If you’ve been reading Stumble Pup for awhile, you know I’m very passionate about mental health awareness. 

I’ve previously talked about how depression is associated with MS, and covered how I personally deal with it here. I’ve also talked about how therapy helps with my anxiety and dealing with trauma. So why am I bringing up therapy again, when I’ve mentioned it tons of times before?

Because it’s been proven to be effective in treating depression, fatigue, and anxiety in people with MS and other chronic illnesses. Beyond that, it’s effective for most people at some point in their lives. If there’s an opportunity to improve our lives, with minimal negative side effects, why shouldn’t we take full advantage of it? 

Another reason I bring up mental healthcare frequently here on Stumble Pup is because I really believe if I want the world to change, I have to first. Being the change I wish to see in the world is the best way to make sure it changes eventually.

In the past, the stigma associated with mental illness was far worse than it is today. Even so, many people still hesitate to receive the care they need for fear of what others will think.

I know that reading one post on one blog is unlikely to change someone’s mind, but…it would say a lot more about me if I didn’t try.

Getting therapy can improve your quality of life. If you have an autoimmune disease, you’re no stranger to stress. After I go over why therapy is such a good idea, I’ll go over some of the different counseling options available. I’ll also share my personal opinions and experiences with them.

Long story short is that therapy is good, and worrying about others opinions bad.

Let’s dive right in, shall we?

I’ll start with therapy and MS.

This study talks about how the quality of life for people with MS vastly improved when going through mindfulness based therapy. Just 8 weeks of cognitive therapy drastically improved these participants lives.

Let me ask a quick question before moving on; what else have you done for 8 weeks that did as much for your health?

This trial indicates that stress management can be useful in reducing the development of new MRI brain lesions while patients are in treatment. Even after treatment, if participants carried on with the techniques, they were more likely to remain active lesion free.

Now, when I read that particular headline, I was skeptical. I’m a huge believer in the power of positive thinking…but come on, seriously?

Yes, seriously. Those who received the actual therapy not only vast improvements in quality of life, but also reduced lesion activity.

I don’t know about you, but I’m all about doing whatever I can to not see new lesions on my MRI each year.

I hope that I’ve covered some statistic above that gives you a reason to consider therapy. It really does make a huge difference in the quality of my life. I really think it could for you, too.

I think it would waste both of our time if i were to go through benefits for each and every condition I have, of which there’s a few. We know that it can help most diseases and conditions. That’s a no brainer.

However, I did want to touch on one issue – chronic illness in children. Not something we like to talk about, is it? Hard enough to battle these conditions as adults, but a baby? No way.

But, life isn’t always fair. Sometimes, bad things happen to the best, and most innocent, of us.

Thankfully, therapy has been proven to have an even more significant impact on kids with chronic illness. Their coping skills and utilization of those skills both improved, a lot. It helped their moods, helped them sleep, and feel better physically even if they was no obvious reason for it. Doesn’t seem fair they have to deal with these issues, but at least there’s hope for them.

Now, on to the different types of therapy.

There are many different umbrella categories, with just as many different specialties nestled in those categories. Today I’m just covering the basic ones, but don’t stop your research here. If you’re interested at all in therapy, you deserve the best fit for you.

In my post on anxiety here, I have several resources for locating a therapist, support group, and more. My mental health resources post is also dedicated to getting people in touch with professionals when they need it most.

Check it out when you’re ready to find your fit, and until then, the descriptions below should give you a little idea of what to expect.

Individual Counseling

This one is pretty self-explanatory. It’s also very comforting, and most people’s introduction to therapy. If you’re nervous about therapy in general, this is a great place to start. At the end of this post, I’ll list some resources to find the right therapist for you.

There are many different types of talk therapy. I’ve seen counselors who practiced a number of them, but two more than others –

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, can help you re-frame cognitive distortions and negative thought patterns. This is a very general definition, for a very broad category. Almost all forms of therapy are sub-types of CBT. DBT, dialectical behavioral therapy, started as treatment for mood disorders. It is mindfulness based, helping participants learn to regulate difficult emotions and focus on the moment.

Group Counseling

After experiencing some intense stuff this summer, I knew I needed some extra support. That’s when I reached out to my therapist for some different options, and decided on this one.

After trying this out for the first time this past semester, I wish I’d done it much sooner. The premise is the same as individual therapy, but you get the added benefit of different perspectives from those in the group with you.

The support level is also similar to what you get in support groups, which I’ll cover a little below. They differ in the therapeutic aspect of what is offered, in my experience.

Couples Counseling

I also first tried out this type of therapy recently. My husband and I aren’t staring down a divorce, or even in a particularly troubled spot in our relationship. That’s the reason why I most wanted to start therapy now.

Couples who deal with a chronic illness diagnosis deal with a lot of difficulties that most don’t face until the end of their lives, if they’re lucky enough to live that long.

By getting help before we need it, I like to think we’re being proactive about the issues we’ll face down the road. With MS being progressive, it’s almost a certainty that we will face serious issues that could take a toll on us.

Learning coping mechanisms and communication techniques now gives us a much better chance later on, in my own opinion and according to science.

Support Group

I include this under therapy for a variety of reasons. The first I mentioned above – the level of support is very similar to what you get in group counseling.

In a support group setting, the agenda is based more on what the group can experience and learn from, rather than engaging each individual in therapy. If you’re a little apprehensive about talk therapy, this could be the best choice for you.

Support groups provide a little more anonymity. In most of them, if you don’t want to talk or engage, you aren’t pushed to. If anything, you may be asked to say your first name and who you know that’s been impacted by the topic being discussed. Listening to others perspectives on what you’re experiencing can be so helpful.

I hope the information above helps you find the best therapist for you. I’ve got some cool stuff planned for 2020, so stay tuned!

Until then,