What are the objectives of the different currents of psychotherapy?

Did you know that after the pandemic, cases of anxiety have skyrocketed by 25% worldwide? More and more people have trouble falling asleep, concentrating on day-to-day tasks and who carry on their backs a great accumulation of uncertainties, fears and tensions.

Diagnoses of depression have also increased. And, there are not a few people who have been plunged into a vicious cycle of stress and anguish by the pandemic. In these cases, psychological therapy can become an excellent resource to deal with these problems and build greater resilience.

Although it is very difficult to define the true impact of psychotherapy, it is known that between 75% and 80% of patients receiving psychological therapy experience improvement in symptoms and psychological changes significant. In this way, they not only manage to feel better, but also develop new resources and strategies to deal with problems of life, get out of your comfort zone and deal with your worst shadows while learning and growing as people in this process.

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What exactly is psychological therapy?

psychological therapy is the art of using the word to heal while presenting a series of scientifically supported techniques in a treatment plan personalized and guided by an exhaustive evaluation of the person's problems. In clinical practice, it refers to the joint psychological work carried out by the psychologist and the patient in order for the latter to feel better about himself; a process that comes to life precisely through that shared bond, which is what allows the patient talk about the issues that affect him, understand its cause, its implications and how to deal with it they.

In other words, is a form of guidance and assistance used by psychologists to help people who are going through a difficult stage or suffer from a psychological problem. Therefore, it is a useful therapy to treat or alleviate the symptoms of various pathologies such as depression, anxiety and stress, but also more complex problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder compulsive. However, it is also a useful resource to arm patients with tools with which they can face the problems of their daily lives in a more effective and developmental way.

Through psychological therapy it is also possible to modify behavior to avoid those behaviors and/or thoughts that generate discomfort, while teaching how to manage the emotions. Although not always, one of its main objectives is usually the delve into the inner world of the patient to help you better understand yourself, connect with yourself and free yourself from conflicts, traumas or worries that cause you discomfort. This is because its purpose, as long as the patient wants it, goes beyond relieving symptoms and treating the problem; focuses on improving the quality of life of patients in the long term.

Although up to now we have talked in general about the characteristics of a psychological therapy, we will find that there are different currents within psychology that are the ones that determine the approach of the treatment. And when we speak of currents, we mean, so to speak, of different schools.

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The main currents that address psychological therapy

In the world of psychological therapy there are various theories and currents of therapeutic application. Each of them has its own conception of the root of the problems, as well as the way to address them. In general, they all pursue the same objective and even if we study them in depth we observe that they share many ideas and techniques; but starting from a different conceptualization of the origin of the problems, the development of the therapy will differ until reaching the same goal.

This does not mean that there is a better psychological therapy than another, but that there are some that are more effective in addressing certain diagnoses or problems, and it is possible that a person feels more comfortable with one type of current than another because of their nature. The choice of one or the other will basically depend on the problem to be treated, as well as the training, skills and experience of the psychologist in each of the therapies.

In a general sense, these are the most common currents of psychological therapy in clinical practice.

1. behaviorism

Behaviorism arises in the middle of the s. XX based on the idea that we can only directly affect what we observe, visible behavior, and not on thought processes. Focused on the present moment, focuses on treating specific symptoms or problems through small changes in the patient's behavior to, in this way, achieve an indirect impact on thought and emotion, thus achieving greater well-being. It understands that the discomfort we feel is a result of the establishment of maladaptive behaviors that plunge us into a negative vicious circle.

Hence, behavioral therapy resorts to modify learned behavior patterns to eliminate symptoms, improve adaptation to the environment, optimize skills and stimulate a healthier lifestyle.

Currently, the most modern therapies of Behaviorism (we speak of Contextual or Third Generation therapies) are gaining more and more followers, both among professionals and among patients. They focus on the present but aim to have a broader view of the individual; they go out of it to grant what surrounds them in their day to day great importance in the origin of their discomfort, or their well-being.

