Individual therapy that is based on insight operates under the belief that there are elements of our lives about our emotions of which we aren't fully aware, which act as internal obstacles, restricting our capacity to function in the way we want to. Insidious assumptions about ourselves and about our relationships with others, expectations regarding how the world operates and the recollections of the past perpetuate restricting, and sometimes destructive patterns of thought and emotional behavior. 

Insight-oriented counseling is an experiential, emotion-focused type of therapy that examines the ways that past difficult experiences as well as the emotional beliefs that were formed during our youth influence the current issues in our daily lives. Traumatic experiences and the lack of validation of our responsiveness to the people we loved and relied on as children are the two primary types of events that define and define the character of unconscious emotional expectations. These blind spots in our minds result in us making negative and false assumptions about ourselves as well as the environment that surrounds us. 

How Does Insight-Oriented Therapy Help?

Insight can be described to be "the power or act of seeing into a situation." It's the ability to have a greater and more precise understanding of an event or situation. Psychotherapy that is oriented towards insight helps teens and adults to understand how experiences or circumstances of their past can negatively impact their present thoughts, behavior, and actions, be they conscious or not. Understanding the impact of the past on the future will help to understand the reasons behind the present emotions and behavior.

The concept of an insights-based therapy is not new. Sigmund Freud, who was the founder of psychoanalysis and among the top famous names on the subject of psychoanalysis, used insight-oriented therapy as early as the beginning of the 1900s.  Insight-oriented therapy is an established "talk therapy" that digs into the way that life experiences such as past and current relationships as well as unconscious conflicts and conscious and subconscious desires affect mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

Insight-oriented therapy is based on a variety of methods of therapy that are based on evidence, such as dream connection, analyzing transference interpretive techniques, free analysis, and analyzing resistance. Insight-oriented therapy relies on the notion that the more you know about yourself more effectively you'll be able to perform better.

Insight-Oriented Therapy Process

A therapist who is conducting insight-based individual therapy aims to create an environment of security as well as consistency and control while encouraging the risk-taking process and emotional honesty. This balance can be difficult to keep and the level of experience and education of the therapist is usually the key to the effectiveness of this vital equilibrium of objectives. Based on the needs of the client's requirements an insight-oriented therapist could perform a variety of roles during psychotherapy, such as emotionally supportive, interpreter, clarifier of emotions and thoughts, teacher, and facilitator of risk-taking and security. Each of these roles serves to assist in the attainment of a more productive and integrated self.

In the course of therapy, the therapist and client will discuss the different kinds of behaviors, actions, and compromises clients make to protect themselves from negative thoughts or feelings. Online counsellors will take these insights and analyze how they relate to the client's present anxiety and stress. In the course of conversations that are part of the therapeutic process the online therapist asks guided questions and utilizes verbal prompts to assist clients reach a definitive or clear moment (what is sometimes referred to as an "ah-ha moment") regarding their concerns. These breakthroughs or new perspectives let the patient be able to see their present symptoms in a fresh perspective, which is more realistic. This can lead to improved understanding and awareness of self.

When it's successful, insight-focused individual therapy produces a synergy of emotional and intellectual understanding. Since self-reflection can be difficult and painful, insight-based therapy typically requires more than a couple of sessions. Each 45-minute long session offers an opportunity to become familiar with your personality and ways of being. It also gives you the feeling of being empowered and encouraged to experience and behave differently in your daily life. This non-judgmental approach is integrated into your personal experience and will continue for a long time after therapy or online counselling is completed.

Benefits of Insight-Oriented Therapy

Insight therapy has many advantages for those who suffer from behavioral issues. The most common reason for engaging in an insight-oriented therapy:

1. Improves self-esteem by focusing on the inner person: Insight-oriented therapy stresses the need to take charge of your life. Therapy that is focused on insight can enable those suffering from anxiety and depression, for instance, to let go of old habits of the mind and increase confidence in themselves.

2. Develops coping abilities: Insight-oriented therapy provides a variety of skills to help patients manage. Although significant changes in behavior are lengthy, many insight-based therapy techniques offer methods that patients can employ immediately to make positive modifications to their lives and relationships.

3. Enhances self-awareness. Insight-oriented psychotherapy focuses on the patient's knowledge. Although some individuals may find the process difficult, the benefits of digging into the past can be substantial. People are often surprised by the way their problems, whether eating disorders, mood disorders, or substance abuse -- can make sense when they consider their own stories.

Contribution by: Dr (Prof) R K Suri, Best Clinical Psychologist & Life Coach & Mr. Utkarsh Yadav, Counselling Psychologist