Why Therapy Turns Empty

Published on December 2, 2013

On various occasions, I've been excited when men who know they're addicted, dysfunctional, or immoral agreed to talk to me about inner healing. Yet each time I get disappointed by the outcome of our therapy and counseling sessions.

One man who came to see me was an active religionist in the community. In our session, he vowed that he'd come to therapy so he can keep his wife while at the same time telling me he intended to continue his extramarital affair in secret. Like some, he was willing to go through the motions or externals, but without systematically looking at his blind spots needed for life and inner change.

When it comes to therapy or inner change, it can be so easy to go through the form. Merely going through the motions is an empty exercise if all you want is a check mark. I'm not saying you shouldn't go to therapy or church. Just the opposite!  Do all these great things (form) - but with the right motivation (substance). If your heart needs repair, you get that done in recovery.

Have you fallen into a "form without substance" empty therapy, lifestyle, or externals?


Category(s):Addictions, Adult psychological development, Emptiness

Written by:

Dr. Angelo Subida, Psychotherapist

Dr. Angelo Subida is a clinical psychotherapist, author, and speaker. He is author of books "Inner Healing," "Secrets Of Your Self," "Chess and Life," among others, blogs, and articles. He has appeared frequently as an expert on psychotherapy/life recovery issues on national television, radio broadcasts, print media, and webcasts, including GMA 7, TV 5, ABS CBN 2, Q-11, 700 Club, Radyo Veritas, Inquirer Radio, Smart Parenting Magazine, Business Mirror, among others, and has served as resident therapist/counselor for parents and kid-artists in the highly popular ABS-CBN 2 Voice Kids TV singing reality show. Dr. Subida is an eclectic, multidisciplinary therapist and originator of his own revolutionary high-tech, high-touch counseling plus model. His areas of specialization include parent-child therapy, clinical infidelity treatment, relationship/marital counseling, separation/divorce therapy, anger management, depression, addictions, psychotherapy-spirituality integration, and innovative chess therapy. For more of Dr. Subida, you can find him at www.drsubida.com.

Dr. Angelo Subida, Psychotherapist belongs to Dr. Angelo O. Subida Psychotherapy Clinic in Philippines