Analogies are a great way to teach new concepts and open our minds to different possibilities. If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that I use analogies to describe many things, and one of my favorite analogies involves understanding how therapy works. Let me first share a description of counseling that I use in my private practice outside the platform:
COUNSELING is a confidential process designed to help you address your concerns, come to a greater understanding of yourself, and learn effective personal and interpersonal coping strategies. It involves a relationship between you and a trained counselor who has the desire and willingness to help you accomplish your individual goals. Counseling involves sharing sensitive, personal, and private information that may at times be distressing. During the course of counseling, there may be periods of increased anxiety or confusion. The outcome of counseling however, is often positive. While the level of satisfaction for any individual is not predictable, your counselor is available to support you throughout the therapeutic process.
Live Oak Therapy Group
So how does therapy work? Let’s use the analogy of a wound. You’ve been injured and you have a wound on your leg. It's scabbed over. Visually, the wound looks like it's healing nicely. But then you begin to notice a soreness with the wound, and notice that around the scab there is a redness there. It's warm to the touch.
Pretty soon you realize that most likely underneath the scab, there is an infection. You go to the doctor and he confirms that there is infection. He must thoroughly clean the wound, and that involves removing the scab (painful) and perhaps even opening up the wound a little more with an incision (painful). Then he applies a stinging antibiotic (more pain) to fully clean the wound so it can heal.
But guess what? When properly treated, the wound finally has the ability to heal! The process of healing was painful, but in the long run, it's healed. There will be a slight scar there, to remind you of the wound but it won't have the ability to affect you any longer.
In counseling, we work to uncover the deeper issues that may be eliciting uncomfortable emotions. Sometimes there are messages underneath the surface, of which we are completely unaware. In therapeutic work, we learn to identify those messages and then begin to test their validity. This involves discussing the deeper issues and coming to a more rational conclusion that can benefit your emotions.
While the work can be painful at times, from my own personal experience, it’s worth it. Counseling can be a helpful journey that leads to positive, personal growth!
It’s hopeful that many of you have begun to “uncover” some of those messages underneath the surface. And even though the work of therapy can be painful at times, don’t forget to allow for moments of joy.
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