An inside look: why listen to “near-psychological” podcasts

“Tell me, please, what problem did you come with, what would you like to discuss today,” the psychologist offers, and I have a XNUMX% feeling that I am in a session. In fact, these words sound exclusively in my head: I’m walking down the street in my headphones and listening to another podcast.

The episode consists entirely of a recording of a real meeting between the client and the psychologist. At first, I was somehow embarrassed: the feeling that I was eavesdropping on a confidential conversation or accidentally ended up where I should not be. But curiosity overpowers. There are more and more such podcasts (not to be confused with a show of a different format, in which different characters talk about their diagnosis), and it is interesting for the author, as a person who has been in therapy for many years, to listen to them.

And what do people who treat this process with apprehension endure for themselves? How do psychologists feel about such projects and why do they do it at all?

“Podcasts help to cope with the fear of the unknown and decide on the first visit to a therapist”

Christina Wazowski, Producer of the I’m Listening Podcast

Our project “I’m listening to you” helps to fight several misconceptions about psychotherapy at once. Firstly, many are sure that it is worth going to therapy only if everything is really bad: you want to die, life is going downhill, but if you are “just sad”, you need to cope on your own. I fundamentally disagree with this: in my opinion, it is possible and useful to contact a specialist even at the “everything is OK” stage, so as not to bring it to a state where you don’t want anything anymore.

Secondly, many people believe that only certain problems can be discussed with a psychotherapist: traumas, serious shocks, losses, and all other issues are not tolerated for therapy. Therefore, when creating a podcast, it was so important to show the process of therapy from the inside, so that listeners understand that a variety of issues can be discussed with a specialist. Anything that interferes with the quality of life in one way or another.

And this is really a real therapy: there are no third parties present at the session, and the client and the therapist quickly forget about the microphones and are completely immersed in the process. In general, listening to such podcasts, it seems to me, contributes to the destigmatization of psychotherapy, helps listeners cope with the fear of the unknown and decide on the first trip to a specialist.

“Listening to this, you better understand how therapy works and why it is needed”

And here is what people “on the other side of the receiver” say about this:

• “I easily put myself in the place of the patient, cried the whole issue. I think now I know what is happening to me, and I can resolve the internal conflict.
• “For the first time I heard how a session with a psychotherapist is going on, before I only saw it in the movies”
• “Such podcasts are especially valuable for those who do not have the opportunity to regularly visit a psychologist.”
• “It helps a lot to feel less alone with your problems and dispels a lot of myths about therapy”
• “Every time I think about how I myself would answer many of the questions that the podcast participants discuss. And some techniques, I think, can suit me too ”
• “I am just at the beginning of my treatment for depression and anxiety, and every time I hear people talk about their illnesses, stigma crumbles in me, self-hatred decreases and self-acceptance increases, the desire to take care of myself, love myself and do better for yourself.”

Podcast listeners “It’s good that you said it” и “I’m listening to you” share their impressions. Some psychologists also confirm their conclusions.

“Podcasts form a holistic view of what psychotherapy is”

Arina Lipkina, psychologist

Personally, I see great benefits in such podcasts. There is quite a lot of information today: you can read articles and posts by psychologists, and chat in groups and forums with those who are undergoing therapy. And despite this, many clients experience a stupor before the first session and at the very beginning of it.

It is not clear how to behave, what to talk about, it is not clear how the session will take place and how the therapy process will develop. A person feels helpless, confused, and even completely frightened.

“I don’t know how to start, what to talk about,” this phrase sounds in most of the first sessions. And the opportunity to listen to a recording of real meetings in advance becomes a great help for a potential client.

Listening to the podcast, he, firstly, is convinced that psychologists are treated with a variety of problems – and many clients, like him, do not understand where to start, what to talk about. In addition, to try to understand, “how about others,” and to make sure that not only you are faced with this, is a completely natural human desire.

Secondly, he will find out what kind of atmosphere reigns in the sessions, how the psychotherapeutic process itself is built. In this sense, podcasts, in which the therapist talks with the same client, turn out to be more useful – this way the dynamics are better visible.

Many people manage to better understand what are the psychotherapeutic approaches in which specialists work, and choose in advance which one is closer to him. Yes, it is often much more productive than reading a lot of articles about different approaches.

Finally, the listener gets a chance to feel a bit of what it is like to be in the client’s place, to “rehearse” their upcoming visit and get rid of any prejudices about therapy. This forms a holistic view of what psychotherapy is.

The moment that confuses some is the violation of confidentiality requirements. But the client participating in the recording of the podcast agreed to this in advance. Just because you’re listening to recordings of other people’s sessions in no way means that your sessions will be listening too. Everything will be secure and confidential.

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“… We will begin the next session with the analysis of your task,” the psychologist sums up at the end of the podcast, and I think that completing the task of fixing the words of the inner critic can be useful for me too. Will it replace real therapy? Of course not. Will this help you understand yourself a little better and come to a face-to-face meeting with a psychotherapist with a clearer head? Definitely yes. So, the creators of this and many other podcasts succeeded.