f your back hurts, chances are
Psychotherapy— This style of therapy is much
I that the best solution is to rest
it and hope the pain goes
away. Most of the time it will.
But if the discomfort persists, it
can be useful to seek help. A
It’s Not What
You Think
skilled professional such as a
chiropractor, osteopath, or mas-
sage therapist can provide therapy
that may assist the healing proc-
ess. Such assistance may not al-
ways be 100 percent effective, but
will often result in a welcome
degree of improvement.
Similarly, if you are stressed,
depressed, or feeling a bit over-
whelmed with current life chal-
lenges, chances are that the best
solution is to make sure you get
some exercise and a few good
nights’ sleep. Most of the time,
you will feel better soon. But if
these feelings persist, it can be
useful to seek help. In this case, by Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D.
the skilled helper can be a psy-
chologist — a person trained to
help you get moving in the right
direction.
Unfortunately, most people do not think about seeking
psychological help when they are feeling stressed. One rea-
son is that most people still equate psychotherapy with a deep fessional psychologist can save you a great deal of unneces-
and mysterious process that requires months or years — with
some undefined goal of insight or personality change. They
don’t want to spend months or years being analyzed, and so
they avoid seeking help. This makes sense. But modern psy-
chotherapy isn’t what they think it is.
Perhaps modern psychotherapy should have a new name.
In fact, a new name for such assistance is beginning to emerge
— called “life coaching.” Life coaching is really at the core
of the psychotherapy enterprise. Psychotherapy is all about
coaching — about helping you to see new ways of looking at
situations, and about showing you new ways of dealing with
life challenges. If you are worried about looking for a new
job, for example, a modern psychotherapist would not spend
two years with you, at three sessions per week, analyzing how
childhood issues are somehow causing your current concerns.
A modern psychotherapist would instead help show you to
more effectively look for a job, to prepare you for job inter-
views, and to map out strategies for greater success in the
workplace. The whole process usually takes just a few ses-
sions, and is covered by most insurance.
NATIONAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
more effective and efficient than
old-fashioned, “deep”procedures.
Is it always as effective? Gener-
ally, the science studies suggest
it is much more effective. Does it
always work? Of course not — but
it usually does. Most people feel
much better by the end of the very
first session.
Psychotherapy has an intimi-
dating history. There are images
of Victorian couches, dim light-
ing, heavily bearded old men, and
the requirement to expose any-
thing and everything about your-
self — whether it seems relevant
or not — all directed toward some
distant and uncertain therapeu-
tic goal. Little wonder, then, that
most people under distress take
care to avoid psychotherapy. Af-
ter all, who needs this sort of
aggravation? But psychotherapy
isn’t like that anymore. It’s not
what you think. Today, if you are
stressed or confused by personal
relationships, job issues, monetary concerns, addictive strug-
gles, weight management challenges, or other stressors, you
may benefit by seeking help. Skilled guidance from a pro-
sary distress, and get you moving more quickly toward the
life you deserve.
To order your copy of The
Pleasure Trap, please see page
43.You can contact Dr. Lisle by
calling (707) 586-5555.
Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D., is a licensed
psychologist. He is the Director of
Research at TrueNorth Health Center
and is in private practice in Rohnert
Park, California. Dr. Lisle is the co-
author of The Pleasure Trap: Mastering
the Hidden Force that Undermines
Health and Happiness.
H E A LT H S C I E N C E ■ FALL/WINTER 2003 19