We already addressed two of the principles of successful, life-changing therapy: listening and conversation. To recap, listening addresses the importance of understanding just what is happening in your life: where you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed or hopeless. The therapeutic conversation – as the term implies – is a two-way dialog. What is unique in this dialog is that it involves clarifying which parts of your picture of your situation are accurate, and which parts involve limiting assumptions or generalizations that are unrealistic or unhelpful in solving the problem.
The third broad principle of successful therapy is teaching. Teaching involves actively imparting knowledge or skills from one person to another. For example, therapy involves teaching when the therapist offers specific tools to manage difficult emotions, such as anxiety or depression. Therapy also involves teaching when we go over new ways to talk to yourself – for example to challenge limiting assumptions. Finally, we are engaged in teaching when we review and rehearse better ways to set boundaries, to ask for what you need from other people, or to take emotional risks in getting closer to other people.
The third broad principle of successful therapy is teaching. Teaching involves actively imparting knowledge or skills from one person to another. For example, therapy involves teaching when the therapist offers specific tools to manage difficult emotions, such as anxiety or depression. Therapy also involves teaching when we go over new ways to talk to yourself – for example to challenge limiting assumptions. Finally, we are engaged in teaching when we review and rehearse better ways to set boundaries, to ask for what you need from other people, or to take emotional risks in getting closer to other people.
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