What is Psychology?

Psychology is the application of research and theory to the understanding and treatment of mental health issues. The field of psychology focuses on the scientific study, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. 

There are a variety of methods used to conduct research in psychology. There are three types of research methods used in psychology: experimental, correlational, and qualitative. Experimental research is the most common method used in psychology. It is designed to answer specific questions about cause-and-effect relationships between variables, as well as to test hypotheses about how variables interact with each other. Correlational research is less common than experimental research but can be very useful when trying to understand how two or more variables are related without testing causality or interaction effects between them. Qualitative research is the least common method used in psychology, but it provides rich data that may not be available through other methods of study (e.g., interviews).

What Makes a Good Psychologist?

A psychologist is a mental health professional who helps people with their psychological problems, whether they are related to everyday life or more severe. There are many different types of psychologists and the work they do vary greatly depending on their area of expertise. Psychologists can work in hospitals, schools, prisons, community mental health centers, and private practices.

How do Psychologists Treat Patients?

Psychologists are professionals who help people to identify and overcome their mental health problems. They provide treatments for a variety of mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.

Before treatment begins, the psychologist will ask the patient about their symptoms and history. The psychologist will then conduct an assessment to determine what type of treatment might be best suited for the patient. Treatment usually involves talking sessions with the therapist in addition to other therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy or psychotherapy.

Are You Looking for a Psychologist in Mumbai?

The city of Mumbai has several psychologists. You can schedule an appointment with any one of them to discuss your mental health issues. But it's always advisable to find someone reliable with years of experience, and proven track records of handling patients with multiple psychological problems. 

Aanchal Narang, the founder of Another Light Counselling is a renowned clinical psychologist in Mumbai, who holds a Master's in Applied Psychology (Clinical) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai and has trained more than 3000 clinicians. Under the guidance of psychologist Aanchal Narang, the counsellors at ALC are trained to recognize the important roles that a person's early life experiences, socio-political environment, social support systems, traumatic events, etc. play in their deteriorating mental health in addition to validating the particular experiences and struggles of their clients. They accept and comprehend the challenges that their patients experience by shifting the treatment's emphasis from "curing" to "supporting."

Key Benefits of Seeing a Psychologist

• Talking about life events makes them more cohesive

When a problem is merely an amorphous blob in your thoughts, it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed by it; but, talking about the issue gives it a beginning, middle, and end. And that makes it easier for your mind to process. The more you talk, the clearer your mind becomes, and the more you understand what you are attempting to communicate. Similar to talk and talk therapy, one learns to recognize the triggers of their anxiety, sadness, anger, and frustration. One is then more liberated to choose how to deal with these emotions or take action to make them go away.

• You don’t feel alone in your experiences

A big part of the relief from seeing a psychologist in Mumbai is knowing that you are doing something to address your issues. Knowing that you have a built-in support system that you can visit once a week is also reassuring. Additionally, if you're so motivated, it might be highly beneficial to join a support group for others going through similar problems to you, like divorce. It's not that suffering likes company, but it may be incredibly comforting to be with others who are going through the same things.

• You can rewire your brain

The ability of therapy to effect change at the level of the brain is one of its fascinating features. There is strong evidence that talk therapy has a similar effect to medicine in treating depression. Psychotherapy has been demonstrated to change activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala using brain imaging techniques. These regions are engaged in executive control, emotion, self-referential thoughts (also known as "me"-centered worry thoughts), and fear.

• Physical symptoms vanish over time

Physical symptoms can be brought on by psychological stress or even just general apathy, and depression and anxiety are known to have major, and occasionally crippling, physical impacts. If therapy is successful, going to therapy might be able to help these problems go away. One's body frequently responds when people suppress their emotions and keep them hidden from conscious awareness instead of expressing them. It functions as a warning barometer. There is a problem that demands addressing. Our body responds to stress and emotional pain by somatizing in a variety of ways, including stomachaches, headaches, trouble sleeping, and ulcers.

• Repressed emotions are addressed

The biggest problem with not talking about things is that unspoken emotions and traumas can build up and eventually explode. Suppressing or dampening one's feelings won't make them disappear. If anything, they linger and fester until exploding in response to a neutral remark. Even if you don't subsequently experience a full breakdown, failing to adequately process events and feelings frequently results in negative thought patterns that can affect many aspects of your life, including your interactions with your spouse, parents, children, coworkers, and even yourself. Learning to process them will therefore impact the way you move in a variety of ways.

• A new perspective is gained on other people

One fantastic advantage of the therapy is that it improves both your understanding of yourself and that of other people. Without processing our negative ideas, they get embedded in our minds, causing us to view the world through that lens and make numerous assumptions that may or may not be accurate. It's far simpler to comprehend people's goals and motivations when there aren't the clutter of your own (sometimes incorrect) assumptions.

• It builds a framework to deal with future tribulations better

Knowing how to handle both big and minor difficulties in a healthy way is a crucial ability because they will occasionally arise. Gaining a better understanding of oneself comes through talking things through with a friend and thinking about the emotions that are triggered and why. Then, one is more liberated to consider how to react in a more proactive manner. The secret is to figure out how to develop a game plan to deal with circumstances rather than letting them consume you (and it takes a lot of practice).