In addition, it offers a paradigm shift in the way of understanding the way in which we relate to our discomfort, and seeks to depathologize it. Rather than fight it or palliate it, he finds it much more effective to accept it and not suffer from it, focusing instead the person's attention on how he can improve in other ways, such as reconnecting with his personal values, interests, and goals. Within this type of therapy are well-known techniques such as mindfulness.

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2. Cognitive-behavioral

Actually, we can say that Cognitive-Behavioral therapies are part of the Behaviorist current and combine the principles of Cognitivism, but today its role is so key in Psychology, that is why we are going to point it out with its own name in this article.

Cognitive-Behavioral therapies are one of the most used today because they are the ones with the greatest scientific support collected to date. They are based on the idea that our discomfort comes from a series of thought patterns distorted and maladaptive on the one hand, and a group of behavior patterns learned by other; and act on both areas to help us regain emotional well-being.

With scientifically proven efficacy, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on modifying styles of thinking and beliefs, as well as modes of behavior and habits of the patient as a way to alleviate their symptoms and reduce their discomfort. It is currently indicated as effective in practically all psychological problems, and it is a form of therapy in which it is usually necessary for the patient to perform tasks between sessions, thus granting him an active and essential role in his Recovery.

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3. Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalytic therapy, as it is also known, is mainly focused on the study of the unconscious. Based on the theory that mental symptoms and disorders arise as a result of the experiences we live in childhood and that are hidden in our unconscious in a latent way, urges the patient to search in the most recondite of his interior the conflicts that generate that discomfort. This is also why it is a type of therapy that goes back into the person's past in search of the origin of their conflicts, which usually entails a longer therapeutic process.

In this way, focuses on analyzing thoughts, emotions, feelings, memories, fantasies and dreams of the person as a way to access her inner world and determine the cause of her psychological problems.

Although Psychoanalysis has been a very important current in the development of Psychology as the we know today, in the West it has lost a lot of weight in favor of more current currents such as the Cognitive-Behavioral.

• Related article: "Sigmund Freud: biography and work of the famous psychoanalyst"

4. Humanism

Humanistic therapy is, without a doubt, another of the most important currents. Focused on the here and now humanistic therapy understands that in each person there is a potential that is what allows them to grow and evolve. When we don't develop it, that "blocked" potential can become the source of the psychological symptoms and disorders we experience. In this way, the therapy focuses on discovering that potential, bringing out our best version, teaching us to accept ourselves as we are, and recovering our freedom.

Focused on self-discovery, humanistic therapy helps us to analyze our main strengths and qualities, as well as to identify our defects and accept them as part of our personality. Its benefits? It teaches us to get to know ourselves better and reconcile with ourselves, the first step in accepting our lights and shadows and beginning to invest in our well-being.

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5. Gestalt

Gestalt is another way in which psychological imbalances and disorders can be addressed.

With roots close to humanistic therapy, Gestalt understands that all mental processes are subject to our perception. First, we perceive what is happening, and second, learning, memory, or reflective thinking appear. On the other hand, it starts from the premise that the whole is more than the sum of the parts and that, therefore, the product of our perceptions come from a more elaborate process in which the brain sums them up, orders them and shapes them.

Gestalt therapy arose from this current, which focuses on the present moment and seeks to make the individual take a global self-awareness, of their actions and their emotions, of how they take place, and of their relationship with the context, with the aim of becoming a complete and self-realized being.

For this reason, it is committed to addressing our ways of perceiving the world, paying special attention to those qualities that can make us grow as people and open our minds to the reality that expands before our eyes. Gestalt therapy focuses on making our emotions, sensations and thoughts aware to encourage full self-knowledge. Undoubtedly, its benefits go beyond encouraging our unconditional acceptance, but instead encourage us to take responsibility for our own well-being and development.

It is worth noting that these are not the only currents within psychological therapy, there are others and a wide range of types of therapy that psychologists use in their clinical practice. Although the truth is that more and more psychologists are betting on a holistic therapy in which they take advantage of the benefits provided by different currents and techniques as a more comprehensive, personalized and developer.