Therapy in Harrogate

When we talk about therapy in Harrogate what we usually mean is we’re in therapy, having therapy, or talking to a therapist.

Therapy itself as a word means a treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.

**So, what exactly is the therapy we’re talking about here?**

Really what we’re referring to is the word ‘psychotherapy’ that’s been shortened to therapy. This has been shown to improve your emotions, resilience and psychological well-being. It’s linked with positive changes in the brain and behaviour.

What they all have in common is they’re talking therapies. As the sayings goes, “A problem shared is a problem halved”. By talking you’re cutting away at your concerns. And just think that after a few sessions if you kept halving…

Can Harrogate therapists really help?

The long and short of it is yes. To what extent is something you and therapist decide between you. It’s called the therapeutic alliance. Basically it’s the belief you have in one another: the bond. This determines whether you only just slightly move the dial. Or take a giant step forward. It’s like teacher to pupil, athlete to coach.

Therapy in Harrogate. Why go?

Because you can’t always talk to friends and family. They may be the problem. Also you might not want to burden or upset them. Talking to a therapist is different. At its core therapy is a safe space to be the fully open, vulnerable, a no-holds-barred version of yourself.

Let it all out.

You can express your full range of emotions, share everything that’s worrying you. You can even talk about things that are socially not acceptable. Don’t worry. Harrogate therapists will listen and take it all in. It’s their job - to support and not judge. It’s called unconditional positive regard.

Therapy in Harrogate. Is it right for me?

It could well be. Therapists in Harrogate can help you with any of the following:

Stress
Anxiety
Pressure
Losing weight/over eating
Stopping smoking/vaping
Phobias (flying, heights, spiders, injections/needles etc.)
The menopause
Pregnancy
Exams
Childhood trauma
Addiction - alcohol, cocaine, ketamine, cannabis
You want to improve your sports performance (golf, triathlons, football,

Therapy in Harrogate. Which one should I choose?

Ultimately who you feel most comfortable with. Right from the off, when you make contact you want to feel safe and not judged. Understood. Heard. The right therapy in Harrogate will help you to feel like this. You’ll believe you can find better ways to cope with your problems and improve your emotional wellbeing. Like I mentioned earlier - you create a great, strong therapeutic alliance.

Why? Because opening up to someone about intimate details of your life can feel daunting.

Research shows that one of the most important aspects of psychotherapy is the relationship you form with your therapist. A strong relationship helps you to overcome the challenges you face in the present and to heal the painful events in the past.

Hypnotherapy. Also known as hypnosis uses a relaxed state of mind to treat your conditions and negative thoughts and behaviours.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). This is based on the idea that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are linked. Thinking about things the wrong way traps you in a negative cycle. CBT aims to turn this around by breaking them down into smaller parts, so you can make change easier.
NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Literally translated NLP teaches you to better understand how your brain (neuro) processes by the words we use (linguistic) and how that can change for the better (programming).
Psychoanalytical Therapy. This is sometimes known as ‘digging deep’ into the subconscious. Psychoanalytic or psychodynamic psychotherapy helps you to understand your problems by increasing your awareness of your own inner world and how it affects past and present relationships and thinking.
Person-Centred Therapy. At the core this approach believes you want to develop to your full potential. However, this has become blocked ability by, say, life experiences, particularly those which affect your sense of self-worth.
Counselling. This involves ‘talking through’ your problems to improve your well-being. The ‘talk’ uses psychological methods to guide. A counsellor will listen sympathetically to identify what’s blocking you and sometimes offer advice.

How can I tell if therapy is working?

With some therapy in Harrogate it’s straight forward. For example, you’ve now stopped smoking and have no interest in ever smoking again. Or you’re no longer scared of flying, or heights.

With others it’s more nuanced. And to answer this it might be worth keeping a Thought Diary. Ask yourself do you feel so bothered by people, places, times, events? And to what extent?

Also as I mentioned earlier do you feel you have a connection with the therapist? Do you feel you’re progressing? It’s not necessarily about liking them - that helps - but do you feel you respect them. Do you feel they’re listening?

Why don't therapists work for some people? 12 reasons why.

We’ve talked about the therapeutic alliance above, but there are other factors that come into play.

