{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep. 003 - Does therapy help?","description":"There are so many forms of therapy today that it can be hard to decide which is best for you. One of these types is \u201cpsychotherapy,\u201d which sounds a lot scarier than it is. In this episode of \u201cAsk a Psychiatrist\u201d we learn about what psychotherapy is, how it can benefit your thought life, and why fears about undergoing psychotherapy still persist. Dr. Erik Messamore explains the history of psychotherapy and how Freud\u2019s findings dominated professional psychiatric thinking for decades. After about the 1960s or so, Dr. Messamore explains, psychology underwent enormous strides to get us to our modern psycho-pharmacological thinking. And it is better than it\u2019s ever been. Discussing both the therapy methods and our evolving understanding of psychoactive drugs, Dr. Messamore tears away the veil and shows why psychotherapy is nothing to be afraid of. Differing from \u201csupportive listening,\u201d true psychotherapy targets the causes of psychological symptoms and provides a framework for handling them in your day-to-day life. Whether or not medications are necessary is decided on a case-by-case basis, but the interesting thing is that the relationship between your thoughts and your brain chemistry is reciprocal. Mood-altering drugs can \u201ccorrect\u201d brain chemistry, but so can corrective thoughts. What each person needs for their own therapy will vary. Overall, psychotherapy is not a form of healthcare that should be feared. Your doctor will help you feel safe, comfortable, and help you to understand every step of the therapeutic process. To fear this is to miss out on great work you can do in your own life. Click here if you\u2019d like to ask a question or suggest a topic to address in a future episode. If you\u2019ve found this information helpful, please share it with your network!   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (03:00) \u2013 Fear of psychotherapy is common\u2014but it can be overcome. (05:30) \u2013 Freud developed a technique called \u2018psychoanalysis\u2019 to understand underlying urges in the subconscious (09:00) \u2013 Today, there are many psychotherapeutic approaches that don\u2019t require dredging up the past. (10:30) \u2013 The notion of \u201cchemical imbalance\u201d has a convoluted history. (15:00) \u2013 Chemical changes can constrain thoughts\u2014but thoughts also affect brain functioning. (17:15) \u2013 Evidence-based research today has been able to improve the brain\u2019s \u201cwiring,\u201d enabling more effective connections between the parts that generate emotion and the parts that regulate emotion. (19:00) \u2013 When Dr. Messamore asks his patients if they have ever done any psychotherapy, and they too often say no. (21:30) \u2013 It\u2019s important to be given an explanation, in psychological terms, as to why symptoms are being produced. Psychotherapy would give patients a set of techniques to apply to their own situations. (23:45) \u2013 The data has shown that psychotherapeutic techniques can help patients get well. (25:30) \u2013 There should be measurable and noticeable improvements through proper therapy. (27:20) \u2013 A good therapist should be able to tell you all about the process and point you to the right research. (29:20) \u2013 Most people who enter the field are going to be looking out for your well-being.   QUOTABLE:   \u201cFreud\u2019s view was that these top-level symptoms have, at their origin, a conflict between the id and super-ego.\u201d \u201cPsychoanalysis is a valuable and rich form of therapy, but it\u2019s certainly not for everyone.\u201d \u201cThe research points to psychotherapeutic approaches that focus on the here and now.\u201d \u201cSaying antidepressants correct a chemical imbalance is extremely over-simplified and probably not applicable to every person experiencing a psychiatric symptom.\u201d \u201cFor a person with depression, and who feels like a failure, it\u2019s much easier for them to believe that they may have just made some mistakes than to believe that everything is going to be alright.\u201d \u201cThe data shows that the people who practice these techniques become well. They get better at regulating their own emotions.\u201d \u201cThe right therapy should be deployed for the right condition.\u201d \u201cThe goal is to be comfortable, and it\u2019s your therapist\u2019s job to guarantee that.\u201d   About the Host: Dr. Erik Messamore is a board-certified psychiatric physician and PhD-level pharmacologist. He\u2019s a consultant psychiatrist, researcher, lecturer, teacher, and solution-focused scholar currently affiliated with the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio. He is joined on this podcast by Melissa Xenophontos, a journalist, radio producer and longtime mental health advocate.   Contacts: Website: www.ErikMessamore.com Dr. Messamore @LinkedIn   Follow the Podcast: Podcast Facebook page @Facebook @Twitter @Pinterest @Instagram ","author_name":"Ask A Psychiatrist","author_url":"http:\/\/www.askapsychiatrist.info","html":"