Group therapy has been shown to be quite effective in helping to deal with substance abuse and other addictions. Group therapy in Malibu is quite common. Group therapy tends to be more intimidating than individual therapy sessions. However, there are benefits to participating in group therapy including:
A Sense of Belonging
When many people go into therapy, they usually think that they are the only ones going through their dilemma. Group therapy shows such patients that there are many others undergoing similar troubles and shows them that they are not alone.
Addiction patients usually isolate themselves which exacerbates the problem. When such patients hear of other ordeals, they will usually reduce their isolation tendencies and deal with their issues more openly.
Others can also gain insight from such patient’s problems and vice versa. A sense of belonging is developed once the patient starts to understand and communicate with other members of the group about their individual issues.
Personal Interactions
People who go to therapy due to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or anger management tend to have very poor social skills. These feelings are then reinforced when they do not interact with others due to their social skills which creates a negative feedback loop.
Group therapy sessions are an ideal place for such patients to have personal interactions with others. Since most other group therapy participants will not have better social skills, patients are usually more comfortable interacting in such interactions.
Human interaction is one of the most powerful elements of group therapy as it helps patients learn to communicate openly and honestly. The more communicative a patient is and the more they interact with others, the higher the chances of successful recovery.
Support
Overcoming mental health issues and substance abuse is incredibly difficult to do alone and the numbers prove it. People are more likely to successfully recover from such conditions if they have a strong support structure.
Group therapy is a great place for such patients to get support because they will get it from others who are going through the same situation or who have overcome similar situations. The environment of group therapy itself is meant to offer a safe space for patients where they can receive support.
Perspective
It is easy to feel that your problems are larger than life when you are dealing with them alone. However, when you discover that others are going through the same or even worse situations, you gain a perspective that can help you deal with your own problems in a better manner.
Group therapy offers patients a soundboard where they can bounce off ideas and experiences that allow them to see things in a different light. Group therapy can be especially helpful when patients can hear hard truths that they would otherwise not tell themselves.
Motivation
Group therapy will definitely help patients get the motivation to deal with their problems especially if there are others who are successfully dealing with theirs. When patients hear success stories of other patients, they are more likely to be successful in dealing with their own issues.