“Does psychotherapy have side effects?”

Sometimes you may experience more anxiety or high levels of other emotions as you process some of the things that come out in therapy, but those are mostly indirect side effects compared to direct. Most psychotherapy is just talking with someone else when put simply.

In the technical sense, psychotherapy does not have "side effects" as when your body is adjusting to a medication. However, psychotherapy can create adverse reactions. In the event that the wrong type of therapy is provided the individual may get worse. There may be periods of time during the course of therapy that may be situational stressful. So psychotherapy is not benign, but is, when done properly quite safe.

Does psychotherapy have side effects? That's a very interesting question. Typically one thinks of side effects as being relevant to medication, but it's fair to ask it about talk therapy as well. While I am not aware that it is an especially well-researched topic, if we take "side effects" to mean unanticipated and possibly uncomfortable results, there are some observations on the basis of clinical experience that can be made. Psychotherapy involves an unusual experience of talking, thinking and feeling, which can give rise to some anxiety, especially in the early going. Acknowledging that anxiety and working through it can be a useful piece of the therapy. Facing discouraging or disappointing aspects of one's life, which is likely to be a part of the therapeutic experience at some point, can be challenging, and it is possible that a patient will leave a given session feeling worse than they felt beforehand. If the work is going well, these bumps in the road will be more than compensated by increased insight, behavioral flexibility and emotional self-regulation. But progress is seldom entirely steady and smooth. Another sometimes unanticipated effect of therapy is to lead the client to question problematic aspects of their close relationships which they have long overlooked or minimized. Attempts to make changes in relational patterns can be stressful and may in the short term at least lead to increased conflict. Knowing in advance that these issues may arise can be helpful in maintaining one's commitment to treatment. If you experience any of these difficulties in the course of therapy, it doesn't mean the work is going terribly wrong--rather that you are coming to grips with some of the aspects of your life that led you seek help in the first place. *andrewkuhnphd.com <http://andrewkuhnphd.com>* *Manhattan* 5 East 94th Street NYC NY 10128 (212) 480-2426 *Westchester* *New address:* 275 East Main Street Mt. Kisco, NY 10549 <https://goo.gl/maps/pgmU6Z77hgL2> (914) 261-2657 <(914)+261-2657>

Great question! So oftentimes, therapy can be a great tool for managing depression, anxiety, panic, as well as other psychiatric disorders. However, there can be moments of intense emotional expression in the beginning of therapy, due to the fact that the individual is speaking about issues they may not have ever spoken about previously. Because of this, the person might experience an increase in anxiety, sadness, or anger. Nevertheless, therapy can be a great tool for managing these emotions long-term. I hope this helps! Thanks for reaching out! Lindsay