Hope Heals: Therapy can really help

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

I know that there is a huge stigma around therapy because our society has programmed us to believe that only the severely mentally ill need therapy. However, nothing could be farther from the truth.

I will admit that I have been in therapy for years now and it really does help.

Have you ever been with a friend and you just can’t help but bring up an old issue that you have been internally struggling with for far too long?

It’s called trauma dumping and, while there are a lot of negative connotations surrounding that term, I feel like it is a completely understandable response to trauma.

When something bad happens, the human brain instinctively will look for a way to make everything make sense, even if there is absolutely no sense to be made.

It is natural to want to talk about the bad and hard things with someone else, but sometimes a therapist is the only one who is mentally strong enough to assist, and will respond with what you need.

Our friends, family and loved ones can do their absolute best to be there for us. Sometimes, though, it still isn’t enough. You may need a licensed professional.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

We all go through stuff that is hard to talk about and, while it seems like the only thing trauma does consistently is affect people differently, I think everyone can remember a time when they just needed to talk to someone.

I know that some people will never get the help they need, and there is absolutely nothing sadder. No one should feel like they have to suffer alone.

Recently, I was having a very, very hard day and I felt the urge to suppress my feelings and stay in bed all day. Instead I scheduled an emergency therapy session. I was seen within an hour and given almost immediate relief.

I found a new therapist that day and she is definitely one that I clicked with almost immediately. The professionalism and effort she put in to just making sure I got through that moment changed my outlook for the entire day.

Therapy is so much more than what you see in the movies. It’s not some person looking over a notepad at you making unenthused quips at your expense while simultaneously asking you how feel about that.

Therapy is a journey of healing and cognitive restoration that gives you the chance to undo a little bit of the inevitable harm this world can cause.

Getting help can be thought of as pricey but, as a student, you have free access to LCC counselors. And depending on your insurance, you could have more options than you know.

Please, PLEASE, consider them.