Psychologists Can Help You Interpret Thoughts And Feelings

Psychologists work to study people’s behavior. They help people understand their problems by interpreting the thoughts and feelings they have. They listen to the meaning and importance of what the patient is saying.

Jacques Lacan – a French psychoanalyst – put forward the idea that the subconscious has the same structure as a language. The subconscious would be a place where you store desires, fears and emotions. So according to some schools of thought , it is psychologists who give the patient the resources to make the subconscious conscious.

Let’s take a closer look at this.

Psychologists have certain characteristics that allow them to interpret the thoughts and feelings that the patient has. They can also express this in a language that is easy for the patient to understand. Here are some of their special abilities:

• Empathy: this is the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes. It is easier for psychologists to understand how and why a patient’s problem affects him if they can put themselves in the person’s shoes.
• Communication: Paul Watzawick – an Austrian psychologist – believes that communication is the basis of relationships. This is why psychologists can interpret what the patient thinks and feels.
• Knowing how to listen: Psychologists need to pay attention to what the patient is saying so that they do not miss anything important.
• Self-awareness: Psychologists must separate their own problems from the patient’s. Otherwise, they can poison the communication.

Gestures, expressions, tone of voice and attitude can also say a lot about what is going on in one’s life. These aspects can provide valuable information about our emotions that we are otherwise unaware of. Because we are not aware of it, we do not address it verbally.

Thoughts and feelings can sometimes also not be expressed in words. To interpret them, psychologists must therefore observe the patient very carefully. For example, they look at facial expressions when they talk about a problem. They can also observe how the patient is sitting and where he is looking.

The tone can also be revealing. For example, does the patient’s tone change when he talks about certain topics? Does she stop? Does he remain silent? Does she sound out of breath? Does he speak faster or slower? How loud does the person speak?

The aspects we just listed are important because they help the psychologist understand the whole picture. It gives the psychologist clues about the patient’s ideas, representations of reality and emotions.

Here is a list of some of the techniques that psychologists most often use in their profession:

• Cognitive techniques: Aaron Black, a psychologist from the United States, suggested that there is a connection between thoughts and your emotions. Beck believed that we can restructure these thoughts and feelings. Psychologists can help us with this.
• Drawing and painting: the process of drawing or painting makes the subconscious visible. Here, the psychotherapist helps to express ideas and feelings that are difficult for the patient to express in words. Then the psychologist can interpret thoughts as well as emotions.
• Through speech: the therapist recognizes and identifies people’s thoughts and feelings when they speak.

• Through behavior: therapists observe how patients act during therapy. They also listen to the patient’s descriptions of how he or she acts outside of therapy. For example, if the person is aggressive, apathetic, motivated or excited.
• Non-verbal language: in many cases, psychologists can help patients interpret thoughts and feelings because they pay close attention to how they express themselves non-verbally. They listen to what is being said, but are not distracted. In other words, they always have gestures, facial expressions and posture in mind.
• Bringing the subconscious into the light: most psychologists who “believe” in the existence of the subconscious believe that they manifest themselves in different ways. It can come out through art, mistakes in speech or forgetfulness. Psychologists pay attention to these issues and point them out to the patient. They are the ones who will give meaning to them (if there is one).

• Psychodrama: This is a technique created by Jacob Levy Moreno, in which patients act out what is happening. Afterwards, the psychologist helps the patient to interpret his actions, as certain subconscious things may appear.

Psychologists often act as a type of mirror. They reflect the expressions the patient has so that the patient can then interpret them. They can also help organize their patient’s speeches and ideas. They do this by letting the patient speak freely, and act as a kind of crutch or support so that the process does not stop.