Thoughts on Going to Therapy

The closest I’ve ever been to going to therapy was when I was an undergrad.

There was a tragic accident that happened to a few fraternity brothers.

And a few of the counselors suggested we go to therapy.

These sessions were 15 minutes.

I was hesitant but eventually ended up doing it.

Those 15 minutes felt very chill.

Right as I was loosening up, the counselor said:

‘Looks like we’re done, I’ll talk to you another time if you want to get another session going.’

I felt good.

But afterward, I never made an effort to go to therapy again.

Is Therapy Worth It?

‘If you had a fun time in that initial therapy session Armani, how come you never went back?’

I don’t know, it was never much of a priority.

Plus, I’m not much of a talker with my emotions unless it leads to content creation.

Content creation is a form of therapy for me.

Also, going to the gym is another form of therapy.

I feel like I’m channeling my emotions into something constructive.

With that being said, I believe therapy can be high ROI for certain groups of people.

Since I don’t have much firsthand experience with this, I listen to people who do.

The People Who Do Therapy

I met this one girl a while back who just got out of a marriage.

During her divorce, it was messy.

The husband didn’t want the divorce to go through, there were threats, disappointed parents, and more.

After the divorce, she had a lot to process.

Each time she tried to process things by herself, she tilted toward darkness.

She realized she needed help.

So, she got a therapist.

The therapist helped her organize her internal world.

She allowed this divorcee to make sense of what she just went through.

The more this divorcee processed what just happened to her, the more she felt in control.

Nowadays, the divorcee seems like she learned a lot from that moment.

Rather than being bitter, she seems mature.

I noticed a lot of people who go to therapy are a bit slower with their movements.

They know how to respond more than react.

Therapy Gone Wrong

Therapy helps someone process their inner world.

If the hurt is never processed, then it is channeled into a different vehicle.

That’s why the quote “hurt people hurt people” exists.

I see the benefits of therapy in helping someone understand their inner world.

It really depends on the therapist though.

Every now and then, I see these unhinged people on social media claiming they’re therapists.

They have a phrase for everything.

When you introduce too many phrases, you cloud someone’s thinking.

Rather than allowing therapy to calm someone down, it only makes them more dependent.

My opinion is to keep it simple.

Listen to what is bothering them.

Listen more.

Give suggestions if needed.

Have a back-and-forth conversation.

Go back to listening.

Ultimately, the value of therapy really depends on the mental state of the therapist.

Why Normal People Are Getting a Therapist Nowadays

I used to think that therapy was for crazy people.

Nowadays, I see a lot of levelheaded people going to therapy.

I knew an entrepreneur like this.

He was having his best year in business yet.

Setting record after record.

One day, we went to Starbucks and talked.

He said that he just got out of a therapy session.

I asked:

‘What’s wrong?’

He responded:

‘Nothing.’

‘Then why get a therapist?’ I asked.

That’s when he told me something interesting.

Since his business scaled, he’s had a lot more pressure.

He’s been having to deal with so many different personality types.

He doesn’t have any problems …yet.

Ever since he hired someone to just hear him talk, he’s felt calmer.

His therapist is very smart and emotionally intelligent.

So, she will ask him if he believes he acted appropriately in certain situations.

This guided and free-flowing talking has made him calmer.

He says that he goes to therapy when he doesn’t have problems.

So, he continues to have a life without any pressing problems.

Knowing When to Withhold an Opinion

I see guys on social media taking impassioned stances on therapy.

They are like:

‘Therapy is a psyop to make people weak! You just need to go to the gym.’

I’m a big proponent of the gym.

But the gym alone won’t solve all issues.

There are times when we need to put words to ambiguous emotions.

And just lifting weights will not do that.

A lot of these people giving the gym advice as if it’s the holy grail of solving any problem out there are unhinged themselves.

• They snap at people for the smallest reasons.
• Have an opinion on everything.
• And don’t often know what they’re talking about.

I think it’s wise to give an impassioned opinion on therapy if you’ve done it and gone through a few sessions.

If it didn’t work, then talk away.

But if you go to these guys who are like:

‘Therapy is bad for you!’

And you ask them, when’s the last time they did therapy?

They’ll say never.

So, they are basing their entire argument around a hypothetical.

I don’t think you need to have done something to have an opinion on it.

However, I do think sometimes it’s better to just shut up and let people deal with their inner world in the most optimal strategy they see fit.

Also, I hear another argument that says:

‘Our ancient ancestors didn’t have therapy.’

Our ancient ancestors also didn’t have information overload, global competition, and inflation.

The ancient ancestors faced their own challenges.

Their challenges mainly dealt with the physical.

Survival issues that they had to navigate.

We face our challenges.

Our challenges deal with the mental.

Navigate the landscape of information.

You can run from the external world, but you can’t run from the inside.

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– ArmaniTalks