Could The Same Be Said Of Therapy?

Question: There is a saying that whether or not you believe in God, you will find plenty of evidence to support your belief. Could the same be said of therapy?

Answer (1) Interesting question! Faith healing still has its' advocates and the placebo effect is well known. However, I think one has to have a close look at what is actually being offered to someone, labelled as therapy. If it's just some short term, superficial and simplistic, mechanical technique, then all the faith in the world will not produce any real lasting beneficial effect, or penetrate to any meaningful depth. No matter how much the technique may be in vogue and vaunted as a universal panacea. In my 35 years of practice, I've seen many shortcut techniques arise, have their 15 minutes in the sun and eventually fall out of favour. I believe the effective element in any therapy has always been the quality of the relationship and it is in this vital factor that the above mentioned "styles" are seriously lacking. The essential therapeutic relationship cannot be effectively faked or successfully deleted from the equation. No amount of intellectual twaddle or Californian pop psychology is a viable substitute. Faith not withstanding! This would indeed be an interesting and challenging subject for a paper.

Answer provided by David White, Psychotherapist

Answer (2) Good therapy is not a matter of faith, but of experience. If you find that your life is changing, that old patterns are not being repeated, that you are becoming free from concerns that have plagued you, maybe for most of your life, well then, what more evidence do you want? If you are prepared to invest in it, good therapy works. If you are engaged in therapy and nothing has changed, then perhaps you have not found the right therapist.

Answer provided by Wendy Sinclair, Psychotherapist

Answer (3) It's sometimes said that "If you say you can, or you say you can't - you're right". In other words, if you believe you can you will keep trying until you do, and if you believe you can't then you won't even try and that guarantees that you won't. Effective therapy usually (not always) requires receptiveness to the possibility of benefit ... which in turn helps to create the benefit.

I do think, though, that therapy is far less mystical than the notion of God. At its simplest, therapy is 'professionally facilitated problem-solving' - not so far from your everyday experience of talking to a friend, but with special helping techniques and more objectivity, unconditional support and privacy.

(Also remember that 'therapy' comes in many flavours - perhaps as many as there are therapists!)

Answer provided by Stephanie Thompson, Psychologist

Answer (4) We tend to go through life looking for evidence to support our existing beliefs. If I get up in the morning and tell myself that I'm going to have a rotten day, I will seek out examples to prove myself right, and filter out (or perceive differently) events that are positive. The same applies to me believing that I'm going to have a good day; I will seek out evidence to prove myself right. Having worked with mandated clients, or clients whose partners have "bullied" them to attend counselling, I do believe that being receptive to the process of counselling and to its benefits is important (as Stephanie pointed out).

Answer provided by Graham Cox, Psychologist