Does self-therapy work?

Whether self-therapy is effective depends entirely on your unique symptoms and challenges and the tools you use.

Research on the matter has shown that it can be beneficial for managing SOME mental health challenges.

A review in 2017 explored how effective self-guided internet cognitive behavioral therapy could be for signs of depression.

After reviewing the data from 13 studies and over 3,800 participants, the results showed that approximately 5 to 11 Internet cognitive behavioral therapy sessions were enough for participants to report a significant drop in their depression symptoms.

A smaller study in 2021 also explored the effectiveness of a self-guided, virtual reality form of CBT in people who have panic disorders.

Outcomes showed that a month of self-led intervention helped people experience less intense disorder symptoms.

These studies might indicate that using self-therapy can benefit certain mental health conditions.

But, public research on the topic is lacking, making it difficult to truly determine its effectiveness, according to a 2020 research review to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

On that note, continue reading to learn about 9 ways of using self-therapy in your favor!