Many seek therapy for quick fixes, a kind of emotional band-aid, but this article argues that true therapy offers a path to “life-long transformation,” addressing underlying difficulties and unconscious dynamics for profound, lasting change.
The author, a psychotherapist and psychoanalysis patient, explains that meaningful therapy cultivates the capacity to tolerate feelings that previously seemed unbearable. This creates a crucial space for reflection and agency, transforming relationships, careers, and self-respect, rather than just providing temporary management techniques.
While self-help resources like mindfulness apps and adult coloring books are abundant, they may only scratch the surface of deeper anxieties and unconscious patterns. True psychotherapy is a sustained, complex, and deeply personal journey, offering no shortcuts to enduring change. The article humorously, yet sincerely, recommends re-watching the film Midnight Run as a surprisingly effective immediate balm for the soul.