If it Works

Here we have another post to one of my classes.

10^th January 2013

In the world of mental health it is rather hard to argue with the client saying “it makes me feel better”. How can we say that improvement is psychosomatic when all psychological improvement is reasonably psychosomatic? If a client carries a lump of quartz around with them wherever they go because they feel better when they have it who is the clinician to say that this is wrong?

Further along the point is that doing anything may be activating to a client and thus aid in the recovery of depression or anxiety.  There is a form of assessment for childhood abuse where the child is asked to draw an image of themselves and their family. The client failing to draw hands and or feet on a self image indicates that they feel incapable of helping themselves.  One of the definitions of mental stress I have heard is a constant or recurring problem that the client cannot find a solution to.

If we take these examples into account it becomes clear that some mental clients have a feeling of inability to accomplish. It becomes irrelevant if what they do is weed a flower bed, win a video game, build a model, or learn a new skill as all these things are therapeutic.

Energy psychology, the expression of chi and chakra, may be no more than snake oil. However, in mental health the proof is in the pudding. If the client feels that it works then the technique is worthwhile.