1. Your own thinking is standing in the way and you can’t see it. For example, you’re over critical, impatient, your black and white thinking, aggression and anger, unrealistic expectations, unhealthy boundaries, perfectionism. A practical situation might be that you’re overly sensitive to criticism and perceive the therapist’s recommendations as criticism rather than highlighting areas for growth.

2. Your fears create resistance to therapy. You might fear being judged, rejected, having to take greater responsibility for yourself and your recovery, getting better, not getting better, success, and intimacy, to name a few. If these factors stand in the way you can disengage - this can reinforce the fears and leaves the underlying factors unaddressed. So you think therapy is unhelpful.

3. The therapy needs to be specific to your struggle. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. You may feel that the therapist needs to address the most important area of struggle first before moving on to the underlying reasons that may not be apparent to you. In effect, the therapist needs to tailor their approach to your needs, not the reverse.

4. The goals set can’t be measured. If no goals are set, or the goals are unrealistic, it can make it seem as if therapy isn’t helpful. It’s important for you and your therapist to set milestones that can be measured along the way to success. This is helps keep recovery on track and is an opportunity for praise along the way as each milestone is reached and passed.

5. A mismatch between your struggle and the therapy used. Your therapist gives away too much personal opinion on the therapeutic approaches they believe are helpful. Basically you’ve selected a therapist who’s putting their personal opinions and preferences into the therapeutic approach they use.

6. There’s a clash of personalities. Quite simply you and your therapist don’t get on. You can’t see eye-to-eye. It can seem like therapy is stressful and unhelpful. So walk away.

7. You expected speedier progress. In most instances it’s really hard to say how long it will take to change. Some times it might be a couple of sessions (stopping smoking, a phobia like flying, or heights). Alternatively, clients who struggle with impatience and/or have unrealistic expectations - a common trait if you have anxiety - it can take longer.

9. You’re looking for an inexpensive solution.

There is a price to pay. And some Harrogate therapists will charge more than others. A lower price may reflect that your therapist is just starting out. You might not be buying the experience you’re looking for.

10. You’re expectation of recovery is unrealistic.

Recovery takes time, and often lots of it. If your progress is slower than you hoped, talk with your therapist about it. Also you as the client has to be honest with yourself: you need to do the work. So, if your expectations aren’t being met, it might be because they are unrealistic. As mentioned, therapists are often waiting on their clients rather than the other way around.

11. You think you can do it yourself. Many anxiety disorder sufferers are ingenious, highly intellectual, analytical, creative, perfectionistic, and hard working. Therefore, it’s understandable to believe you should be able to overcome anxiety disorder on your own. But if change isn’t happening you need to let your therapist in - a lot more.

12. Resistance. This take many forms.

(a). You hold onto to a bad belief/dysfunction. Why? You’re used to it and would rather go with what you know than change to something unfamiliar.

(b). You find it too risky to let your guard down. So you’d rather remain ‘safe’ than vulnerable.

(c). You feel so low that you feel change is pointless.

(d).You want to stay unwell to avoid dealing with a deeper issue.

(e). You believe your label of “being unwell” or having a “disorder” therefore you can change.

(f). It’s a cost issue. You believe the cost of being unwell is less than the cost of recovery.

(G). Taking responsibility. Change means taking ownership. Your mindset might (wrongly) dictate that you believe nothing will be required if you remain unwell.

Do Harrogate therapists genuinely care?

A massive YES. We all have pride in our profession. And to see another person heal, leave all their troubles behind, and have the coping skills to go forward in life is a wonderful thing.

Also therapists have to care. You, the client, can feel when someone’s ‘going through the motions’. No one benefits from this. Care shows.

On a business level therapists want to do a good job. We want referrals, Google reviews. And on a personal level we want to be liked.

Therapy in Harrogate. Which one is the most successful?

Quite simply the one that works for you. And how do you find that? It’s not easy. You have to search and ask around (I know, not easy if it’s a sensitive issue).

But it’s here where I have to play my hand.

I’m a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.

A Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist to be precise.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is considered the gold standard in psychotherapy. Numerous clinical trials have found CBT to be effective for a spectrum of emotional health challenges, from anxiety and stress to addiction and over eating.

