Few disciplines go beyond mere professional development and enrich us as people, allowing us to grow and have a much broader vision of our reality. Although it is not an easy subject to study, it is still worth studying, if only because it is interesting.
You are what you do, not what you say.
Jung
Some people feel stressed and even frustrated when faced with the ever-challenging but interesting world of statistics and experimental projects. However, it is daily work and contact with each of the fields that make up this science that ultimately awakens us to its fascinating universe and helps guide us on our path.
On the other hand, it's fair to say that studying psychology is unlikely to make us rich or even guarantee us a job right after graduating. Today's society and job market conditions are what they are, and sometimes we have to balance talent with ingenuity, motivation with opportunity, and persistence with patience.
Whether we are at a crucial point in our lives where we need to choose what we would like to work in, or if we think it is time for a change and learn something different, studying psychology will always be a good option. Everyone needs to think about two important things: what they are looking for and what they would like to offer to others. Psychology is a subject where we can grow through learning to bring out the best in ourselves for the benefit of others.
Psychology helps us understand ourselves better
As we delve into other theories, different approaches to personality, human development, or how culture influences our behavior, we are forced to look at our lives and the lives of others.
Studying psychology will force us to ask ourselves many questions. Questions that don't always have an answer. It will be an adventure where we get to know ourselves and other people a little more, where we can leave behind certain views and ideas that used to be so important to us.
What is trance and hypnosis? Why are they needed and is it dangerous?
Trance and hypnosis are altered states of consciousness. We have our usual state - in it we understand well who we are, where we are, what is around us, what we want, what day it is. In altered states, our perception of ourselves as individuals changes, the sensations of the boundaries of the body, the surrounding world, motives, feelings, thoughts may change. When used safely, this is very useful - the brain switches to another mode and rests and recovers.
Every day we find ourselves in altered states a hundred times: we drank coffee, didn’t get enough sleep, experienced stress, were carried away with our thoughts or remembered something, drive to and from work the same way (this causes sensory deprivation - a lack of new sensory experiences). stimuli) - and now we find ourselves in an altered state. But we don’t notice this because we are not used to paying attention to it. We continue to interpret this as an ordinary state of consciousness, and the difference is erased. That is, we spend most of the day every day in altered states.
Trance and hypnosis are simply methods that consciously use the resource and potential of these states to help you.
We will learn to appreciate the scientific method
Psychology is not magic. We are not mentalists, and we do not have a radar in our minds that allows us to grasp in 5 seconds what trauma a person is suffering from , what he is afraid of, or what his strengths are.
Psychology, as we know, has many false myths associated with it, and we will have to confront them in many situations, whether we like it or not. However, there is one aspect that we must make clear from the very beginning: psychology is a social science based on the scientific method.
We must understand that in order to come to certain conclusions and certain views, we need to go through a lot of objective and patient work. This work is always based on a series of research methods and is the path to success as a psychology major. On the other hand, “pop psychology”, which the general public loves so much, and which we see every day in magazines or social networks, has nothing to do with reality.
What to expect from your first appointment? How is everything going?
You come to a session with a person you don’t know yet, and he also doesn’t know what to expect from you. The first session is about getting to know each other. The psychotherapist observes, diagnoses and establishes contact. You, in turn, look at how comfortable you are with this specialist and whether you would like to continue working with him or not.
If we talk about specifics, the room in which the reception takes place should be quiet and secluded. A consultation in a noisy cafe is not an option, and if this is offered to you, it should alert you. Mental work is not about sitting down for coffee. Today there are a large number of psychological centers where you can rent an office for a few hours.
There are no special requirements for the office environment. In classical “orthodox” psychoanalysis the person must lie on a couch. But in most cases, the therapist and patient simply sit opposite each other and talk.
You will develop critical thinking
Much of the material, theories, approaches, and fields that make up psychological research help us develop critical thinking . Whether we like it or not, this is very important if we want to be good professionals and truly want to be useful to people without losing our integrity. Only then will we be able to distinguish wood from trees and clarity from deception.
Never think you know everything. No matter how highly you value yourself, always have the courage to say to yourself: I don’t know.
Ivan Pavlov
Better understanding of human relationships
Studying psychology will not spontaneously transform us into psychologically healthier, more successful, or happier people. Psychologists also suffer from depression and anxiety. They are not immune to disruptions in emotional relationships and even have minor phobias and limitations.
However, having all this knowledge makes them much more aware of what is happening to them and around them . This helps them better understand the dynamics of the relationship. This helps them know when to ask for help and how best to help themselves or others.
How often do you need to visit a psychologist for this to make sense?
The most common format is once a week. If you don't know how much you need and don't have any special requests, this rhythm will probably suit you. But in some areas of psychology it is customary to meet much more often; for example, in psychoanalysis you can see an analyst five times a week.
It happens that a person comes very rarely and you can see how he has changed. And sometimes change happens slowly. It depends on your own speed and resource. You can only find out how many sessions you need specifically through practice. Don't rely on other people's reviews. You are you.
You will appreciate human development
Understanding how we develop and how we as humans change throughout life provides us with valuable knowledge. Typically, it also makes us more sensitive and open to the problems of others, as well as their suffering or doubts.
There is a fact that psychology reveals features associated with certain stages of our development , such as childhood or old age. We may also get caught up in these stages of life and decide to dedicate our time to a particular group.
Are there unspoken signs that the consultation was a success or a failure?
It all depends on the degree of complexity and statute of limitations of the problem, as well as on the patient’s current resource, because we cannot work for a long time at great depth and with a high degree of intensity. After all, the psyche is closely connected with the body, and if you overdo it, you will start to get sick. Our psyche always strives for balance.
