The Role of Therapy in Managing Depression

The idea of going into an office and speaking to a stranger about deep emotions or feelings you’re having isn’t something that is appealing to many people when put at face value.

The truth is, therapy is a lot more than just laying on a couch and rehashing your life problems.

To start out, there are many different kinds of therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: this is also known as talk therapy. It is pretty traditional and it is where you speak to a therapist about what your depression looks like or what triggers you.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: while similar to CBT therapy, this allows what is being talked about to be remembered and monitored. Allowing the subject to be aware of their thoughts and try to reroute their thought process.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: while this therapy mostly focuses on traumatic experiences, this can also help with depression as it can help you deal with the trigger of depression without having to speak about it outloud.

While there are certain kinds of therapy that deal with depression like those listed above, this doesn’t always mean that you have to go in and sit with a therapist to have therapy.

Things like going to the gym to let out your depressive emotions and feelings or even journaling and writing down your emotions and what you’re feeling are other kinds of therapy that have worked to get people out of their depression.

Healing from depression takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. It is also not linear. There are ups and downs and even loop-de-loops in the processes.

All of these forms of therapy are ways that allow you and your brain to process what you’re feeling and why. It addresses the situation at hand and helps you heal and find better ways to process.

It is important to remember that having depression doesn’t mean it is a character trait. It is a mental disorder. A treatable disorder that can heal like a wound overtime.

Therapy is there to help and never to harm. If one form of therapy isn’t working for you, maybe work to find another kind of therapy, whether it be in an office talking to a professional, or in a journal where you write everything down.

Find your safe space and learn to work through what is happening in your head and what is making you feel, react and act the way you are. It’s not easy, but it is possible.