Is life getting on top of you and your daily struggles getting on your nerves? Are you at that breaking point where you feel the dire need for psychological assistance? Though the thought of consulting a therapist can be wrought with shame, fear, and ambivalence, yet the thought of asking for help is daunting.
It may happen that you’re struggling with striving hard with some aspect of your life and you earnestly wish someone helped you restore your peaceful mental state. But while culture accepts the importance and vitality of mental well-being, talking about mental health issues is still considered a stigma. This is why making the final decision of coming into therapy is tougher than perceived.
According to an Oklahoma city mental health counseling center, counseling and psychotherapy sessions once a week can support you and help you gain a clear comprehension of yourself. But despite knowing this, there are many phobic people who stay away from therapists. What are the fears that hold them back? Let’s take a quick look.
Fear of surrendering your emotions and falling apart
While you grew up, over the year, you must have been taught several sturdy defenses that actually kept you going through all these years. Defenses like not crying in front of people, or maintaining a stiff upper lip can be holding you up from opening yourself. You have this constant fear that if these defences are let down, your entire existence might fall apart. This is a real fear, particularly if you’re someone who has been valiantly coping with phobia or depression for a long time. Therapy is all about having faith in this process.
Fear of social taboo
The ultimate truth is that there has always been a social stigma around mental health in the US and this is still omnipresent. The founders of philosophy have pathologized human psyche and the public is still aware of what actually happens inside the chamber of a therapist. This is why there are many who have a tough time in accepting the fact that they need professional help as they don’t want others to call them ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’. This is a strong fear of being looked down as ‘less than’.
Fear of being shamed or judged
You may find it rather too odd to open up about your emotional turmoil to a complete stranger. If you’re an introvert person who usually keeps your problems to yourself, sharing it with an unknown therapist is tough for you. You’ll have a constant feeling that the person listening to you is judging you on the basis of what you’re saying. When you share your feelings and fears, will be embarrass you later on? Well, psychotherapists and counselors usually go through rigorous training to process their own problems and be present for their clients. Hence, you can be sure that therapists will never judge you.
Fear of becoming vulnerable
If you’re someone who is used to handling yourself and your mood swings all on your own, you may have a constant fear of becoming vulnerable and reliant on your therapist or counselor. You will have a constant fear whether or not you always have to rely on the therapist. But when your therapy goes off well, you can gradually build a sense of attachment with your therapist. He is the one who gets what you want to say.
If you’re someone who has been going through some mental issue but you couldn’t muster up the courage to visit the office of a therapist, you need to understand that the relationship with a therapist is not that of dependence. It is rather a relationship that fosters growth.
