A quick fix?

So often in life we are looking for a quick fix. We want to lose weight but we want to do it quickly -we don't want it to take 6 months to lose 20 pounds and we don't want to have to give up dessert. We find ourselves searching the internet for a cleanse or pill we can take to take the weight off quickly.

We want to start a new career but we don't want to take the time to research opportunities and set up interviews or shadowing opportunities. We don't want to consider going back to college.

We want to get out of debt but we don't want to take the time to cut back on things we might like to make that happen.

The SAME thing happens for our emotional well being. We are tired of feeling depressed, worried, sad, overwhelmed, hopeless. But we don't want to spend months or maybe years in therapy week after week.

So people either put it off... or don't come at all. Then when they do walk in the office they will often ask "how long will this take??" Well, the answer is, there is no one size fits all. There is no quick answer because everyone is so different. Just like people lose weight at different rates, or understand chemistry faster than others, different people brain's respond faster to psychotherapy than others.

The one thing I CAN tell you is that newer evidence based models like EMDR do have a much faster rate in terms of patients feeling relief than traditional talk therapy models. They keep coming back as well and stay motivated because they can feel a difference in a few sessions.

So long story short, don't expect a quick magic fix, but expect to feel better faster these days as long as you are willing to put in the time and the work. I can't keep the cupcakes out of your mouth, but I can give you the tools to help you to stop buying those cupcakes in the first place. I can't change the fact that you may have eaten it, but I can help you feel differently afterwards so you can stop beating yourself up about it and realize you are worth more than your realize.

Life is short. Take care of yourself --- inside and out. If you aren't happy with the inside you will never be happy with the outside.