A recent survey from NAMI suggests that 1 in 5 Americans struggle with a mental health disorder. The same study suggests 1 in 10 people struggle with a serious mental health disorder. These are startling numbers, given 60% of people diagnosed with a mental health disorder have not sought help for their condition in the past year.

Asking for help can be really difficult, especially when there is a community stigma of seeking mental health services. Although many people acknowledge the fact that they need to seek help, not many people jump on the chance to schedule their first therapy appointment.

So, why is it so difficult to make the first call to speak to a therapist?

Many people who struggle with accepting themselves may struggle with seeming less perfect. Although there is no true definition of a perfect human, this may be a difficult concept to accept. In order to heal from trauma and move forward in life, one needs to learn to trust their therapist. Psychotherapy teaches individuals to accept themselves for where they are at life. This path looks different for everyone. It is important to build this relationship with your therapist, because you cannot skip steps in the therapy process. Therapy does not work that way. Therapy is an art, and you are learning to trust your therapist to take you down a specific journey.

You might be wondering how this process can be beneficial to mental health disorders.

Many mental health disorders are symptoms of bigger issues that may be impacting a person. A person who has not learned to process their sadness may result in a person who cannot think clearly, sleep well, have memory issues, and generally feel tearful on a daily basis. Generally, someone who may appear to be depressed. In order to resolve and heal the mental health disorder, there needs to be more exploration in the way a person communicates with family members, friends, co-workers, and their general community.

As a person goes through this process and explores these topics in a trusting, comfortable environment, then the neurons in their prefrontal cortex, which may have become weakened, can now strengthen.

As the neurons strengthen and are able to adapt, they reduce fear-related functioning, and the client now moves toward a path of healing. Studies suggest that the effects of psychotherapy can be noticed on brain within 8 weeks of consistent psychotherapy sessions.

Interested in learning more? Call us today to schedule an appointment: 602-935-7070