Why Doesn’t Therapy Always Lead to Full Healing?
- jiwoo
- Apr 11
- 3 min read
And How to See Real Change in a Shorter Time (Feat. the Unconscious)
Hello again – this is my second post.
My first entry was quite deep and serious, so I wanted to keep things a little lighter this time. Still, we’re diving into something really important today!
From psychological counselling, psychiatry (with medication), and art therapy, to hypnotherapy and meditation – there are so many ways to care for the mind. It’s important to find what works for you.
But here’s the issue. Some people want to try therapy but feel hesitant or scared. Others simply don’t know where to go, or what kind of help they need. And even those who have tried different types of therapy may find that the effects don’t last long.
Have you ever felt better for a while, only to find yourself stuck in the same patterns again?
Hi, I’m Jiwoo – a transpersonal therapist trained in Australia.
Many of you may not be familiar with transpersonal therapy. It’s a branch of psychology that evolved from Carl Jung’s work.
Why Do the Same Problems Keep Coming Back?
Most traditional counselling sessions are carried out through conversation. The therapist listens, offers emotional support, and helps clients understand their feelings. Practical strategies are given to deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and more.
In therapy, we often experience hope. But in many cases, this hope doesn’t seem to last – or true resolution takes far too long.
The Limits of Talk Therapy – and the Power of the Unconscious
Most modern counselling takes place in what we call the ordinary waking state. This is the conscious awareness we have in daily life – the same “consciousness” a doctor checks for when a patient wakes from surgery.
But human consciousness is far more layered. Beyond our everyday awareness lies the unconscious, the subconscious, and other deeper aspects of the self.
Most of our deepest struggles are rooted in these unconscious layers.
Talking through surface issues doesn’t always reach the core. If the root of the issue lies in the unconscious, simply analysing it consciously is like applying cream to a broken bone. It might soothe temporarily, but it doesn’t truly heal.
We often suppress difficult emotions and bad memories. But they don’t just vanish. They sit in the unconscious, and resurface as emotional signals – often painful or overwhelming ones. We try to suppress them again… and so the cycle continues.
So, What Can We Do?
If therapy hasn’t brought you the lasting change you hoped for, it might be time to explore whether the root of the issue lies deeper.
And if so, the next step is to gently approach the unconscious.
Of course, everyone is different – so the most important thing is to listen to your own intuition when choosing a healing method. Here’s my personal take:
If you feel you may need a diagnosis or medication, a psychiatrist is the right place to start.
If you want clear insight into your mental state and practical advice from an expert, traditional counselling can be very helpful.
If it’s hard to express your emotions with words, or you want to explore your inner world more deeply, approaches like art therapy or psychodrama might suit you.
And if you feel drawn to explore your unconscious and enter altered states of awareness for deeper healing, I’d recommend considering transpersonal therapy. This approach also trusts that the client holds the answers within.
(Hypnotherapy is another method for accessing the unconscious, but I’m not entirely sure whether healing actually takes place within the trance state itself.)
How Transpersonal Therapy Works
Transpersonal therapy accesses the unconscious through various techniques, such as:
Meditation
Breathwork
Creative expression (art, sound)
Journaling
Focusing on body sensations
Phenomenological dialogue
