The 12 myths about psychology that you must banish to be happier

The 12 myths about psychology that you must banish to be happier

Psychology

The psychologists of the team of ‘In Mental Balance’ review some of the most popular false beliefs around psychology and explain the reasons why it is convenient to banish them from our minds

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Until very recently, going to psychological therapy was tremendously frowned upon and stigmatized, in part due to the general population’s ignorance of what a psychologist actually does a consultation. We wanted to provide the arguments to debunk a few myths related to psychology and that are very popular.

1. “Crazy people go to the psychologist”

The one who needs it goes to the psychologist. What we popularly know as insanity usually has to do with a serious mental disorder, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, problems in which the treatment of choice is pharmacological not psychological.

2. “Going to the psychologist is weak”

On the contrary, going to the psychologist is for brave people. People capable of recognizing that they have an emotional management problem and capable of recognizing that they need help. We all have emotional difficulties, but only the brave dare to ask for help.

3. “A friend is better to let off steam”

Psychological therapy does not consist of letting off steam, it consists of evaluating the variables that influence the onset and maintenance of the problem for later, through training in techniques that have demonstrated scientific efficacy, trying to modify them, in order to improve the patient’s quality of life. .

4. “I don’t believe in psychologists”

Psychology is a science, it is not a question of faith. Psychology bases its principles and its advances from the application of the scientific method, as do other disciplines such as medicine or biology.

5. «Just by going to the consultation and I get better»

Unlike other types of treatment, such as pharmacological treatment, psychological treatment implies an active attitude on the part of the patient, since they have to apply what they have learned in consultation in their daily life to achieve general improvement.

6. «The psychologist will give me advice»

A good psychologist in no case will say what the patient has to do. The job of the psychologist is to help people make better decisions and be more free, not the other way around.

7. “If the psychologist has not experienced it, he will not be able to help me”

The professional is trained and trained to be able to evaluate, diagnose and treat emotional problems. In this way, even if he has not gone through the same thing as you, he knows how our emotions work, and therefore can help you to manage them well.

8. “Therapy lasts a lifetime”

There are different types of therapeutic processes and each person is different, but the objective of therapy is to help the person increase their resources to face the difficulties of their life, in no case they are intended to be unnecessarily prolonged in time.

9. “We all have to go to the psychologist”

It does not have to, we should only go to the psychologist in those cases in which we feel that we need help. This is not like going to have the car checked.

10. “Psychologists can read minds”

Although the psychologist can establish hypotheses based on observation, this does not mean that the psychologist has telepathy. We need patients to tell us what is happening to them so we can help them.

11. “Cognitive behavioral therapy is superficial”

It is an old myth, in fact cognitive behavioral therapy works with very deep core beliefs that have been influencing our behavior for years.

12. “The psychologist will judge me”

One of the premises of the therapist’s abilities in therapy is not to judge the patient. The psychologist will be able to give his professional opinion on clinical aspects, but never judge how each patient decides to live his life.