Hi Boox Popular Magazine 2024
The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
If you’ve ever been to therapy before, then you may know that therapists often use a variety of strategies and techniques to help their clients overcome countless struggles and concerns. Therapists must be adaptable, as every person responds differently during sessions.
While there are standard therapy procedures and rules that providers must follow, they also have a lot of freedom in deciding how to support their clients most effectively.
This leads many therapists to try unique therapeutic methods to meet their client’s needs and help them heal. Here, we’ll discuss five different techniques that clients may come across while attending therapy.
1. The Empty Chair
The empty chair technique refers to a strategy in therapy in which the client is instructed to picture the person they’re having conflict with sitting in a chair in front of them. The client is then guided into a conversation with the individual in which they’re encouraged to openly express their thoughts and feelings.
Although the person is never actually present in the session, the empty chair technique can still promote healing by allowing the client to get heavy emotions like grief, anger, or shame off their chest. To learn more about the empty chair technique, consider connecting with a therapist locally or through an online platform like BetterHelp.
2. Hypnosis
Hypnosis refers to an altered, unconscious state of mind induced through repetitive words and images. When someone is hypnotized in therapy, their minds and bodies often feel at ease, which can help to relieve stress, anxiety, depression, and other unwanted feelings.
Hypnosis can be beneficial as it allows people to be more open to making healthy changes in their lives, whether that means altering their behaviors, beliefs, thought patterns, or emotions.
3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a technique that involves training one’s brain to stay present and focused on the current moment. It may involve different breathing methods, body scans, movements, and visualization exercises, as well as journaling, meditation, and so on.
Mindfulness promotes self-awareness, allowing people to be more open and expressive in therapy and helping them identify their true thoughts and feelings. With mindfulness, therapy is often more productive, and clients can continue practicing mindfulness even after the session has ended.
4. Motivational Interviewing
When therapists use motivational interviewing in therapy, they help the client come to their own conclusions about how to change their behavior for the better. This occurs through a combination of questions, guidance, and listening tactics—rather than simply instructing the client about what to do.
Motivational interviewing aims to empower people to desire to make positive changes in their lives and to recognize that they already have the tools and resources they need to get there. This technique can be useful for people who are feeling resistant to changing their behavior or are unable to admit that they are struggling.
5. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic technique that can help people who have experienced trauma. It works by having the client focus on their traumatic memories while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation, whether through vibrations, noises, or something visual.
For example, a therapist may move a dim light from left to right and instruct the client to follow it with their eyes. Or they may have the client hold something that vibrates in each hand and alternate the vibrations. EMDR helps people overcome trauma by lessening the distress associated with their memories of it.
Conclusion
Therapy opens a world of possibilities, allowing people to find healing through a variety of techniques. As research expands and we learn more about mental health, additional therapeutic strategies continue to be added to therapists’ toolkits.
While not every technique works for every person, the more options available, the greater chance each client has of discovering a method that helps them. With this in mind, it becomes increasingly important for therapists to remain open-minded and flexible, tailoring their approach to meet the unique needs and preferences of each individual.
