-term therapies include Gestalt Therapy, Freudian Psychotherapy and Humanistic Psychology. They work on the principle that believing that change can only grow out of self-knowledge. Patients are expected to play an active role in their own treatment. Many psychotherapists believe that thoughts, feelings and physical actions are all expressions of the same underlying personality, and that a change in one will also bring about changes in the others. Here is a brief chart to show how psychotherapists work within these areas.

Thoughts	Cognitive Therapy Psychoanalysis Transactional Analysis Gestalt Therapy
Feelings	Primal therapy Psychoanalysis Gestalt Therapy
Actions	Transactional Analysis Behavioral Therapy Gestalt Therapy

You may have noticed that Gestalt Therapy deals with all three aspects of the personality; it is the most holistic approach in Psychotherapy.

If you are considering psychotherapy then it is important to choose your therapist carefully, it will be difficult to discuss your innermost thoughts and feelings with a person you instinctively do not like. Also, you should not be pressured into accepting long-term therapy if you believe you benefit most from short-term. Most therapy sessions are based around talking to your therapist, although you may also be involved in acting out your feeling, moving, drama or making music. You may also receive your therapy in a group. Find out what type of therapy your chosen therapist offers.

Psychotherapy is a very long and detailed subject and I hope that my readers will realize that what I have offered here is just a brief introduction.