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The idea of participating in group therapy can feel intimidating, especially with the thought of having to express your inner thoughts and emotions amongst other people. However, these professionally guided group therapy sessions can be some of the most beneficial experiences you have in your life. Studies show that most participants express how rewarding their experiences are in group therapy sessions. If you have been wondering if pursuing group therapy sessions to help with your recovery regimen is for you, here is a look at some benefits that group therapy sessions offer.
Groups Provide Support
Being in a group setting and listening to others share their experiences help you see that you are not alone with the challenges you face. Whether you struggle with depression, anxiety, anger, or health ailments, hearing another person express how it makes them feel can be very comforting and even help you open up more about what is affecting you. Such an environment strengthens the bonds and trust you have with others.
Group therapy’s environment can feel like a sacred place of safety and understanding. These shared experiences create relationships that will likely carry on outside the meeting and into your support network, and you can never have enough trusted peers in your support system.
Sounding Board
Sometimes when you express your feelings after a challenging experience, it might be difficult to get the feedback you need from one person. That is, you might remain feeling justified and validated in your reaction to the situation. However, when you are in a group, multiple outside opinions can listen and interpret what you say and how you are saying it. Having a sounding board of numerous people can point out how you present yourself and your concerns that perhaps you overlook. Hearing about how you come across from other people can be a very enlightening experience.
Sometimes in recovery, you might become reserved, hold back, or even become judgmental because you believe that somehow your situation is vastly different from others. These thoughts create feelings that nobody will understand you. However, a group setting stands to challenge your beliefs. Since you are getting feedback from a broader scope, group therapy helps to dispel any feelings of uniqueness or terminal uniqueness. You are beginning to understand how many others share your experiences. Further, it helps bring your thoughts out of isolation and into the group's shared experience.
Groups Propel You Forward
When you share your experiences within a group, you listen to others and how they overcame similar challenges to you. Their experiences can help to provoke enlightenment in you to overcome a challenge because they might offer insight that you never thought of before. Such experiences can involve dealing with toxic relationships, mending relationships, or even combating cravings and triggers. Not only are these experiences encouraging, but studies show that those that work within a group are more motivated to overcome their challenges when they see others overcoming theirs.
While you share experiences and attain motivation from others in the group, you are also building upon your social skills. As you likely know, developing good social and communication skills are not only essential to aid with your recovery but are also a necessary skill when pursuing a career. Group settings encourage you to speak about your experiences and move from feeling isolated to feeling accepted. Groups also help you practice and re-engage with others, which helps propel you to overcome challenges in your recovery and overall daily life.
Communal Unity
It can be challenging to find others in your community that share the same concerns and feelings about their recovery as you do. When you don't pursue opportunities within a group, you might feel alone because you don't know that such a community exists. Joining group therapy not only helps you connect with others that share similar experiences and that are also on the path to recovery, but it helps strengthen your recovery community as a whole. When you understand that others are struggling with overcoming challenges, grieving, coping with trauma, or sharing similar addiction and mental health disorders, it is a powerful tool to help you continue to grow and overcome obstacles in recovery.
If you have been isolating yourself from getting the help you need, it might be time to try group therapy. Participating in group therapy can help you make valuable and lasting life changes to help you reach the goals you set for yourself. At START UP Recovery, we focus on helping you transition your life to achieve your recovery and professional goals. We believe in the power of support and understand that it takes help from others to help you reach and exceed your expectations. We deliver leading-edge entrepreneurial resources in a safe and structured luxury recovery environment designed to transform lives, starting with rebuilding one's relationship with self. Our goal is to help you build a network of peers and professionals to ensure that you always have the best opportunity for success. While it can be intimidating to pursue group therapy, START UP Recovery provides safe places and comfortable settings to help get you started. We will also work to find what kind of group setting will work best for you and where you can thrive. We never limit your options or possibilities. To learn more, reach out to us today by calling (310) 773-3809. Start your journey to transformation today.