Hypnosis is simply an easy way to make CBT work. In a nutshell you learn how to relax and not be bothered by anything that’s happened to you.

Frequently asked questions about therapy in Harrogate.

1.How long is a therapy session?

Therapy sessions usually last 45–50 minutes. Typically you’d meet your Harrogate therapist weekly, but the length of therapy depends on your needs and circumstances.

2. What can you expect during my first session?

During your first session, typical questions are:

What are your symptoms?
What brought you to therapy?
What do you feel is wrong in your life?
Questions about your history, including your childhood, education, relationships, current living situation, and career.

3. Harrogate therapists. How many sessions do I need?

The length of therapy varies depending on you and the challenge. It might be a few sessions, say, phobias (heights, flying, spiders), or driving (your upcoming test, motorway driving, night driving, crossing the Ouse and/or Humber bridges). On the other hand it might be more. Typically for addiction, a life long trauma, work stress and business coaching.

4. What can happen in therapy?
This is very personalised to you and your underlying condition, but during therapy you might:

Talk about your feelings
Learn about recognising, naming your emotions, thoughts, coping skills and facing fears - being comfortable being uncomfortable
Developing and practicing new skills by role modelling and acting out scenarios.

5. What are some benefits of therapy?

We’re aiming to create a new calmer version of you. One that can see that past behaviours aren’t working. Learning new skills to create a better version of you: less bothered by events, worried about the future, aware of their boundaries and always learning.

Therapy in Harrogate. Examples of challenges in the area.

Students, studying and exams.

The Harrogate area is famous for it’s schooling and academia - and that can bring challenges for schooling from the 11+, GCSEs, and A levels.

It may also be pressure as you grow that affect your ability to study. There may be a need for help coming to terms with an ADHD, Asperger's or autism diagnosis, for example.

Professionals.

In Harrogate, there's a higher percentage of the working-age population with degree qualifications compared to England as a whole. Furthermore, a high percentage of Harrogatonians work as managers, directors, or senior officials, which is significantly higher than the national average, according to Data North Yorkshire.

Being in a profession like law, banking, medicine, management consultancy, insurance, or C-suite level management brings challenges. It can be pressure and stress you take home, or vice versa.

Typically the issues include:

. pressure

. building resilience

. imposter syndrome

. public speaking

. loss of confidence

. coaching to get to the next level

. how lonely it is at the top

. an empty feeling that once you've got to the top that this is all there is.

Into the countryside around Harrogate

In the rural areas around the city there can be a need to talk to someone. Typically loneliness can be a worry. As well as farming - the pressure of the weather and making a living. And if you’re a horse rider you may be out of sorts - lost confidence, or had a fall.

Driving

Sometimes, especially as we get older, we can change our minds about what we think about driving. It can leave us afraid and nervous. The roads are getting busier and the lorries can feel intimidating. Typically driving on the M62, M180, or M18 can feel like a pressurised race. Then there’s the fear of the bridges. Most notably across the Humber and the Ouse. A worry about the height and cross wind can creep in.

Sport

Harrogate is well known for being a popular town for professional footballers from, most notably Leeds United and Middlesborough. All levels of football bring challenges from believing you're good enough to make it, keeping the right mindset throughout your career, coming back from injury, suddenly feeling the pressure to what to do when you retire (now what? into the great unknown).

Two other popular sports in the Harrogate region are golf and tennis. If, in either instance, you feel your game has 'gone' therapy can help you get it back. And in the case of golf therapy can prove cheaper than a pro 're-building' your game.

Performance

This overlaps with sports such as running, triathlons and cycling in particular where you have to constantly motivate yourself.

And for your career. Especially where you need confidence. For example, you run a big team and can feel you're being watched, you're in sales and it's target-driven, or you run your own business and it's all down to you.

So who am I?

I’m James Thomas. I'm one of the Harrogate therapists. I call myself and my company The Gentle Mind. Why? Because I believe that when we’re calmer it’s easier to learn new skills and let go of old harmful habits, thoughts and behaviours. In effect to be a better version of you.

All you have to do is relax and let go. And I’ll show you how. Call me on 07787563099 or email me at jamesthomas@thegentlemind.co.uk I’m here in Harrogate. Or if you commute to Leeds I can see you there.