Psychotherapy Results: Beyond Will-Power
Everyone has heard of will-power. A few people may have heard of won’t-power. Those two are just half the story. There are two more (at least): want-power and don’t-want-power. In “Psychotherapy Results: Beyond Will-Power” we explore all four. What are they, and what is their role in psychotherapy?
Let’s cover the familiar, will-power, first.
Will-power is the sense of drive and commitment you have to “will” yourself to do something. Usually will-power is needed when you have something that you want to achieve that is good for you long-term, but less than pleasant in the short-term. In psychotherapy, in my 30+ years experience, almost always will-power plays a role in successful recovery. Techniques are used to strengthen your resolve towards your planned actions. Perhaps it is self-evidently true that if you are in psychotherapy, if you have been helped to increase your will-power towards your recovery, is more likely you will return to full functioning.
What can be equally harnessed and developed in psychotherapy is won’t-power. Won’t-power (and all of the definitions here are applied, rather than academic) is the the sense of drive and commitment you have NOT to do something that you would normally do. Usually won’t-power is needed when you have to deal with something that you feel is good for you short-term, but you also know is harmful and counter-productive for you in the long-term. Similar techniques to those used to develop will-power are adopted to harness your won’t-power. Perhaps, here too, it is self-evidently true that if you are in psychotherapy, if you can be helped to increase your won’t-power towards resisting a counter-productive behaviour, it is more likely you make a full recovery from the problem that brought you to psychotherapy.
Want-power is the sense of desire you have towards a given outcome. It is different from will-power in that the sense is more emotional, whereas with will-power it is more cognitive. Usually want-power precedes will-power. That is not what most people think. Here is why it is the opposite to popular perception. As humans we tend first to want then to will a particular outcome. We all I make decisions emotionally and justify them, and enact them mentally. When we have a strong want-power AND strong will-power we have a much greater chance of a full recovery, if psychotherapy techniques are used to help you enhance both.
Don’t-want-power is the sense of desire you have to move away from a given outcome. It is different from won’t-power in that the sense of don’t-want-power is more emotional, where as with won’t-power it is more cognitive. Usually don’t want-power precedes won’t-power. You and I dislike something (emotional) then mentally decide we don’t want it. As humans we tend to don’t want then “won’t” or will-not a particular outcome. When you have strong don’t-want-power AND strong won’t-power you have much greater chances of overcoming your problem. As previously psychotherapy techniques are adopted to enhance both.
“Psychotherapy Results: Beyond will-power” as a title should now make sense. There are (at least) three clusters of technique beyond will-power. If you can be helped harness just one of the powers your chances of success are dramatically increased. You can imagine how much better your psychotherapy results if you can be helped to harness all four.
Clients who learn about and master the techniques, of want-power, don’t-want-power, will-power and won’t-power, can achieve better psychotherapy results than those who don’t. When you are considering asking for professional psychotherapy help, ask your potential therapist about the impact on psychotherapy results of going beyond will-power.