Therapy + Healing – Arunpreet Dhillon

So, when it comes to Therapy, I’ve always had mixed views especially being someone who struggles to open up and naturally deals with things on their own. So, the thought of having to talk about my feelings/thoughts to a stranger was something I questioned, as I never quite knew how effective it would be for someone like me who doesn’t even express things to neither family or friends! With that being said having then experienced two types of therapies, one being Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and the other being Interpersonal Therapy… (form of Psychotherapy) I can most definitely say that it changed my outlook on Therapy and glad I pushed myself to come out of my comfort zone! Therapy for me was the first step to my healing and since then it’s been one hell of a journey so far…

Okay so now going into a-little more detail with the two therapies I have had in the past!
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which was my first ever therapy! This one really helped me to break down my thoughts and analyse them. I found this very useful with managing my anxiety and in becoming aware of my thought pattern during situations where I knew I would naturally get anxious! Back then I used to go to the gym and part of my therapy sessions included scenarios at the gym because my social anxiety caused me to go less and less/leave half way through my workout! It was becoming an issue… because as I also have depression and I needed to workout in order to feel good but my social anxiety was hindering this. Even though I do have my anxiety under control! I still have my moments where it gets a-bit much!

Now onto Interpersonal Therapy, this one required a more personal approach! It really opened my eyes to issues that seemed to be repeating over and over like a song on a loop.
Each session I had, I learnt something new… whether that was about myself or certain situations. However, it made me realise I lacked little to no boundaries in my relationships when it came to love and friendships; this stems from growing up with no boundaries in my family. There were sessions where it felt like for the first time someone really understood how I felt, as I have always struggled with being misunderstood! I remember being teary eyed in some sessions. Even whilst writing about this it still makes me emotional thinking about it all, as I literally keep everything to myself!

I am nowhere near to the finish line when it comes to my healing as Therapy is just a small part of my journey; I still have lots of unpacking/unlearning and relearning to do, but I feel very grateful to have had amazing therapists, as I feel like being able to connect well with your therapist is important to getting most out of your therapy! If I look back a few years ago before Therapy I would say I was a totally different person… it’s always nice to look back at how much growth you have made as a person! And what I have learnt is that healing is not linear, it’s like a rollercoaster some days it gets heavy and some days you’re like wow I feel so great. Healing takes time and lots of patience! Imagine processing years of trauma?! It’s not easy but it’s not impossible either with the right support around you.

It’s so weird because I feel like everything happens for a reason because from Therapy it let lead me to go down the path of spirituality! I don’t even know how it happened but I wouldn’t have had it any-other way… things like guided meditation helps me to switch off from the world for a few moments and it’s something that I highly recommend! It’s one thing I’m working on doing more often, because I feel like it helps my anxiety levels! I remember one time going into a deep meditative state and once the guided meditation was over, I felt so relaxed! I also suffer from insomnia, so listening to meditation music has often helped me go sleep!

I’m still in my journey of healing but therapy has truly effected my life in such a positive way.

By Arunpreet Dhillon