Another pro-therapy comment. CBT saved my life after I "discovered" I have OCD in college. Such a scary feeling to not understand the cause of my thoughts and behaviors. Using one's own knowledge as a toolset for self-improvement could work sometimes, but I don't consider therapy an "alternative" to that.
As an aside, therapy and psychiatry is expensive partly because insurance doesn't cover things that don't definitively 'treat' or 'cure' a diagnosed illness. Maybe times are changing, but my holistic psychiatrist explained this to me years ago. Psychiatry is more often covered, but psychology almost never. This is also why a search for 'in-network' therapists often leads you to pill-pusher types.
I go to therapy because I have major depression and gender dysphoria. It’s not any lack of rationality that I benefit from talking with someone whose job it is to add perspective and suggestions to thoughts and feelings I express in a non-judgemental way.
Therapy could be harmful if you have a bad therapist. Therapy as a practice though, I can't think of any reason why it would. I don't think it's ever a question of do / do not go to therapy but finding a therapist appropriate for you.
Once after the divorce when she couldn't reconcile her emotions and was literally losing emotional control in an extreme way.
Once when her stepfather was an abusive prick and her mother wasn't able to defend her turning every other week into living in a hellish household, and every other week coming home to me and having her nerves calmed. She now loves with me full time but has scars from that experience. She had to be treated for ptsd.
So yeah, if not for therapy, I'd have a completely different child on my hands.
i think that positive feedback on therapy in general is affected by confirmation bias, because only people for whom it worked out usually comment on its efficacy
few people are likely to admit in public to being so badly disturbed even therapy wont help
i personally tried 2 cbt therapists and 3 talk psychologists plus a "betterhelp" one and feel i gained absolutely nothing from that (financially significant) investment
