Therapy or No Therapy: 6 Reasons You May Not be Ready for Psychotherapy

Therapy is a powerful tool that can lead to an enlightening journey of empowerment, growth, and rejuvenation. If you are ready, that is. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing to start therapy, but the main one to figure out how ready you are. Here are some pointers that can help you figure out if this is the right time for you to start therapy or not.

1. Just Want to Vent.

Why pay someone for a therapy session if all you are seeking is a place to vent? You can vent to friends and family. Heck, if you make a nail appointment you can get beautiful nails and a nice venting session for the price of one! Venting helps to an extent—and then you can proceed to more productive things. When the venting is nonstop, there is no progress and eventually you will feel stuck.

2. An Open Mind.

There are so many psychotherapists out there and each has a set of skills and beliefs that impact their methods and practice. You select a therapist based on their background, mainly, and there is a lot more to their specific style that you will not notice until you are in session. Keeping an open mind is helpful, especially to get through the first few sessions that could feel a bit awkward. Suggestions and recommendations could also seem a bit odd for your taste, which leads us to the next item on the list.

3. Ready to Try New Things.

There are plenty of reasons people seek therapy, bottom line you are either struggling with a set of symptoms or situations in your life, and you are looking for help in those areas. If you take a step back, things have not been working for you the way things are currently, so you have to be ready to do things differently in order to get different results. Try new things and work on those personal goals!

4. Only Want Someone to Agree With You.

It feels good when others agree to our tangents or complaints, it provides a sense of validation or righteousness. Let’s face it though, if someone is always agreeing with you there is no challenge meaning there is no growth! Eventually your sessions will become boring, and your experience will be dull. This leads to the next pointer.

5. Open to Constructive Criticism.

Remember, a therapist has a specific set of skills and knowledge that can be useful and beneficial to your situation. Constructive criticism, when respectfully provided, can be an eye-opening experience. Sometimes it takes someone else to point out a specific pattern or habit in order for us to wake up and see things clearer. If you’re not open to this, then how ready are you to start learning more about yourself and your mind-body connection?

6. Not Ready to Take Responsibility of Your Own Emotions.

Past trauma and past experiences ingrain certain beliefs, patterns, and habits that impact our lives on so many levels. For a lot of people, these experiences keep them trapped or inhibit them from truly living and enjoying their lives. In therapy, you can process and heal from these, you can make the transition from being a victim to being a survivor. There comes a point in your life where you have to start taking responsibility of your own emotions and take charge of your future. Otherwise, you will continue to live in the past, living the same reality over and over again. If you are ready to be the lead in your life and tired of seeing your life pass you by… then perhaps you are ready.

They say therapy is good for everyone at some point in their lives and that anyone can benefit from a therapist. Agreed. Therapy can help you to become a better version of you, and you also have to be ready to do the work. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time for both you and the therapist. What do you say? Is this the right time for you to start therapy? And, if the answer is no, then there’s no shame! You are simply not ready for it. Remember, you are in control of your life and if you do not want it, then do not force it. Find something else that could be a better fit for you and your interests. Plain and simple.