My 3 biggest lessons from going to therapy as a therapist

A therapist sharing lessons from therapy? A little redundant, I know. 

But for a good reason: Therapy is such an incredible healing tool but can sound strange if you’ve never experienced it. So I wanted to tell you how starting therapy saved my life and why I dedicated my life to personal development and supporting others to do the same.

My Journey with Therapy

When I first started therapy, I was 15, and I was convinced I was in trouble. I had to go after experiencing trauma and being diagnosed with anxiety & depression, but at the time, I thought something was wrong with me.

Fast forward a couple of months, and I was hooked. 

I didn’t realize it at the time but looking back, I can see that therapy gave me the gift of being seen, heard, and completely accepted, no matter what I said or felt. I was in individual therapy as well as a girls' therapy group, and that group was one of the best experiences I’ve had for my mental health. 

I was dealing with suicidal depression, and I truly believe that if it weren’t for therapy, I wouldn’t be here today writing this for you.

3 Lessons from Therapy

So you can see that I’ve taken away quite a few lessons from therapy in my time. I’ve put together a list of the top 3 most important lessons I’ve received from therapy so far:

Lesson 1

Treat yourself the way you want others to treat you. 

This sounds like a card you might pull from a cheesy affirmations deck, and you’ve probably heard it before. The reason this lesson is so important is that I truly didn’t realize that I could treat myself a certain way. I was never taught to be kind to myself or think about myself. This is something we will all continue to work on in this life. I am very grateful I started receiving this message in my teen years, and I hope I’m not the first person to tell you this. 

I often forget this lesson, but time and time again, I’m reminded that I am made up of my body, mind, and soul and that I get to be with her every day of my life. That’s the only constant, so why wouldn’t I treat myself with kindness?

Lesson 2

Your past experiences inform your current actions. 

This lesson from therapy is so important because it’s something we do subconsciously. This means that in your mind, you have a reason for taking a certain action, but in reality, you have a driving need inside of you that you’re not conscious of.

For example, you could be seeking another person's attention, not just for sex but because you’re looking to feel loved, cared for, and to be seen. Maybe you’re looking for this kind of attention because you never received it from your parents. This is something more commonly talked about now, but when I was 15, it was news to me! This lesson from therapy is truly what made me have my “aha” moment. From there, I was hooked on this therapy thing for life.

Lesson 3

The support of others can help you get through anything

Isolation is proven to cause more stress on the mind and body, leading to poor health. Sometimes it’s the feeling of being isolated, but it can also be that you’re isolating yourself and that causes you to push others away.Having the support of someone like a therapist or a group of people you can trust helps you get through some of the most difficult times. 

I found this to be true when I broke down in group therapy. I felt hopeless in my depression, thinking it would never go away. I was expressing suicidal thoughts and ended up having to go for treatment for it. 

If I hadn’t had the support of my therapist and those group members, going through that process would have been 10x more painful, and I’m not sure I would have made it.

They cried with me, wrote me letters and just sat with me when they didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t about them fixing me because they couldn't. The comfort of knowing they were there for me helped me continue my healing journey. My therapist was someone I looked up to and saw as someone who would never judge me, and there is so much incredible freedom that comes from knowing they won’t judge you no matter what. 

While this isn’t a complete list of my lessons from therapy, it will help you understand why I’ve dedicated my life to it now.

And it’s not just therapy that has changed my life. Learning about and experiencing therapy was the tip of the iceberg for me. Once I learned how our minds and bodies work together, I went on a holistic healing journey. Therapy was the foundation that made it all possible. I started learning about yoga therapy, reiki, brain training and nervous system regulation. Once I opened the box, I never looked back. I’ve honestly had the most powerful healing from a blend of these modalities with therapeutic principles. Therapy not only gives you tools to change negative patterns but also completely changes how you see yourself and others. When you can start to see yourself and others differently, you then have the power to change anything.

This is the foundation of change. 

When you can see yourself and others differently than when you started therapy, you then have the power to change anything.

What’s next?

If you’re thinking about starting your own therapy journey, I provide online therapy sessions. Click here to book your free 15-minute intro call, where we can chat about how I can support you.

If you’re not looking to commit to therapy right now, I've created a self-paced online course, Own Your Mental Health, with 8 video modules of tools and practices to calm your mental and physical stress. I take you over everything from regulating your nervous system, breathwork and meditation to journaling, grounding and more! Click here for immediate access to the course for just $247 (USD).

If you’re not sure what’s best for you, click the button below to schedule a free initial call to see what’s best!