Therapy is one of those things that seems very nebulous to people. People want to know, “Does therapy really work?” Even as a mental health professional, I confess in the early days I wondered if and how therapy really worked. It seemed to lack any consistent explanation regarding methods and rates of success. There was the issue of the therapist his or herself and how that person might be able to connect with a particular person.
Throw into the mix the fact that a lot of us are not necessarily sure what it is we are trying to address or fix when we start therapy. We might just have a vague sense that something is not quite right in life, or that we are not handling things in a way that makes life satisfying. With all these factors seeming so uncertain, how could anyone feel confident that therapy was going to work for them?
A lot of study has gone into the methods which therapists apply with their clients. Studies have looked at the approaches a therapist takes and the theories behind the approaches. There is the importance of things like trust or confidence in the therapist. Although there is a lot of information to parse through, one thing is clear–psychotherapy does help.
Where is the Evidence
One of the most fascinating pieces of evidence about the effect of psychotherapy comes from functional MRI studies of the brain. In those studies, patients with depression and anxiety were shown to have reduced functioning in certain areas of the brain. Those areas included structures such as the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The studies showed that diminished activity in these regions improved over time. Their functioning became similar to the control group who had no such deficits to start. Those changes in the brains of affected participants correlated with improvement in symptoms.
Even more strikingly, those same changes seen on MRI through psychotherapy were the same as effects from antidepressant medications seen on MRI as well. In other words, medication and talk therapy showed the same effects on the brain. Both achieved a neurobiological effect through different methods.
Not all psychotherapy is the same, and not all therapists are built alike. Finding the right therapist for you is still essential. But the process is a proven one. Utilizing therapy to address one’s mental health needs is a good option and can produce real, tangible change.
