Psychological currents

Psychological currents

When choosing a psychology professional, it is important to know from which current your work, in order to see the one that best fits the problem to be treated. The patient's improvement will begin to occur when he makes positive changes in his way of thinking or acting.

We must be aware that if we want to solve problems we also have to change something we were doing wrong, whether it be something in our way of thinking, as in something of our behavior.

Next, we will explain the main psychological currents that are used, although there are also professionals who alternate several currents according to the needs of the patient. You can also alternate and unite several, there is no universal formula since each person is a world and what goes well for one does not work well for another.

Psychological currents and psychotherapy

Psychoanalysis

It focuses mainly on the past. The patient is analyzed to go in search of the psychic conflict that causes the discomfort so that the unconscious becomes conscious and the inner world can be understood and ordered.

It is indicated for those who feel bad and do not know the reason well, or you may know what the reason is but for very  good advice you receive is not able to solve your problem. It will be investigated in your life to find the real root of the problem.

In this case, the professional will speak less than the patient, since he is the one who analyzes the information he receives and will help the person to realize the reason that caused his suffering, giving him tools to make the necessary change so that his sufferings disappear.

The basis of this theory is that the symptoms are nothing more than manifestations of psychological conflict. Therefore, the important thing would be to address this unconscious conflict, so that the symptoms disappear in a subsidiary manner.

Behaviorism

It is based on the present problem and not on the origins. It is suitable for treating specific problems already diagnosed. It is a short-term therapy, in which the professional directs the conversation at all times and teaches how to think and act in a realistic and more adjusted way.

This therapy is appropriate when the main problem is the lack of learning resources when dealing with specific situations. The professional should be very influential and sincere with the patient to make him see that he has to change his behavior if he wants his problems to disappear, he will replace negative habits with more constructive ones. It is like a kind of reeducation of behavior.

Therefore, behaviorists seek to modify behavior as a basis for people to improve their emotions and thoughts. It is a very suitable therapy for when all the others have failed. It is the last resort.

Humanism

You try to get the best that each person has inside, to restore inner calm. The professional will transmit empathy, sensitivity, respect, and acceptance. It will be a peer to peer relationship.

It is not an authority that takes the course of the session, but rather trusts in the patient's abilities and is guided so that he himself finds the answer to his discomfort. It is sought that the person connects with his whole inner being, and an independent and accomplished person is formed.

It is one of the criticized psychological currents because it is based more on intuition than on a scientific method, although on numerous occasions it has been shown that a scientific method is not necessary to solve people's discomforts.

Gestalt

It focuses on feeling the here and now, promotes action, creativity, and unconditional acceptance. The sentimental part and the nonverbal language plays a leading role. The patient is taught to look at his emotions and before acting be aware of how he thinks and feels. It helps to know oneself, emotionally, intellectually and bodily.

It is based on our being aware of the present moment, how we do things, what is happening at this moment and how I am feeling and interpreting it. This current is intended for those who want to improve, develop their human potential and personal growth.

Behavioral cognitive

It is the most commonly used therapy today, the one with the most scientific evidence, and the one that is mostly present in the University's curricula.

It is the psychological currents that most focus on changing the way of thinking and reasoning. Changing the way of thinking, emotions also change, therefore, as we adopt more rational and objective thoughts, our sufferings will also subside.

With this therapy, a new way of thinking and reasoning and, therefore, of acting will be learned. It focuses on the present and aims to teach new ways of seeing, thinking and acting in life.

The psychologist who uses this current will feel supported by the scientific evidence in his approaches. He will generally be a manager and will tell you how to deal with specific situations, with a high success rate.

Acceptance and commitment therapy

One of the last therapies to become visible is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It is included in the Third Generation of Behavior Therapies. This therapy provides a philosophy of life, a cultural perspective thanks to which to understand and treat psychological problems as well as an alternative to experiential avoidance. It carries out a functional analysis of psychological problems and introduces a behavioral way of analyzing emotions, feelings, memories, and thoughts.

It is based on the way in which different concepts, memories, and words of the subject area related to the problems. In this way, the therapist evidences the dysfunctional rules that the client self-imposes. Avoidance could explain many problems where the subject does not face the private experiences that address him.

"When you accept what you are without trying to change it, what you begin to transform."

As Kohlenberg (2004) team states, in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the characteristics of psychopathology are not fundamental. The important thing is the function of maladaptive behaviors to avoid internal events. This therapy has two main elements. On the one hand, the role that private events play in explaining problems. And on the other, the importance of the therapeutic relationship.

The therapy aims to ensure that the patient reaches emotional and cognitive control to enjoy a satisfactory life. However, it would not be through avoidance, but by acceptance. Acceptance means facing an event feeling feelings as such, thoughts as thoughts and memories as memories. In this way, we do not avoid, but we observe and from there we change. There is an acceptance of what cannot be changed and a commitment to change what can be changed.