Thread by @G_y_tri

many a time people come in to therapy, will get the tail end of an intervention, obtain one or two insights and feel like 'hey I resolved this' and stop therapy. here's why that's problematic

first, if you're starting out therapy, you're not likely to be given the whole intervention. an exercise often has many components and stages to it that builds on revealed insight. for instance, you have an a-ha moment in journalling. that's probably not the *end* of therapy

it's more likely to be the *beginning*. a therapist may ask you to start journalling (using this as an eg since many are familiar with it) as a way to ease you in, get your thoughts out with clarity, cultivate a habit of self reflection, remove filters in thought process

you may not know why you're doing it, it may seem like a simple exercise, but the therapist typically, after a substantial intake, knows where they are leading you, to what discoveries. when you quit halfway you curtail the process.

then, you may have an insight or breakthrough early on. the journalling helped you *see* something for the first time and it clarified so much for you. you continue with it on your own, you may not see another time. you think it doesnt work and stop it.

an intervention isn't a blanket application, it will work in some cases not in another. a therapist sees when to apply and how much. it may work too much too soon. suddenly you're all raw and wounded. they may ask you to stop journalling. you think, why? it's working isn't it?

you may end up derailing the process if you don't work with an intervention well. you may harm yourself. now you don't want to meditate/journal cos it just makes you feel terrible. journalling/meditation bad. so you throw away perfectly good tools. it's the application that errs

and finally, awareness is not resolution. just because you have an insight. 'X caused me trauma ive internalised as self directed anger'. the solution is not 'this is all X's fault. now my therapy is over'.
Now the work of processing this anger / insight begins.

interventions are the instruments of therapy. an 'exercise' is not therapeutic in and of itself. it works in a specific context. every session may not give you interventions. there are other subtler tools, like self-clarification, the therapist is observing, that are equally impt

a therapist may notice an incongruence and record it to bring it up when you are ready to confront something underlying. so dont assume an exercise is therapy. don't seek interventions or exercises as evidence of good therapy. don't abandon therapy at your first insight.