Continually thinking about a problem is like talking to a mirror. You only hear what you think, and you only think what you think. Thus, it is a closed system. In effect, it is circular thought, repetitive, and does not get you anywhere. The value of a psychologist is that you get input, a new and different viewpoint on what it is that is bothering you. Further, the psychologist not only offers new input, but input from a perspective that is trained to analyze problems, aid clients in determining their bases, and in approaching a variety of ways of encountering and dealing with the problems. Therefore, consulting with a psychologist is useful and valuable because, instead of merely endlessly repeating the problem, you can find professional assistance and aid in pursuing a solution or solutions to the problem bothering you. It’s not a following a circular path leading nowhere, but a path to find a way out, a way to positively deal with the problem.
Additionally, you may find that the psychologists provides you with insight and information that you might not want to hear. Sometime, consciously or unconsciously, one’s mind may recognize the basis of the problem or a potential way to avoid or deal with the problem, but you can’t or won’t admit it to yourself. Thus, the psychologist can not only help you to recognize the true nature of your problem, but assist you with the avoidance you may be experiencing in potentially facing and dealing with the problem.
You might say, “Well, I can go to my wife or best friend, and they can tell me what the problem is or help me to discover a solution.” This is not an unusual reaction, but it is not a valid one. Friends and family members have a vested interest in staying on your good side, and most people have a natural aversion to telling family members or friends things that may be unpleasant to them. Psychologists do not have these personal limitations. The psychologist is dedicated to looking at problems objectively and in analyzing them, to help the client see and understand the true nature of the problem, which is the first step in positively dealing with or coping with the problem. The psychologist has the professional and educated viewpoint which friends and family members do not have. The fact that the psychologist will not limit what she tells you like friends of family members might is a critical reason to visit the psychologist.
Further, while the psychologist will not tell you that you are necessarily right in your analysis and thoughts about your problem. They will confide in you important information that you need to know to grow and develop in dealing with the problem positively.
So, if you find yourself endlessly repeating the same routine of thoughts about something that you feel is a personal problem, that is a cue that you need a fresh insight and a professional insight into it. That is what the psychologists can provide for you: a new way of looking at your problem, but with a new part to it that in your repetitive thinking about it has not provided before—some form of positively dealing with it, a form of a solution.
For all of these reasons, then, talking to a psychologist offers a highly valuable and positive way of dealing with your personal problems rather than endlessly repeating them in your mind. The psychologist will contribute understanding and positive approach to encountering, coping with, and some eventual solution to disturbing personal problems, worries, and fears.
NEXT: More indications of why to go to a psychologist.
