2 Most Common Therapy Myths Debunked by a Real Therapist & How to Start Healing Your Inner Child

The video is about a new monthly series where real listeners of the show share their stories and struggles and get to sit in on a real therapy session with a licensed marriage and family therapist, with the intention of bringing more awareness to taking care of mental health and providing tools, resources, and encouragement to heal past traumas for a brighter future.

The video is about debunking common myths about therapy and how to start healing your inner child. The host is joined by a licensed marriage and family therapist named Jesus, and they are starting a new monthly series where they will serve real listeners of the show and community by addressing different themes and experiences related to mental health. In this episode, they are joined by a special guest named Ashley, who shares her journey and story about how she initially resisted therapy but was forced into it after overdosing on sleeping medication. They discuss the importance of destigmatizing seeking support and how therapy can help individuals cope with trauma and heal their past for a brighter future.

• The video series features real listeners sharing their stories and struggles and sitting in on a therapy session with a licensed marriage and family therapist.
• The goal is to raise awareness about mental health and provide tools and resources for healing past traumas.
• Each show will address different themes and experiences.
• Ashley, a special guest, shares her journey to therapy and how she was initially against it.
• There are preconceptions about therapy, such as it being only for the weak-minded, but therapy is recommended for everyone and helps with recognizing negative thoughts and finding healing.
• Recognizing the need for therapy is important, and seeking help takes courage.
• Therapy involves learning coping skills, self-exploration, and self-identification.
• Continued practice and improvement are necessary for therapy to be effective.
• Therapy is a process that requires patience and dedication.

2 Most Common Therapy Myths Debunked by a Real Therapist & How to Start Healing Your Inner Child - YouTube

Introduction

• The video is a new monthly series where real listeners of the show share their stories and struggles and get to sit in on a real therapy session with a licensed marriage and family therapist.
• The intention is to bring more awareness to taking care of mental health and providing tools, resources, and encouragement to heal past traumas for a brighter future.

What the Series is About

• The series will serve real listeners of the show and community.
• Listeners will hear the stories and struggles of real people and get to sit in on a real therapy session.
• The goal is to bring more awareness to taking care of mental health and provide everyone the tools, resources, and encouragement they need to heal their past for a brighter future.
• Each show will address different themes and experiences.
• The hope is that this will be a resource that listeners can share with their friends and family so that they can understand therapy better and heal together as a community.

Introducing Ashley

• Ashley is a special individual who has joined the show to share her journey and story.
• The hosts want to honor Ashley and make sure that they serve her in an effective way.
• The conversation will be led by Jesus, a licensed marriage and family therapist and head of clinical operations at BetterHelp.
• Ashley has been in therapy for some time.

2 Most Common Therapy Myths Debunked by a Real Therapist & How to Start Healing Your Inner Child - YouTube

Ashley's Journey to Therapy

• Ashley was initially against therapy and thought it was a lost cause.
• She believed that no one could help her and nothing could make her better.
• She was forced into therapy after overdosing on sleeping meds in 2018.
• She was in therapy for two years.
• Something going on in her life led to unsafe behaviors like turning to substances to cope.

Preconceptions about Therapy

• Therapy was seen as someone just sitting there and asking how you feel.
• It was thought that therapists would try to preach or tell you what to do.
• Therapy was not seen as a positive thing.
• It was believed that therapy was only for the weak-minded.
• There was a misconception that therapy was only for people who lacked strong willpower.

Benefits of Therapy

• Therapy is amazing and recommended for everyone.
• It helps to recognize thinking traps and negative thoughts.
• Therapy helps to articulate and understand internal processes.
• It allows for the ability to let things go and move on.
• Therapy helps to find healing for oneself.

Recognizing the Need for Therapy

• Depression had a hold on the person, making it difficult to wake up every morning.
• Feeling like no matter what was done, it was never enough.
• Feeling unworthy and not enough.
• Having a switch flip and not having a conversation with oneself.
• Contemplating not being here anymore.

The Importance of Seeking Help

• It takes a lot of courage to realize that vulnerability takes strength.
• Being able to open up to someone and admit things is important.
• Therapy is not just for the weak-minded.
• It is important to seek help before reaching rock bottom.
• Receiving help sooner could prevent things from getting worse.

