[torginus]

Therapy didn't work for me, and looking back the whole concept seems just bizarre. If you run with the assumption that at least two thirds of therapists are either terrible or just terrible for you, that means that you have to visit at least 3-5 of them, and even if you actively know this, you have to spend 3-4 sessions with them, during which you have to unconfortably open up to a complete stranger, and tell them things you wouldn't be comfortable telling to your own mother.

Imagine if any other doctor operated like that like you had to visit 3-5 endocrinologists to get a diagnosis for your thyroid disorder.

And even if you find the right guy/gal, the best they'll probably be able to do is help you help yourself, as most of the problems in ones life have external causes, and it falls to the individual to resolve them.

It's just baffling that this is considered a legitimate medical discipline in 2025.

Even though self-help is considered a meme, I found way more success with it, as flipping though 5 different books until you find the one that you like and is much easier than visiting 5 therapists. And being honest with yourself is also much easier than being honest with a complete stranger.

[wruza]

most of the problems in ones life have external causes

Most mental issues have internal or behavioral causes. Therapy addresses your ideas about the real world, not the real world itself. For example, it can enable a choice never seen as possible before, and while the real world stays the same, your position in it may change to something unthinkable before.