Why the stigma of going to psychotherapy is fading

For years, many people have taken it for granted that going to the psychologist is something to be ashamed of to admit, something to be hidden so that it is not exposed to the view of others. However, the stigma of psychotherapy has faded until almost disappearing in a good part of the countries of western culture.

The reason is that, like all stigma, it was only based on wrong beliefs about this type of interventions in patients, and the passage of time has exposed these myths at a speed devilish.

• Related article: "The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy"

What is a stigma?

A good part of the opinions that we form about what surrounds us comes from what generations before us thought about this topic.

That is what it has to live immersed in a culture: that almost all the things we think are “borrowed” from others who thought them before us. For example, it is very good to believe that our attitude towards politics defines us as freethinkers, but it is only necessary to think about the abortion to realize that what happened during the last centuries totally conditions the way in which we are for or against that practice.

For better and for worse, our psychological life is inherited from the psychological life that took place previously in the regions in which we inhabit or have come to inhabit. And this is especially notorious in the case of stigmatization processes, which have done so much damage throughout history.

What is a stigma? From the point of view of sociology and social psychology, it consists of a series of negative connotations and adverse emotional reactions arbitrarily associated with a group or activity. As an example of the stigmatization of collectives, a clear case is that suffered by Jews, and as an example of stigmatization of activities, we can find it in trades considered unworthy and whose exercise does not harm anyone in particular.

The latter is what has happened for decades with going to the psychologist, something that until not so long ago was seen as a symptom of weakness or total disconnection with reality.

Why is the myth of going to the psychologist disappearing?

As we have seen, stigma is based on a mixture of ignorance and a predisposition to have motives to discriminate against certain groups of people. There are no reasonable reasons to treat stigma victims worse, but as there is a trend culture that leads to doing so (and sometimes even legal and institutional mechanisms), the current, what others do and think is imitated, the majority with the power to discriminate.

Now... why has there been the stigma of going to the psychologist, but has it been rapidly unraveling in recent years? It is difficult to find a simple answer to this, but here we will look at several factors that, as a professional psychologist, I believe have played a role.

1. The scientific backing of psychotherapy

Psychotherapy long ago stopped being based on experiments based on trial and error, seeing if something happened to help patients.

At the moment, many of the basic psychological mechanisms that help to weaken the behavior and thought patterns that cause suffering are known to people and that they can be intervened through psychotherapy. And it is also known how to take advantage of these mechanisms to not only mitigate much of the discomfort, but generate new sources of happiness by helping patients to incorporate appropriate habits into their day by day.

Obviously, it is not an exact science like mathematics and there is room for uncertainty about what will and will not work (as occurs with medicine applied to mental health), but decades of research in Psychology allow to rely on certain strategies and tools therapeutic.

Today, the type of psychological intervention with the most scientific evidence on its efficacy is cognitive-behavioral therapy, current from which a good part of psychologists in Spain start.

• You may be interested: "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: what is it and on what principles is it based?"

2. Examples of celebrities who go to the psychologist

It may seem silly, but simply seeing that people who are admired and who enjoy very good national or international image go to the psychologist is more powerful than many Relationships campaigns Public.

In many cases, in addition, these famous people show no qualms in saying that they have attended or are attending psychotherapy; They understand that it is relevant information due to the fact that they are people with a strong public life, and that it does not damage their image because they do not pretend to give an image of artificial perfection. This is the case of artists and athletes such as Angelina Jolie, Andrés Iniesta, Sophie Turner, Leiva, and many more.

3. The mouth-ear

Something that works cannot remain in the shade for long. The usefulness of psychotherapy has been passed from one person to another in the form of advice and recommendations, and many patients make that other people with specific problems and needs realize that going to the psychologist makes all the sense of world.

4. The change of values

Not all the reasons that psychotherapy is frowned upon have to do with the merits of the psychologists themselves. It is also true that there has been a change in values ​​in much of Western society. Today emphasis is placed on the need not to prejudge, of not falling into the trap of hating for the sake of hating, of excluding for the sake of excluding, and not feeding a hypocritical mentality based on accusing others for not fitting in with a model of perfection that no one meets.

The 5 keys to choosing a good psychologist

Beyond the myths that have been circulating about what it means to go to the psychologist, it is true that not everyone the world has the information they need so that once they have decided they want to go to therapy, they can choose well. These are some keys to making the best choice when deciding which professionals to turn to. You have to look at:

1. The experience

The exercise of psychotherapy is based on a lot of practice; someone who only has the theory will probably not be able to reach everything that is asked.

2. The specialization

There are many profiles of psychotherapists; therefore, it is best to fine-tune the shot and go to one who you know knows how to treat the problem you have, among others.

3. Recommendations and acknowledgments

If you can, look for recommendations from the psychologist or psychologist that runs through your mind. It is also a good idea to see your accreditations.

4. Upgrade

In the world of psychology there are always news; so, the best professionals are always in training: attending seminars, taking courses, etc.

5. Transparency

It is important to have basic information about a professional before going to the first psychotherapy session. Look at the degree of availability of the information about their work and academic history.