Learning Coping Skills in Therapy

• The therapist used imagery to help the patient break down evidence and recognize what was real and what wasn't.
• The patient learned to give herself credit for the things she actually did and write them down in the evidence section.
• The therapist helped the patient shift her thoughts from "I should be able to" to "I am able to and I do."
• The patient learned to take on different perspectives and re-word or paraphrase her life in a different way.
• The patient learned a lot about herself and went through a self-exploration and self-identification process.

Continued Practice and Improvement

• Therapy is not a quick fix and requires continued practice every single day.
• Through continued practice, the patient learned to value herself and see herself in a whole different light.
• The patient learned boundaries and rules for herself and gained more confidence in the coping mechanisms developed throughout therapy.
• The patient now sees herself in a higher light and doesn't let people take advantage of her as much as she used to.
• The patient is able to prevent self-sabotage and reckless behavior, such as being promiscuous, which was learned growing up as a way to receive love.

Therapy is a Process

• Therapy is not a quick fix and requires continued practice every single day.
• Through continued practice, the patient learned to value herself and see herself in a whole different light.
• The patient learned boundaries and rules for herself and gained more confidence in the coping mechanisms developed throughout therapy.
• The patient now sees herself in a higher light and doesn't let people take advantage of her as much as she used to.
• The patient is able to prevent self-sabotage and reckless behavior, such as being promiscuous, which was learned growing up as a way to receive love.

Self-Exploration and Self-Identification

• Therapy is not just about learning coping skills, but also about self-exploration and self-identification.
• The patient went through a process of learning about herself and figuring out who she is.
• Learning how to identify evidence for and against some kind of thought or belief helped the patient figure out who she is.
• The patient learned to take on different perspectives and re-word or paraphrase her life in a different way.
• The patient gained more confidence in herself and her abilities.

Childhood Trauma and Therapy

• Early experiences with love and safety shape our ability to give and receive love as adults.
• Childhood events can teach us specific meanings of love.
• Therapy often involves going back to childhood to understand current behaviors and feelings.
• Adults often try to correct childhood traumas in their adult relationships.
• Compassion for the inner child is important in healing.

Shame and Self-Blame

• Shame is different from guilt and can be very powerful.
• Shame can make us feel like we are bad people who deserve bad things.
• Therapy can help shift the idea of being a bad person to being a good person.
• Shifting away from self-blame takes time and happens gradually.
• Creating boundaries and practicing self-care can help shift away from shame and self-blame.

The Role of Therapy

• Therapy is not a quick fix and takes time to see results.
• Real-life situations and relationships are important in the healing process.
• Therapy involves identifying feelings and behaviors to work on outside of sessions.
• Transformation happens gradually over a long period of time.
• Self-awareness and self-care are important outcomes of therapy.

The Importance of Therapy

• Without therapy, personal growth and self-awareness may not happen.
• Therapy helps individuals value their thoughts and recognize negative patterns.
• Therapy helps individuals take care of themselves mentally.
• Therapy helps individuals become the person they want to be.
• Therapy helps individuals recognize their self-worth and value.

Goals in Therapy

• After the assessment period, therapist and client agree on 2-3 major goals to achieve through therapy.
• Goals should be specific and measurable (SMART goals).
• Increased self-awareness is often an implicit goal of therapy.
• Tracking thoughts, moods, and behaviors is a powerful component of therapy.
• Therapy is an intentional place to have someone else track progress with you.

Self-Awareness and Empathy

• Self-awareness is the first step to recognizing and changing behavior.
• Tracking progress in therapy helps people gain better self-awareness.
• Self-aware people think about themselves in every chapter and season of their lives.
• Improved self-awareness can lead to improved empathy.
• Without self-awareness, it is hard to practice empathy.

Impact of Therapy on Relationships

• Therapy can help people process emotions and receive love.
• Without therapy, people may not know how to accept or return love.
• Therapy can help people heal wounds that affect relationships, friendships, and careers.
• Therapy can help people understand what is normal in certain emotional situations.
• Improved self-awareness can lead to improved relationships.

Importance of Tracking Progress

• Tracking progress helps people see how far they have come.
• Journaling is a way to track progress outside of therapy.
• Therapy is an intentional place to track progress with someone else.
• Tracking progress helps people identify patterns and make connections.
• Tracking progress helps people set and achieve goals.

Watch the video on YouTube:
2 Most Common Therapy Myths Debunked by a Real Therapist & How to Start Healing Your Inner Child - YouTube