Until not so long ago, admitting that we were going to therapy was unthinkable, because He socially identified with being “crazy” or with some mental weakness. Fortunately and according to experts, this belief has changed, and not only do we go to the psychologist like other medical specialties when we need it, but it is no longer taboo to say it.
Indeed, mental health consultations are filling up, waiting lists are growing and we turn to the therapist for that professional help that pushes us to make the right decisions. Of course, experts insist that Going to the psychologist is not enough, that they do not have the magic wand for our ills; The mission of these professionals is to listen to us, and to offer us certain tools that we must work on ourselves to regain our inner connection and our calm and emotional balance.
“Before, pain was guarded, fear ignored and sadness overcome by will”
In the context of what the therapist can and cannot do for us, we interviewed the psychologist Clara Camañes, from EstarContigoTerapia, who starts by looking back, to understand the evolution of mental health and how it has become normal in society to go to an expert consultation.
“We have gone too long without talking about how we feel. For generations We have learned to operate with discomfort without giving it a name.: survive, not feel; to comply, not to wonder how we are doing. Pain was pushed aside, fear was ignored, and sadness was “overcome” through willpower. In many families, phrases like “you have to be strong” or “you better not think about it” have become emotional norms. »
Depression, grief or anxiety were not mentioned. “They continued, as if nothing had happened. But What is not expressed ends up becoming fatigue, disconnection, in patterns that hurt and are constantly repeated. And there comes a time when it all weighs too much,” says the psychologist.
“Mental health is no longer taboo and asking for help is not seen as weakness”
Far from considering it a fashion, Clara Camañes assures that there are more and more people looking for professional help, psychological help. “I don’t think it’s a fashion at all, but rather We’re finally paying attention to what’s been crying out for space for years.. Mental health is starting to stop being taboo and asking for help is no longer seen as weakness. We understand that feeling is a part of life and that we don’t have to do it alone. »
However, the expert does not want to leave any room for doubt, affirming that “it is important to say it clearly: Going to therapy is not a shortcut or a quick fix.. Sometimes you hope that a few sessions will fix what’s been building up for years, but the reality is that therapy isn’t magic. It’s work.”
When we go to therapy, we find a place to stop and look within, “to confronting repressed emotions, inherited patterns and wounds it still hurts and we don’t know how to resolve. But it’s not just about therapy: it’s about staying when the difficult thing appears, maintaining the discomfort and reviewing our relationship to the world and to ourselves.
“What is transformative is not the technique, but our commitment”
To move forward in a process of psychological therapy, we must not create short-term expectations, nor consider that it is the expert who, once he knows what worries us, will solve our lives. “As a psychologist, I see that the most transformative thing is not the technique or the diagnosis, but the real commitment to the process“.
And it is that “when a person stops looking for immediate solutions and starts to really listen to themselves, something deep begins to change. What heals is the connection with oneself and the ability to be with what we feel without running away“.
In conclusion, the psychologist considers that “going to the psychologist is a big step, but the real process begins later: when we stop avoiding ourselves, when we allow ourselves to be bad, when We choose to look at ourselves with less judgment and more responsibility. Healing isn’t always about feeling good; it’s learning to be more honest with yourself.”
“You have to ask for help before you reach the limit”
Delving deeper into the concept that going to the psychologist is not a sign of weakness, quite the contrary, we discussed with another psychologist, María Rojas-Marcos, collaborator at Academia ADJ. “Data has shown an increase in mental health problems for some time, and several factors explain why seeing a psychologist is now seen as normal.”
We come from a culture that did not give emotions the place they deserved and that associated asking for help with weakness. “This idea of ’carrying on as if nothing had happened’ has been very present for generations. Today, however, we see how more and more people, including many who are in demanding stages of study or preparation, are allowing themselves recognize how they feel and seek help before reaching the limit“.
Even so, the “I can do anything” ideal continues to exist, “but the way we deal with discomfort has also changed. Even when we wrongly seek to “get rid of anxiety,” we know that there is emotional management tools and strategies that help to face difficulties in a healthier way.
“Going to a psychologist is no longer a stigma, it’s taking care of yourself”
Finally, Rojas-Marcos adds that “in environments where pressure is prolonged over time, such as intensive studies, the importance of learning to manage your emotions, goals and frustrations become particularly evident. This is why not only have the needs increased – and indeed they have – but visibility and social acceptance have also increased. »
Going to the psychologist is no longer experienced as a stigma, “but as a legitimate way of taking care of oneself, of understanding oneself and Learn to manage your own discomfort. “It’s not a fashion: it’s the consequence of having given space to something that has always been there, even if for a long time it was lived in silence.”
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