Psychotherapy is more than just talking and listening. Although it may seem like that's all that's done in the therapeutic process.
In the same sense that a live song lasts longer than three minutes. To achieve that performance, there were many hours and much more work than actually performing that song. I mean, the artist composed it, and for the live performance, there were sound checks, rehearsals, adjustments, thousands of previous ideas, of which only one remained. For the audience to enjoy the minutes that the song lasts, there are many hours behind it. Hours of work and collaboration. Hours of preparation. Even so, that's another story that we, the audience, don't get to see.
Something similar happens with therapy. During the session, it might seem like 40 minutes (more or less) of talking with someone… but there's a lot of work behind it.
Although, learning to listen in a active and empathetic It is an art that we all must practice, in therapy it is not the only thing that is put into play.
In the article “13 Myths About Psychotherapy Debunked by Renowned Psychotherapists”, it is mentioned that “Psychotherapy is just an expensive way to get someone to listen to you.” as one of the many false beliefs about psychotherapy.
In light of this, therapist Dr. Deborah Serani, who is also an award-winning professor and author, plans to:
Well, it's true that you're paying someone to listen to you, but the skills a psychotherapist possesses go beyond ordinary listening. When you're in therapy, you're working with an Olympic medalist. People aren't aware of all the effort it takes to become a psychotherapist—years of theoretical, practical, and scientific training and hundreds of hours of clinical experience.
As a client, you don't just sit and chat in a therapy session. There's a lot of specific work, active searching for the past. This, combined with the clinical objectivity of the therapist, allows the patient to obtain an impartial and balanced frame of reference in treatment. which cannot be compared to listening to a friend or family member.
It is important to put things in context. Of course, talking and feeling heard is a fundamental part of any healthy relationship. However, psychotherapy is more than just talking and listening. Staying with that idea can be superficial.
In the therapy One knows and recognizes oneself, learns to see things from another perspective, to trace new paths and set new goals.
Yes. Psychotherapy is something more.
