In 2021, over 41.7 million Americans saw a therapist, showcasing the popularity of counseling as an industry in the 21st century. However, therapy began centuries ago, and people have been helping each other with mental health for thousands of years. The first therapy happened over 3,500 years ago when healing “magic” and stories were a way for humans to come together and connect.
Today, therapy is a tool that has an expansive reach. There are over 400 types of therapy and hundreds of thousands of therapists that specialize in various areas of mental health and healthcare. Understanding the history of therapy and how it has impacted society today can help individuals make informed decisions on their current mental health treatment goals.
The Beginning Of Psychotherapy As A Practice
There may not be an exact set date for the beginning of therapy as a practice. Humans have been helping each for centuries through talk, wellness practices, and meditation. Many agree that therapeutic-seeming practices have been documented since ancient Greece. However, “psychotherapy,” the official term for mental health therapy, officially became a term in the early 1800s.
Before psychotherapy, medical scientists frequently used and supported the idea of hypnotherapy, which involved mesmerizing patients in treating certain conditions.
However, it wasn’t until Sigmund Freud entered the psychology field that talk therapy became mainstream. Freud created “psychoanalysis,” which involved a therapist speaking to a patient one-on-one and analyzing their thought patterns, actions, and emotions.
Although there were differing opinions during this time on what caused subconscious and conscious thoughts, Freud’s work has led to a growing industry of mental health services, unlike the traditional talk therapy of his day.
Before psychotherapy became popular, mental health conditions were often treated as curses, possessions, or hysteria. Many women were still treated for “female hysteria” until the 1980s. Before the 1800s, individuals who experienced mental health symptoms or deviated from the norm in any way were commonly considered “witches.” Although there are still mental health stigmas today, many of these ideas are now considered outdated.
The First Mental Health Institutions
The first mental health hospital in the US opened in 1752, and practices that would be seen as inhumane today were commonplace. These practices included purging, bloodletting, and isolation. At the time, patients were often considered “insane” or unable to integrate into society. People from towns near these hospitals may have watched the patients for entertainment. In the 21st century, these terms and practices can be considered offensive and obsolete, indicating growth in the mental health field.
When psychotherapy was invented in the 1800s, mental health institutions in many cities adopted the practice. Professionals began diagnosing mental health conditions instead of “supernatural” causes. Although therapy may not have been as compassionate as it can be in modern times, humane practices became more commonplace.
In the beginning, psychotherapy was often religious, often of the Christian faith. In addition, psychotherapy was most heavily available to wealthy white men and their families. Women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and BIPOC were not factored into research and may have faced maltreatment or unprofessional care if they did receive care.
Past Forms Of Therapy
When psychotherapy became a practice in the early 1800s, the most common types of therapy were psychoanalysis and Jungian analysis therapy. Other types of therapy included:
- Mesmerism: Using magnets to relieve distress (a practice still used today)
- Phrenology: The study of the shape of the skull
Later on, as Freud and Jung’s differing opinions started to take hold in the world of psychology and psychiatry, more therapy methods were invented.
In the early 1900s, behaviorism started to take hold as a popular form of therapy. Behavioral therapists started to practice talk therapy, which developed into what we now know as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Other branches of therapy were also invented, including body psychotherapy, humanistic therapy, cognitive therapy, and somatic therapy. Modern therapists practice new offset branches like rapid eye movement and desensitization therapy (EMDR) and exposure-response therapy (ERP).
Significant Events In Therapeutic History
Below are several of the most significant events known about the development of psychotherapy in the early ages:
- In the early 19th century, Sigmund Freud started his version of “talk therapy” by working with children with learning disabilities.
- The first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was published in 1952 as a way for psychologists to diagnose clients for clinical purposes.
- In 1886, the first doctorate in psychology was given to Joseph Jastrow at John Hopkins University.
- In 1892, the APA (American Psychological Association) was founded.
- Margaret Washburn was the first woman to ever earn a Ph.D. in psychology in 1894.
- In 1900, Sigmund Freud’s first book, An Interpretation of Dreams, was published, allowing his knowledge of psychotherapy to hit mainstream society.
- In 1936, a lobotomy was performed for the first time for mental health reasons.
- In 1953, the APA published a book of ethical standards for practicing psychotherapists and psychiatrists.
- In 1973, homosexuality was removed from the DSM as a mental health condition.
