Talk therapy: becoming aware of your emotions

By Nina C Zimmermann Nov 21, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Hamburg, Germany - Deep within ourselves, we all know what is good for us. US psychologist Carl Ransom Rogers (1902-1987) was absolutely convinced of this. The person involved merely has to acknowledge the fact.

This happens best if someone who is closely attached to them emotionally listens closely to them and shows them special esteem - and someone who summarizes what has been said and interprets it without expressing an opinion or offering advice.

Rogers was the founder of talk therapy, which he initially referred to as 'non-directive,' then as 'client-centred' and later as 'person-centred' psychotherapy.

'These days, we talk about person-centred psychotherapy,' Jochen Eckert, professor emeritus at the Institute for Psychotherapy at the University of Hamburg. According to Eckert, the basis for of this type of therapy is the relationship between patient and therapist.

This allows patients to break through their self-censorship and to focus on experiences and feelings that they were previously unable or unwilling to address.

This takes place by the therapist attempting to feel 'by tracking down using empathy' what the patient feels, Eckert says. In other words, the therapist puts him or herself emotionally in the position of the patient, expressing their emotions anew and returning them to the patient in a more comprehensive form than the patient has been able to do on their own.

Typical forms are statements like: 'The way I understand it, you experienced this,' and 'If I understand you properly, you were embarrassed by that.'

Dagmar Hoelldampf of the German association of talk psychotherapy describes the role of the therapist as 'a kind of Alter Ego, who experiences the patients' experiences with them.'

The point is to discern the feelings that move the patient and to address them. 'The basic principle of the therapy is the self-determination of the patient,' says Uta Oetzel, a psychotherapist and personal trainer.

Nothing is forced on the patient. They have to decide for themselves which theme to address during their psychotherapy session. 'This kind of therapy is not didactically focused,' she explains.

This means that when someone complains that they are unable to assert themselves, their lack of assertiveness does not become the immediate point of concern in the therapy.

The patient is also not provided with suggestions on what they should change in their lives. The goal rather is for patients better to understand themselves and to accept themselves as things have turned out, Oetzel says.

The patient should never be made to think: 'I should be someone else.' This is because no one is able to change themselves arbitrarily, rather only to get into balance with their personality as a whole. Only then is further development possible.

According to Hoelldampf, surveys on the effectiveness of talk therapy in treating depression indicate a positive outcome.

'I personally regard talk therapy as particularly well suited to adaptation problems, stress and in crisis situations,' she says, adding there are no cases of psychological illness or disruptive behaviour where it cannot be applied.

'As with all types of psychotherapy, it is also the case with talk therapy that purely psychotherapeutic treatment remains insufficient in the case of severe psychological illness and treatment with medication is necessary in addition,' Hoelldampf says.

It also depends on the expectations and personality of the patient, she emphasises. Anyone who does not like to be told what to do will adapt to the therapy readily, while others could struggle with the fact of having a therapist who does not offer any forthright advice.

Eckert takes a similar view: 'Not everyone is suited to addressing their own experiences.' Some people are unnerved by empathy. People like this are perhaps better suited to behavioural therapy types.

Few health insurance systems will pay the cost of talk therapy, so patients in most parts of the world either have to stump up the money themselves or find a therapist who offers talk therapy alongside treatments that are reimbursed.

And Eckert does see problems. For example the therapist may not notice that a patient is contemplating suicide or that the treatment has become bogged down and is not progressing further.

As with many forms of therapy, there is also the danger that the patient begins to enjoy the sessions so much that they become the main event of the patient's week.