There are many faulty beliefs about psychotherapy that do not offer a satisfying answer to the question: „Why is therapy beneficial in the case of anxiety, depression, addictions, personality disorders, in situations of crisis in private or professional life?”.
There are many misleading stereotypes about the work of psychologists and psychotherapists, coming from television, movies. Anyone in need can obtain the help of a psychologist in Krakow. People seek psychotherapy for various reasons: to deal with depression, neurosis, fears, personality disorders, somatic symptoms or addiction. Some seek help due to life difficulties: breakup of a relationship, divorce, loss of a job, conflicts in the family, death of a loved one. Other patients ask psychologists for help with adapting to a new job, or with the desire to improve social skills, they are looking for support in dealing with the disease, or help in entering into a new role related to parenthood and family responsibilities. With the support of a psychotherapist you are able to better understand your difficulties and look for solutions to your problems more effectively.
Just a few years ago, a visit to a psychologist, was associated with fear of harassment and stigmatization. Luckily, this is changing very dynamically thanks to the media, which openly talks about mental problem. Nowadays seeking help is increasingly perceived as resourcefulness.
There is an undeniable connection between the body and the psyche – emotional problems often cause physical symptoms and vice versa.
Psychotherapy is a way to understand your thoughts, emotions and desires.
In times of crisis, the support of our close friends and family is not always enough. Psychologists and psychotherapists can offer much more than friends or family. The Synapse Psychotherapy Center in Krakow employs only educated people with many years of experience, willingly participating in trainings, constantly expanding their knowledge, which allows them to be specialists in understanding and treating patients’ complex difficulties.
Years of research show that psychotherapy is very effective and significantly improves the quality of life, while reducing the severity of negative symptoms. The course of psychotherapy is not only listening, but above all, interpretation, clarification, confrontation with individual approaches, as well as tips and tasks for patients.
Psychologists and psychodynamic psychotherapists have the knowledge and skills to recognize unfavorable behaviors or thinking patterns that even nuclear families cannot notice.
A psychologist, thanks to his knowledge and attention, thorough analysis of relationships, can effectively observe and recognize the duplication of unfavorable models of conduct.
Thanks to the principle of confidentiality, you can talk about the most secret and intimate things during the session, without fear that it can be used against you in any way. Therefore, psychotherapeutic visits are a space where people have the opportunity to freely raise issues that they would never share with their loved ones. However, there are a few exceptions when the psychologist has a duty to inform the relevant authorities, for example if the patient is threatening to harm themselves or someone else. Such breaking of confidentiality is carefully discussed between the patient and the therapist
Asking for help gives you hope that you will feel better.
Sometimes the decision to turn to a psychotherapist is delayed for weeks, months, and often years, in the hope that independent work would be enough to solve one’s own problems. Making a decision to start psychotherapy, e.g. psychodynamic, does not mean that you have failed, just as you cannot talk about failure if you cannot heal your own teeth and you have to go to the dentist in order not to suffer.
There are many disorders, e.g. psychosomatic, depressive, neurotic, anxiety, which may have a psychobiological background. They make it necessary to consult a psychiatrist and implement pharmacotherapy.
People who admit that they need help are not weak, on the contrary – they are strong enough to decide to take this step after a long time of lonely struggle, and with the help of a psychologist they are able to improve their well-being.
The process of therapeutic treatment based on empathic cooperation.
At the consultation stage, the therapist asks you for an extensive description of your difficulties, struggles, symptoms, problems that brought you to the office in Krakow. He also collects information about your life history, family and important people. He will ask how you are doing at home, school or work, in social relationships, about dreams and fears. He will ask how you have dealt with difficulties so far. Psychotherapy is used in a collaborative and active dialogue.
An important area in psychotherapeutic work is the examination of childhood experiences and confirming events that affect the present life. Analyzing these issues can help you understand what is going on in your life and learn about the patterns and roles you play in your relationships. A deep analysis of your past will allow you to better understand the present and contribute to a change in the future.
It is impossible to calculate the length of psychotherapy: only 25% of patients are able to improve their condition in 6 mounth, most patients definitely require more time to intoduce changes in their life. The optimal period of psychotherapy is influenced by many different factors, e.g. the patient’s history, intensity of symptoms, depth of disorders, pharmacotherapy, strength of defense mechanisms, number of sessions per week, motivation, etc. The goal of the psychologist is not to provide a „lifelong” therapy, but to enable the patient to improve his functioning as soon as possible and make his life more comfortable.