Sigmund Freud was one of the first modern therapists around 130 years ago. His theories about the secrets hidden in our unconscious scared people who didn’t want to believe their behavior couldn’t be controlled. Freudian theory is still scaring some people today, and that can prevent them from getting help.
The theories of Sigmund Freud are the foundation of most psychotherapies in one way or another, just as the philosophy behind the 12 Steps are incorporated in almost all addiction treatments. Yet, Freudian theory, and therapy itself, is still frightening for many people. Fear of the unknown and not wanting to confront the truth often holds people back from getting help.
Sigmund Freud created what we now call awareness
Awareness is about knowing who you are and why you do the things you do. Do you want to know the hidden truths about yourself? If you don’t want to keep making the same mistakes in life, psychotherapy will reveal what is keeping you back. And here’s a fact: you have secrets hidden in your unconscious even you don’t know about.
Sigmund Freud uncovered the unconscious
Here are two questions for you. What makes you tick? Is there something in your childhood that triggers your shame, or sadness, or fear? Did you know that long ago events you may have forgotten are driving your choices today? We may think we know ourselves, but unless we learn how to think about what’s under the surface we can get stuck in trauma and harmful experiences from the past. Sigmund Freud started by hypnotizing people to reveal their secrets. Later, he abandoned that method and encouraged to lie on a couch where they couldn’t see him and just talk.
I wanted to understand psychiatry
You might wonder how Freudian therapy works. I studied Freudian theory when I was writing mystery novels because one of my characters was a psychiatrist. Psychiatry is about brain health and treating mental illnesses that are not fixable with psychotherapy alone. Psychoanalysis is about uncovering childhood experiences that can lead to emotional problems. I experienced psychoanalysis myself, which takes many years. These days we can learn about ourselves more quickly by examining the behavior of our family members and all the ways they affect us.
Mental illness is scary when people don’t understand what causes it.
It’s hard to image that psychotherapy (which is a dialogue between and patient and therapist) has been around only for twelve decades or so. That’s a very short time in human history. While mental illness has been around since the beginning of time, most people still don’t know what mental health is all about or how to get it. Some of the emotional problems we have been facing in the Covid 19 Pandemic trigger unhealthy behaviors like eating too much, or drinking too much, or using substances or living with abuse.
You can get the benefits of Freudian theory with a psychologist, counselor, or social worker
Now, you can get online and find a mental health professional to work with you if you have an addiction or a behavioral or emotional or relationship problem. And you don’t even have to leave home. Getting mentally healthy is now just a click away.
