Why is the best part of psychotherapy completed without talking? As a client of psychotherapy and someone who would describe myself as an introvert, I take comfort in knowing this statement is true for me and many others who participate in therapy. Do not leave me… I promise I will explain.

(Yes, It’s True! You Can Get Therapy Without Talking to Your Therapist.)

Your brain is more than the rational/thinking part.

There is so much going on in there at so many different levels, a complex and incredible machine. Your body can release a lot during a session where you are not focused on the “thinking” brain and when you get back into the subcortical portion of the brain where many traumas can be stored. This type of mind body therapy can be helpful in your body and mind releasing traumas, negative thought patterns or anxieties. Brainspotting’s founder, Dr. David Grand PhD states that “how you look affects the way you feel.” “The subcortical brain activity that organizes itself around that eye position.” (Brainspotting.com)

The other aspect is the concept of your therapist holding space for you and your emotions, being that container where you can let things out and then put the “lid on” it.

This itself can feel like a healing process. You may feel “lighter” or a sense of contentment knowing you were able to get those emotions out. Now I find that in my therapeutic journey a lot of time that I get a lot more out of it than expected if I

• Do not shut down and remember it is a safe space to open up
• Sometimes the Ah-ha moments in therapy can come out if I let myself process out loud
• Expect the one hour per week to be my saving grace or “fix” me
• It is more about what I do between session than what happens in session

Talk psychotherapy is designed for you to address negative, anxious though patterns and figure out how to change your perspective and “stop” the thought loop and replace it with a more desirable thought or behavior.

Sometimes it means goal setting or coming up with a routine with your therapist, other times it might mean identifying triggers of the negative emotion. , other times it is getting all the thoughts out without judgement, or trying to be fixed.

You are not your thoughts, our brain is a machine that is designed to keep going and going. Make it work for your benefit rather than the source of your problems.