Page 42 Healthy Cells Magazine Peoria May 2014

I
recently asked a client to write an essay titled
Would Group Therapy Be Beneficial to Me?
The request was toward the conclusion of a
session in which we were exploring my clients
belief that anyone who knew her story would
reject her. I remarked to her at the time that
I could easily form a therapy group consisting
solely of my own clients who had made similar
remarks, and wondered if she would consider
participating.
The following week, after reading her
response, I asked if she would give me per-
mission to write an article using her essay as a
platform to discuss the merits of group therapy.
She kindly agreed. Her essay began:
My first thought is No Way! You want me
to be honest with a group of people I dont
know? Are you kidding me? My radar is
instantly injected with fear fear of being
honest, fear of rejection, fear of being
laughed at, fear of making it real.
Making the decision to join a group often triggers strong emotions.
Anxiety about the unknown and fear of being vulnerable with others
are significant obstacles in many peoples thinking. Yet something
momentous takes place when individuals face those fears and join a
group: they learn that the feelings which were perceived barriers to
joining a group are actually something they have in common with other
group members. This shared experience helps group members take
increasing risks in sharing their story. As the group process unfolds,
members begin to realize that they admire, and see as courageous,
group members who are doing the very things that initially had been
such obstacles to participating, namely being honest and making it
real. My clients essay continued:
In a group setting, events in my life would become real instead of the
movie film that plays in my head. I may even find out Im not alone
in my experiences.
A part of many individuals movie film is the unsettling thought
that they are unique in their thoughts or experiences. This isolating
idea tends to lead people into a place of shame and feeling unwor-
thy. The shared group experience of having anxiety and fear around
participating in a group is an early signal to members that they may
not be as unaccompanied as they imagined. One of the most healing
aspects of group therapy is interacting with others who have similar
life experience. Group therapy allows clients to explore shared human
experience. My client continued:
I dont like being vulnerable. I prefer my image of I can handle any-
thing; nothing bothers me. I might also find out that my issues or
problems are really not that bad and I am making a mountain out of
a mole hill and learn how to let those feelings go, accept failures and
move on.
Observations and Benefits
By Nathan Krahn, LCPC, CSAT, CMAT
group therapy
The courage to be vulnerable and honest about our lives in a group
setting opens the door to a lot of possibilities. One, as my client specu-
lated about herself, is that we may realize there are areas of our life
that we are catastrophizing and need support in processing and mov-
ing past. Another possibility is that in an effort to maintain the image
that nothing bothers me, we unwittingly make a mole hill out of a
mountain. We sabotage our process of growth and healing because
we refuse to acknowledge the depth at which we have been wounded.
Whatever your circumstance, group therapy offers hope. The valida-
tion group members receive from shared experience is augmented by
an increasing appreciation for differences. Members can observe and
encourage the growth of others, and allow others to do the same for
them. I can handle anything; nothing bothers me is only an image.
Group therapy helps participants to consider a more accurate view of
reality: I can handle anything with the right help.
Nathan Krahn, LCPC, CSAT, CMAT is a therapist at AGAPE Coun-
seling. He specializes in the treatment of addiction and trauma and
currently facilitates a group for partners who have been impacted by
sexual addiction.
Agape Counseling is a group of Christian counselors, social work-
ers, psychologists and support staff committed to a therapeutic pro-
cess that ministers to the whole person. They currently have groups for
a wide variety of issues, including sex addiction, partners of addicts,
DBT, womens identity, and more. They have offices in Peoria, Morton,
and Bloomington. For more information, call 309-692-4433 or visit their
website at www.agapecounselors.net.
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