Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterbear
I think that when it goes wring it can be like abuse and when it goes right it can be like a blessed miracle. It is a risk and that risk is not explained to people well. Too many incompetent therapists around and not everyone is in the right state of mind to be able to search and vet and choose the most competent. That said it doesn't mean it is always like this, it really doesn't. It can work wonders and I think a big part of it is that, like in life in general, we don't hear as much of the good news, mostly the bad.
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In terms of what the biz talks about and promotes, seems it is almost exclusively the good news. In books and blogs and in person, therapists seem to largely avoid the whole topic of therapy harm. Out of sight, out of mind.
I read a book by a Psychologist where he discusses his theories about why therapy works, in the language and context of neurobiology. He argues that neuroplasticity can be leveraged in therapy because the brain is a social organ that responds relationally. Maybe he's right, not sure, but not once in the whole book did he broach the subject of whether therapy could harm in the same manner, if it goes wrong. He just did not go there at all.
This quote is interesting, in terms of what might be at stake:
"Many of the clients who come through my door have never had a safe enough relationship. Repetition compulsion has compelled them to unconsciously seek out relationships in adulthood that traumatically reenact the abusive and/or abandoning dynamics of their childhood caretakers. For many such clients, we are their first legitimate shot at a safe and nurturing relationship; and if we are not skilled enough to create the degree of safety they need to begin the long journey towards developing good enough trust, we may be their last." -- Pete Walker MFT