Therapy and society’s understanding of mental health have made strides throughout the years, and medical professionals have learned from the errors and triumphs of past psychologists.
How Has Psychology’s Past Affected The Present?
Although current therapy practices were inspired by the psychoanalytic therapy of Freud’s era, many famous psychologists have paved the way since. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has gained the most traction since its evolution in the 1900s. It is the most similar type of therapy to what historic behaviorists may have practiced.
In the 21st century, therapists often talk to clients about more than subconscious thoughts, dreams, and speculation. Therapy is often client-led and may be focused on several factors, including:
- Family mental health history
- Trauma
- Past experiences
- Interpersonal relationships
- Habits, compulsions, and dependency
- Behaviors
- Feelings
- Responses to imagery or stimuli
- Sensory needs
Modern psychologists have taken the aspects of past therapy modalities that work and applied them to modern science. In the 21st century, psychology has been more connected to neuroscience and psychiatry, which study the medical and physical aspects of the mind.
For example, scientists now know that certain mental health disorders can appear in the brain on an MRI scan. They also know that the brain can light up and react differently to stimuli depending on past experiences. These medical studies indicate that the existence of mental health conditions is more than a possession or spiritual experience, as believed centuries ago.
Scientists have also studied the chemical compounds in the brain and how they impact mental health. For example, depression is often caused by a lack of serotonin, dopamine, or other neurotransmitters in the body. We can also see the effect of trauma on the physical size of the brain’s emotional processing center, the hippocampus.
In Freud’s day, therapy focused more on an abstract interpretation of thoughts, dreams, and experiences. The connection between science and psychology was developing, and previous theories (such as the theory about skull size and shape) were eventually negated by scientists.
In 2021, 84% of therapists saw increased demand for therapy services. More people than ever before in history are using therapy as the world population increases and mental health stigmas decrease. Understanding the past can help individuals understand how the future might look.
How Effective Is Talk Therapy?
Therapy has become such a large and important part of society. So, where did it all begin?
People have been helping each other through words for thousands of years. The first therapy happened over 3,500 years ago when healing “magic” and stories were a way for humans to come together and connect. Today, therapy is a tool that has an expansive reach. Hundreds of types of therapy and countless therapists specialize in different areas of mental health and healthcare. Let’s look at therapy’s history and how it has impacted our lives today.
What Did The Beginning Of Therapy Look Like?
It is difficult to give an exact date for the beginning of therapy as a practice. Humans have been helping each other for centuries. Many agree that therapeutic-seeming practices have been documented since ancient Greece. However, “psychotherapy,” the term for mental healthcare, became commonly used in the 1800s.
Before psychotherapy, medical scientists frequently used and supported the idea of hypnotherapy, which involved mesmerizing patients to treat certain conditions.
However, it wasn’t until Sigmund Freud entered the psychology field that talk therapy became popular. Freud created psychoanalysis, the process of a therapist speaking to a patient one-on-one and analyzing their thought patterns, actions, and emotions.
Although there were differing opinions during this time on what caused subconscious and conscious behaviors, Freud’s work has led to a massive mental healthcare industry unlike anything seen in his time.
Before psychotherapy became popular, people treated mental health conditions as curses, possessions, or hysteria. In fact, many women were treated for “female hysteria” from long before psychotherapy until the 1980s. Before the 1800s, women were commonly tried as “witches” if they exhibited mental health symptoms.
The first mental health hospital in the US opened in 1752, and practices that would be seen as inhumane today were commonplace. These practices included purging, bloodletting, electroshock therapy, and “twirling.” At the time, patients were labeled as “insane” or “lunatics.” People from towns nearby would even come and observe the patients for entertainment. Today, these terms and practices would be highly offensive, which shows how far mental healthcare has come in the last few centuries.
When psychotherapy began in the 1800s, mental institutions in many cities adopted the practice. People started to see patients as experiencing symptoms related to mental health, not the supernatural. Although therapy didn’t become the helpful and compassionate thing it is today for many years, it became more humane over time.
In these beginning days, psychotherapy was often closely related to religion, often of the Christian faith. As well as this, it is important to note that psychotherapy was mainly available to wealthy white men and their families.
What Types Of Therapy Existed Before?
