[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Savage Clone

I am of the opinion that psychotherapy is kind of like religion.
That is, it works if you believe in it.

well, no, in my experience there is a lot of bullshit in the business, i once even had a priest in shrink's robes, so to speak, trying to push christ on me-- fuck that. but it's not a "religion" per se.

however, i can attest from my own experience, shrinkology can help you unbury hidden traumas & teach you how to deal with life's crap more effectively. yes, it's a bit of an art, not so much a science, but knowing yourself & dealing with that knowledge in constructive ways is a good thing.

you know it's kinda like being stuck in the mud and pressing on the gas pedal uselessly. then comes a tow truck & pulls you out and you can go your own way again.

[Savage Clone]

I only made that comparison because they both require a certain amount of "faith" and openness to the ideas being presented.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Savage Clone

I only made that comparison because they both require a certain amount of "faith" and openness to the ideas being presented.

oh i see what you mean. yes, you are right, but it's not so much faith as trust-- in the person you're dealing with. in that sense, the shrink works as a substitute parent.

it's all a very imprecise thing, and it took me quite a sampling of shrinks until i found one that a) i could trust, b) i could argue with.

my own experience was that my "cure" was not found by listening to a preacher, but by arguing constructively with a trusted and wiser friend. if i had just "believed" i would just have gone from one disease to another one (like people who seek gurus).

but each experience is individual, one can't generalize this. in group therapy, for example (which i tried but hated), the group is supposed to provide you with a "family" of sorts-- but to me it was like the blind leading the blind.

[atari 2600]

Originally Posted by Savage Clone

I only made that comparison because they both require a certain amount of "faith" and openness to the ideas being presented.

I get your point in this sense. Psychological doctors help improve a patient's mental health largely when the patient is able to observe themselves more objectively while under the guidance of the physician. The sessions create an accountability to the doctor. This also is a principle which allows for brainwashing in organized religions and of course even more so in cults or sects. In that case the devotee becomes responsible and accountable to a group mindthink with a corresponding more vanilla outlook on life. The guidance is of the spiritual (too often based on fear, however) variety as opposed to the scientific variety. The devotee's membership is reinforced constantly. This is why many Baptist fundamentalist preachers will address their congregation members directly during services. It's also why your local cult down at the Holiday Inn conference room every Sunday or whatever will instantly name tag you and make sure you meet everyone in the room before you get out of said room.
Where I personally differ from what you express in the comment is that, in my view, there's nothing to "buy into" with psychology because true psychology, contrary to what some still believe, is not a pseudo-science, it is an actually proven art and science. Treatment that allows the greatest likelihood for sustained success most often depends on who your actual psychologist or psychoanalyst is more than anything else.
Psychologists allow the patient to unburden themselves through active listening. The progress comes from the patient themselves when they are ready to affect change in their behaviors. This allows the patient to have an opportunity to learn through self-knowledge and all the while being guided by sound principles by a person with a (hopefully) professional scientific background. However, far too often in my view, a psychologist will prescribe SSRI medications to alter a patient's brainchemistry. Unfortunately, the science behind the action of these agents is not really known. So, the doctor has to resort to trial-and-error concoctions to hopefully aid the patient. In the case of State or governmental agencies, which are there to help the ones in our society that cannot afford proper healthcare, this practice is rampant as a choice for treatment due to pressure to please the pharmaceutical lobbies. More often than not, the traditional role of the psychologist falls to the social worker who has little to no training and the likelihood of successful treatment dwindles accordingly. This is what most people unfortunatley know as psychology and it's not psychology performed on a truly professional level, so maybe that's part of the "buy into" you meant.