How to support yourself between therapy sessions

I first entered psychotherapy in my late 20s, when I was experiencing mental health issues that were disrupting my ability to function effectively at work. It was an important decision, not made lightly — and a huge commitment in terms of time and money. But I knew I needed help to change my patterns of thought and behaviour.

If you’re currently in therapy, you have already passed that same tipping point and recognized that you need professional help. You have committed to the process. You understand the value of working with a therapist. But you can only afford one session a week, and you know that each session is going to trigger a lot of thoughts and emotions that won’t wait until you’re back in the therapy room.

So how can you support yourself between sessions? And who can you talk to when you need outside support? Here are some suggestions.

Self-support

Journaling: This is different to keeping a diary. There are similarities, of course, but the key difference is that a diary is used to record events, and a journal is used to reflect on events. Effective journaling requires the application of the rational/analytical left hemisphere of the brain, which releases the creative right hemisphere to wander and play. The theory is that journaling can enhance mental health by guiding you towards confronting previously inhibited emotions, allowing you to process difficult events and compose a coherent narrative about your experiences. However, just doing a ‘brain dump’ on the page won’t enhance your wellbeing.

According to an article published by PositivePsychology.com, Baikie and Wilhelm offer the following tips to ensure your journaling is constructive:

1. Write in a private space that is free from distractions.
2. Write at least three or four times, and aim to write at least once a day on consecutive days.
3. Give yourself some time to reflect and balance yourself after writing.
4. If you’re writing to overcome trauma, don’t feel obligated to write about a specific traumatic event — journal about what feels right in the moment.
5. Structure the writing in whichever way feels right to you.
6. Keep your journal private; it’s for your eyes only — not your partner, not your family, not your friends, not even your therapist (although you can discuss your experience with your therapist, of course).

Expressive writing: There have been many studies about the beneficial effects of expressive writing (a form of writing therapy developed by social psychologist James W Pennebaker in the late 1980s) in helping to keep yourself mentally healthy.

Pennebaker came up with a simple, effective way to help you work through an emotional challenge that involves writing down your deepest emotions and feelings about a particular event for 20 minutes a day for four consecutive days.

Research suggests that completing this exercise can increase happiness, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, strengthen the immune system and improve performance at work. The full instructions are here if you want to try it.

Reflective practice: There are many different models of reflection. One of the best known is Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, which leads you through six stages of exploring and learning from an experience:

• Description of the experience
• Feelings and thoughts about the experience
• Evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
• Analysis to make sense of the situation
• Conclusion about what you learned and what you could have done differently
• Action plan for how you would deal with similar situations in the future, or general changes you might find appropriate

The University of Edinburgh’s Reflection Toolkit provides more detail about this and other models of reflective practice.

Body scanning: This is a good way to release stress and tension that you might not even be aware of. A body scan meditation connects you with different parts of your physicality in sequence from feet to head. Research shows that benefits include stress reduction and reduced insomnia. Here’s a simple body scan meditation you could try.

External support

Mental health helplines: There are many organizations in the UK and US that offer free 24/7 phone support if you find yourself at crisis point between sessions. The organization Mental Health Innovations has launched a text support service in the UK: Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Trained volunteers respond to texts, monitored by clinical supervisors.

Family and/or friends: If you have someone close to you that you trust and feel safe with, then set up a regular call or text communication with them during breaks between sessions, emphasising that you just want someone to listen and acknowledge your thoughts and feelings rather than try to fix anything.

Give back: Find a volunteering activity that interests you (maybe helping at an animal shelter or food bank, or visiting an elderly person) and schedule it in the gap between sessions. Focusing on helping others, with other people, even if it’s just for a couple of hours a week, will give you temporary relief from rumination or an intense focus on your own problems.

Zgmund App: This brand-new technology offers anonymous emotional support groups facilitated by super-empathic psychological AI. In Zgmund sessions you can share your thoughts and feelings in a totally safe and secure environment with like-minded people.

Zgmund’s users report significant emotional relief after a 20-minute conversation — so why not join the waitlist so you can experience a group session and find the support you need before your next therapy session.

I have experienced several Zgmund sessions and found them all to be a useful way of processing my thoughts and feelings without judgment. I wish I’d had access to something similar when I was struggling between therapy sessions in my 20s.

First published on Zgmund.com on July 4, 2021.
(https://www.zgmund.com/blog/how-to-support-yourself-between-therapy-sessions/)