What is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy derives from the word roots psykhē (“soul, mind, spirit, life”) and therapeia (“curing, healing, service done to the sick”); in essence, it is the care and healing of the mind, soul, and spirit.

Seeking counsel with another human being is a long-standing embedded part of the human experience and tendency; exchanging stories and allowing others to impact and respond to us is how we learn, grow, and evolve, if we allow ourselves to be positively impacted by others.

There have been long detailed histories compiled about the long traditions that are part of the lineage of counsel-seeking for issues of the mind, soul, and spirit that I hope to summarize in greater detail here someday [insert links]. However, modern psychotherapists are trained based on the scientific research and observations of generations of dedicated psychoanalysts and psychological scientists who noted similar patterns and tendencies in the reports of their patients, many of whom were struggling with debilitating neuroses and physical symptoms that seemingly had no underlying physical cause. Through interviews with these patients, underlying traumatic experiences emerged with common elements that led to an understanding of the debilitating physical and emotional impacts of repression, abuse, and the isolation that comes from not feeling empowered or safe to share one’s experiences and challenges.

Counseling functions are often served in religious and spiritual communities, as well as through close family and community ties, and nurturing friendships and relationships. However, psychotherapy allows for a trained professional who is practiced in effective listening, non-judgment, and is researched in the wide breadth of discoveries so far on effective pathways to treatment and improvement of a variety of mental health struggles to lend their wisdom, experience, and learning to your situation with care, attention, and some efficiency, as well as within a context of legal and ethical oversight governed by state and professional ordinances.