5 Reasons Why Psychotherapy Can Fail
Psychotherapy fails for various reasons, but that error is always relative. The simple fact that one has started the process is positive. The same disposition to get better, and the interest in doing so, represents self-love and the will to get better.
It is not easy to make the decision to expose your entire inner world to a person you do not know. You know the person is a professional, but that does not erase the fact that most of us need to know the person better before we share our feelings with them. If we go to a psychotherapist, it’s because we feel we need help. But sometimes it just goes wrong and it does not work.
Whatever the reason for its failure, you should always give it another try. Nothing is going exactly as planned in this world. What matters, in all cases, is our decision to get better. And it is always good to take into account the main reasons why a therapy session may have failed.
Reasons why psychotherapy can fail
Lack of commitment
The main person in a treatment session is the patient. The person who goes to a psychotherapist should create a basic obligation to go. That obligation is above all an obligation to itself.
The obligation is honored by coming to sessions on time and doing everything to overcome one’s problems. The key is to discover the causes of the problems and the paths to overcome them. However, this is unfortunately not always the case.
2. Too much is expected from the psychotherapist
One of the most common reasons why psychotherapy fails is that the patient expects too much from the therapist. Some people expect all the answers to their problems. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Therapists are not magicians, nor are they gurus or psychics. Nor are they guides in the strictest sense. Their role is to follow us and lead the way so that we can become better acquainted with ourselves. They are trained to help those who ask for it. The goal is to achieve a more objective and intelligent interpretation. Strictly speaking, they have no power to change anyone’s life.
3. Too much resistance
It is normal to relate to our problems and the wrong way we solve them. Every problem, no matter how serious, has secondary benefits. For example, putting oneself in the role of victim can help justify a lack of action or problems with change. Therefore, we find it difficult to let go of our problems.
This is what we call resistance . In most cases, it is an unconscious decision. Resistance can make us end the sessions when we reach critical points. Many times psychotherapy fails because the patient does not overcome the resistance to change.
4. Wrong motives
The therapeutic space allows us to reflect on the ways we think, feel or act. The goal is to identify the factors that make us uncomfortable. It also helps us identify other ways of perceiving our personal reality and creating a more complete and fulfilling life.
But people do not always go to therapy because of these reasons. Sometimes they do it because they want to solve a particular problem. They do not want to explore their interior. Instead, they will find a formula for solving a dead end. For example, they want their partner to change, and they go to a psychotherapist to find out how to do it. Psychotherapy fails if the motives are of this type.
5. A bad relationship with the psychotherapist
The relationship with the psychotherapist is strictly professional. However, this does not change the fact that there is a bond between two people. Therefore, there is never a guarantee that the chemistry will be good between the two. Psychotherapy fails on some occasions due to this factor.
A good therapy is a gift that everyone should give to themselves once. There is nothing that will solve all your problems or guarantee happiness. No one is guaranteed happiness. However, it is an area where people can reevaluate and renovate. Cleaning your inner world and tidying up things inside always gives you something positive, even if psychotherapy may fail.