I do transactional analysis and EMDR therapy: the acronym stands for Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. This is one of two types of psychotherapy with proven effectiveness, officially recommended by the World Health Organization. It looks pretty funny. The psychologist makes movements with his hand right in front of the person’s face, and the person carefully watches his fingers. EMDR is fast and deep, but also wastes a lot of the patient’s mental energy. As a rule, after a couple of sessions you need to take a break or switch to conversational consultations. It is extremely important to give a person time to recover. There is also the concept of “change of transference” in therapy. Transference is the client's relationship to the therapist. At first it is neutral. Then he becomes biased, since the patient projects onto the psychologist the desires, expectations, fears and dreams that he had as a child, and are now brought into therapeutic work. And at first the transference is always positive (my therapist is just super!). But then there comes a moment when the transference changes and the “good parent” becomes bad (ruined my whole life). It's not bad. This means that therapy has come to an important, turning point, when a person is ready to get rid of illusions and is ripe to express his less secure feelings in contact with the therapist. For example, showing sympathy means that we are in a safe field in which we can and should remain in order for a resource to appear. But if we stay in it longer than necessary, this will inevitably block development.
You will develop a new perspective on mental illness
Studying psychology will allow you to bust many of the myths people believe about mental illness . For example, you will understand the difference between a syndrome, a disorder and a disease. You will understand that medicine does not cure certain diseases, it only “cures” them . You will discover the complexities of diagnosis and the many nuances associated with depression, anxiety disorder or schizophrenia.
For every passion there is a specialty
Not all psychologists are psychoanalysts or follow Freud's principles; in fact, many more do not. Studying psychology gives us the opportunity to subsequently study in a wide range of specialties so that we can choose the one we like best. There are many options:
- Clinical psychology.
- Educational psychology.
- Sports psychology.
- Criminal psychology.
- Psychology of health.
- Organizational psychology.
- Child and adolescent psychology.
- Social or community psychology.
Psychology is a great complement to other disciplines
Few fields of study complement other disciplines as much as psychology. For example, education in the field of journalism, medicine, philology, anthropology, art or economics and at the same time you can decide to start studying psychology in order to receive a richer and more complete training.
Even when it is not completely achievable, we become better people by trying to reach a higher goal.
Victor Frankl
Studying psychology enriches us, understand human behavior much better with all its social skills, language, communication, motivation, emotions and decision making. These processes are often necessary in order to have a more complete understanding of other sciences.
In what cases can you not do without a psychologist?
Psychologists are concerned with two main processes: problem solving and development.
Solving problems is changing those personality traits that bring suffering to the person himself. For example, excessive temper can interfere with building relationships in your personal life and in business, and also does not contribute to making informed decisions.
Development assumes that a person successfully realizes himself in his personal life, creativity and business, but he has a need for something more, going beyond ordinary well-being. He wants to better understand himself and the world around him, he has a need to get out of his comfort zone.
In both cases, a psychologist can be helpful. Many things cannot be read in a book or heard at a lecture; they become clear only in the process of working together with another person, when he can see something that you do not notice. Or he has already passed the stage of development that lies ahead of you, and can show the way. A book, lecture and good intelligence will not help where another person will help.
You will learn to communicate much better
This is an aspect that we don't always talk about. However, something that a psychologist learns in his daily studies is that acquiring skills in managing emotions or a deeper understanding of body language, along with all its nuances , actually provides tremendous ability in interpersonal communication.
We're not only talking about improving our ability to speak in public, but also how we'll become better at communicating with people. We will understand the person in front of us through their non-verbal communication, their tone of voice and expressions, and we will be able to have a more sensitive and effective dialogue with them.
Studying psychology can be the first step to a better stage in your life
There are 1000 reasons to study psychology, but there is one that surpasses all others - it is a fascinating science that can open up a whole new stage in our lives. You will always find something that touches you in the moment in a way that makes you say to yourself “this is me” , this is what I want to delve into, this is the area in which I want to help people.
In some cases it will be neuroscience and all its mysteries. Other times it will be a specific type of therapy. Sometimes it is a desire to help children or to focus on a more experimental area of research. The world of psychology is so broad that everyone will find at some point in which specific aspect they want to work in. And it is at this moment that everything changes and everything makes sense.
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How do I know who I need to make an appointment with?
Depends on the goal. A consulting psychologist is the most universal option if we are talking about a problem that has arisen recently, is associated with clearly defined conditions and has not yet led to significant changes.
If we take a psychiatrist who is engaged in the medical part, then it is important to note that psychiatric diagnoses do not arise on their own, out of nowhere. They have a long history and specific manifestations. Let's take clinical depression. This cannot be called “bad at heart” - a person with such a diagnosis simply cannot get out of bed. The perception of the real world in such a patient is so impaired that it is very difficult for him to work with it.
A psychologist's client is someone who thinks like this: “I have a problem. This problem is not me and not the world. It's a matter of my distorted perception." When a dragon flies at a schizophrenic, for him it is part of the “real” world. And therefore it is very difficult to negotiate with him on this topic. Why? Because he does not have the resource, he cannot do without medications that will work and help him bypassing his consciousness. This means that only a psychiatrist can deal with this matter.
A psychotherapist also has the right to prescribe medications, but to do this he must have a medical education.
An analyst is a special case of a psychologist, usually with a non-medical education. When we hear “my psychoanalyst” in films, there is a consulting psychologist hiding behind him.
