- Personal therapy
Forebyggende terapi? Hvordan det at være forberedt bringer gennembrud snarere end sammenbrud
- Mark Colclough
Af Mark Colclough, Parterapeut og psykoterapeut, cand. mag.
Der er mange muligheder for at få støtte, før en krise opstår. Terapi er et værktøj, du kan bruge til at bevare kontrollen over dit liv, dine relationer og følelsen af velvære.
There’s one question I frequently hear my clients ask.
Unpacking The Challenge
Oftere end ikke finder jeg, at folk går i terapi, når de indser, at de står overfor en stor udfordring, der kræver opmærksomhed.
Hvordan i alverden kunne det her ske for mig?
Mark Colclough, MA
On unpacking this challenge therapeutically, many of my clients discover that it has not appeared from nowhere – there were many experiences that could be viewed as early warning signs that were not acted on.
Er disse advarselssignaler altid nemme at få øje på? Nej. Men hvis du bemærker dem, kan det være klogt at søge hjælp tidligere frem for efter en krise er opstået.
Nothing in life happens in a vacuum
Dit liv er et ocean af tanker, indsigter, følelser og oplevelser. Man mener, at intet, du gør i dit liv, sker i et vakuum, og i stedet er sammenkoblet med komplekse, overlappende interaktioner og konsekvenser. Nogle gange tænker du måske, at en situation er opstået ud af ingenting. Måske forlader din partner dig pludselig. Måske mister du dit job, står overfor økonomiske problemer eller har... været utro.. Whatever has brought you to therapy will have had a build-up – whether you noticed it or not.
Dette er, hvor terapi som en forebyggende foranstaltning kan være enormt hjælpsom.
Taking notice of early warning signs
Uanset om du er interesseret i individuel psykoterapi eller parterapi, kan det være meget gavnligt at søge hjælp før frem for senere.
Here’s an example to illustrate why this is.
Forestil dig, at du og din ægtefælle har en kæmpe diskussion baseret på mangel på tillid. Forestil dig, at du har opdaget beskeder til en anden på deres telefon, som du fandt sårende og upassende, og forholdet er nu ved at kollapse, medmindre der søges terapi.
Now imagine seeking therapy before it reaches the point of those texts being sent and before the point of a phone being checked. There will have been a lead up to those two actions. It is during that time that therapy can be most successful because if there is doubt over something as fundamental as trust, it’ll only take 3-4 couples therapy sessions to strengthen the relationship. If the trust is already broken, it’ll take 6-11 sessions to rebuild it. And if you leave it desperately late, the relationship may not be reconcilable at all.
Hvorfor vente på, at de tidlige advarselssignaler dukker op, før du tager positiv handling?
Mark Colclough, MA
The same can be said for individuals. For example, noticing and acting upon the early signs of depression (such as lethargy, insomnia, loss of interest in hobbies), can help to prevent a full depressive episode or breakdown in the near future. For this to have the best chance of success, it’s important that you are honest with yourself about how you are feeling. You could also listen to feedback given to you by family and friends. For example, if someone says you’ve lost a lot of weight or frequently look tired, this could be a sign that something is not quite right – and this is the time when therapy works best.
Therapy works – even when nothing seems “wrong”
Ovenfor har vi talt om at få øje på de tidlige advarselssignaler, der leder op til en krise, og proaktivt stoppe den nedadgående spiral, der kan følge.
You and your relationships are complicated and ever-changing. Your needs, passions, experiences and insights are ever-developing and therapy can help you to deepen your relationship with yourself as you grow and change. You may find that preventive therapy changes the way you respond to difficult situations as they occur. Going back to the example I gave about trust in a relationship – this situation may not have developed in the first place if both parties were in full ownership of their mental wellness and working on themselves to maintain a strong, trusting relationship with others.
I’d like to tell you more about this in a free 15 minute conversation, as well as discuss how and why taking positive steps now could help improve your quality of life both today and in the future.
