In recruiting and conducting therapy groups, we often encounter myths about how group therapy works. Here we give the most common myths, as well as talk about what you can expect from working in a group.
Myth one. The host will tell you what to do.
Many people confuse group psychotherapy and psychological training. Coming to the group, you expect that the leaders will guide and guide the process: give tasks and exercises, organize communication in such a way that everyone will talk in turn. But in most cases leading silent.
This attitude of the leaders helps the participants to move at their own pace, to discover the topics that are really relevant for the group. Members of the group stop at the slightest difficulties to turn to authorities for help, learn to find support in themselves.
A second myth. In group experiencing only positive emotions.
When you go to a group, you expect that everyone will unconditionally accept each other, support, respect, that there will be no conflicts in the group, it will always be fun and interesting.
However, you may be surprised to find that you do not notice that for the support of your theme and attention you need to fight. If you are interrupted, you sit and wait for others to finish speaking. You become bored, and you habitually look at the leading. But they do not heed your hints and are silent. You sit and get angry at them, but you do not immediately decide to Express anger. And when you angrily announce that you will leave the group, the group finally notices you.
Sometimes you have to deal with unexpected reactions of group members to your statements and behavior. If you step in and insist, the band members don't always thank you. If you are silent, the group can "bill You" for the fact that you are not active and "silent in the corner."
Such unpredictable interactions help group members learn to cope with strong feelings, take care of themselves, find an acceptable balance between their needs and the desire to be part of the group. The band members begin to see themselves and others in their true light, without masks.
These new acquisitions give band members the opportunity to become more resilient to life's adversity, creative, fearless, and tolerant of their own and others ' shortcomings.
Myth the third. In the group, your problems will be solved magically.
Many people believe that the mere participation in the group should lead to the resolution of problems, and there is nothing to do ourselves. Possible problems to cope leading. Or someone of the participants will give the right advice or decide in a situation of agonizing choice. But leading is not in a hurry to help, and most of the advice group members is useless. Then you understand that you will still have to answer for your own fate.
In the process of participating in the group, participants gradually begin to see how their everyday problems manifest themselves right here and now in the group. The group gives the opportunity to discover their "favorite corns", and the participants choose whether to take the risk to talk about their difficulties and tension, doing something new or choose the usual security.
One participant said of this: "I expected my relationships with people to change immediately. As a result, I realized that this is my long inner work. It's hard for me to open up in the band, I don't want to approach a problem that I don't want to contact."
Then why is all this necessary?
In fact, what happens in the group repeats the relationships that develop in your everyday life. The group "highlights" the way in which you build your relationships with others. In life, we often act without thinking about what prompted us to this or that action, without thinking about its consequences. The group has the opportunity to freeze-frame and comprehensively consider and analyze the situation.
By participating in a group, you explore your relationships with others. You can find out how people perceive you-when you are interesting and when you are boring; what you are a leader and what is lagging behind; what you are valued for, why you are angry; when you are warm and when it is cold; what place you usually occupy in the group.
The group allows you to better know yourself – what you normally expect from others in the communication process; for that answer, and would not take responsibility; at which points it becomes especially scary; what you are doing when annoyed interlocutors.
This knowledge allows you to choose how you want to build relationships with people: leave everything as it is or change something.
In the group, you can stay in an unusual role for yourself and learn how you see it in others. You can try to become "uncomfortable" for others, allow yourself to be bright. You can learn to fight others with pleasure and without guilt. You can take a step toward others, feeling different and unique, while respecting the uniqueness of others. When you are tired of socializing and want to be alone, you can end the conversation without feeling guilty.