Theories of Psychotherapy
- tbarghamadi13
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
March 16, 2025
Counseling is to get you to a place of being able to feel the whole range of human emotion with less distress, and more openness- with freedom. Each theory of psychotherapy intends to get you there- just in different ways.
IFS/Parts Work: We all have many parts of us- the inner critic who shames us, the part who is scared to live their dreams, the realistic part that “keeps us in line”. We each have a different array of parts- but the key is- if we listen and understand each part, we can better support ourselves. It's like a puzzle, we have to know what the pieces look like to best understand where to place them and see the full picture.
Mindfulness {part of DBT, Polyvagal theory, and an ancient cultural practice}: If we can tune into our bodies, we can have awareness of our current state. We’re not trying to change the state and “always be perfectly at neutral”. Instead, we want to understand where we are in the present moment. What do our emotions feel like in the body? In having a greater understanding of ourselves in this somatic way, we can see emotions as messengers from the body. Not threats, but friends who tell us something about ourselves. This builds a safer relationship with our own bodies and minds.
CBT: Let's notice the thoughts you have that are incorrect and correct them. My couples therapist gave me a great example- “sometimes we plant bullshit seeds, and then the garden of our mind is now sprouting up with bullshit trees. You gotta plant better seeds if you want different results!”. Powerful.
Psychodynamic: Lets understand your childhood, and gain some insight into why you are the way that you are. How did your parental figures treat you? How did they treat themselves? What did you learn here? How do you still let it rule you? And where do you want to go from here?
Existential: What meanings did you make of what happened in your life? Think of a memory that impacted you in your childhood- what did you make it mean about yourself? About the world? Noticing and gaining awareness of the meanings we made- our personal philosophy- and noticing where we want to go moving forward helps us to get into a more aligned and authentic life.
Cultural Wisdom: despite all of the challenges throughout history- you are here! Your ancestors made it through famines, wars, political turmoil. What sustained them? What was your culture's medicine? as It nature? Was It dance? With Norooz (Persian New Year) coming up, a new year that is around 4000 years old, rooted in Zoroastrianism, I have been sprouting lentils 🌱 for the ‘sabze’ element of the table. Watching dry lentils begin to sprout into beautiful luscious grass has been creating hope in me- out of nothing, something appears. This is exactly the point of sprouting “sabze”, my ancestors have done it for thousands of years to create hope- what about yours? When we engage in our cultures, we gain the wisdom of our ancestors.
These are a few theories explained in my words- but there are truly hundreds of theories of psychotherapy. And in my experience, they are all going at the same goal in different flavors. One thing my Theories Professors said that impacted me back in school was, “the biggest shift we are looking for is going from rigidity, to flexibility”. This means, more openness, and more willingness to different ways of seeing things, and ways of being. And over time, self compassionately building a life that allows us to feel the full range of our human experience.
In my practice, these are some of the main theories I integrate and customize for each of my clients. I build a tailored approach for each person given their unique needs. In the future I will explain even more theories I enjoy as well.
Thanks for reading,
Tara
