Is Therapy Selfish? – day five: Healthy selfishness – good for us and those we care about

This week we have been tackling the question of whether, by encouraging us to focus on ourselves, therapy can make us selfish. We have suggested that in fact therapy promotes a ‘healthy selfishness’ which enables us to take better care of ourselves and helps us to form more satisfying relationships. We have also argued that this is better not only for the individual, but for all those we relate to.

We cannot take responsibility for our own happiness if we habitually or compulsively put others before ourselves. The concept of ‘healthy selfishness’ gives us permission to care for and nurture ourselves, which is particularly important if we have learnt to get love and affirmation by pleasing others. Indeed it is often those of us who protest most that therapy might be selfish, who have the greatest need of it!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our week of blogs about selfishness. Visit us again tomorrow for comments on the subject from our team of psychotherapy practitioners.

Author: Wendy Bramham
Editor: Briony Martin

April 2015