When psychotherapy became a practice in the early 1800s, the most common types of therapy were psychoanalysis and Jungian analysis therapy. Other types of treatment included:
- Mesmerism: Using magnets to relieve distress (a practice still used today)
- Phrenology: The study of the shape of the skull
Later on, as Freud and Jung’s differing opinions started to take hold in psychology and psychiatry, more and more therapy methods began to unfold.
In the early 1900s, behaviorism started to take hold as a popular form of therapy. Behavioral therapists started to practice talk therapy, which developed into what we now know as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Other branches of therapy came out of this, including body psychotherapy, humanistic therapy, cognitive therapy, and somatic therapy. Today, we practice many types of treatment, including new offset branches like trauma therapy (EMDR) and exposure-response therapy.
Significant Events In Therapy History
Here are some of the most significant events that we know about from the development of psychotherapy in the early ages.
- In the early 19th century, Sigmund Freud started his version of “talk therapy” by working with children with learning disabilities.
- In 1886, the first doctorate in psychology was given to Joseph Jastrow at John Hopkins University.
- In 1892, the American Psychological Association (APA) was founded.
- Margaret Washburn was the first woman to ever earn a Ph.D. in psychology in 1894.
- In 1900, Sigmund Freud’s first book, An Interpretation of Dreams, was published, allowing his knowledge of psychotherapy to hit mainstream society.
- In 1936, a lobotomy was performed for the first time for mental health reasons.
- The first diagnostic statistical manual (DSM) was published in 1952 as a way for psychologists to diagnose clients for clinical reasons.
- In 1953, the APA published a book on ethical standards for practicing psychotherapists and psychiatrists.
- In 1973, homosexuality was removed from the DSM as a mental health condition.
As you can see, therapy and our understanding of mental health have made huge strides throughout the years. Medical professionals have learned a lot from the errors and triumphs of past psychologists who brought us where we are today.
How Has Psychology’s Past Affected The Present?
So, how does all of this relate to today? How has mental health care taken the strides it has needed to get to where it is now?
Although it all started with the psychoanalytic therapy of Freud’s era, many famous psychologists have since paved the way. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has gained the most traction since its connection in the 1900s. It is the most similar type of therapy to what behaviorists back then would’ve practiced.
Today, therapists often talk to clients about more than subconscious thoughts, dreams, and speculation. Therapy is typically client-led and can focus on several factors, including:
- Family mental health history
- Trauma
- Past experiences
- Interpersonal relationships
- Habits, compulsions, and addictions
- Behaviors
- Feelings (or a lack thereof)
- Responses to imagery or stimuli
- Sensory needs
Modern psychologists have taken the aspects of all types of therapy from the past that work best and applied them to modern science. Today, more than ever, researchers and mental health specialists have started to relate therapy to neuroscience and psychiatry, which study the physical aspects of the mind.
For example, we now know that certain mental health disorders can appear in the brain on an MRI. We also know that the brain can light up and react differently to stimuli depending on mental health. These medical studies show us that the existence of mental health conditions is more than just a possession or something spiritual.
Scientists have also started to study the chemical compounds in the brain and how they impact mental health. For example, depression is often caused by a lack of serotonin, dopamine, or other neurotransmitters in the body. We can also see the effect of trauma on the physical size of the brain’s emotional processing center, the hippocampus.
In Freud’s day, therapy focused more on an abstract interpretation of thoughts, dreams, and experiences. The connection between science and psychology was still developing, and previous theories (such as the theory about skull size and shape) were eventually denied by scientists as being incorrect.
In 2021, 84% of therapists saw increased demand for therapy services. More people than ever before in history are using therapy.
How Effective Is Therapy?
There are a lot of forms of therapy out there such as talk therapy, family therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, and more, but the question is does psychotherapy work? Is all of this history for nothing?
The answer is yes; therapy does work! Science even backs this up. We can see from studies that 75% of people who enter into treatment benefit from it. In fact, these studies show that therapy can even be more effective than medication or medical intervention for mental health conditions. While some psychologists believe in biological factors that go into mental health, many studies show that symptoms of most mental health conditions can be lessened or treated through talk therapy.
Today, online therapy is more popular than ever before. With online therapy, you can choose from an extensive database of therapists who specialize in many different areas and meet with your provider from the comfort of your homes. For those who can’t get to therapy in person, or those looking for a cost-effective alternative, online therapy can be a fantastic way to get help.
Research supports the effectiveness of online therapy for treating various mental health disorders. In fact, one review of studies regarding online cognitive behavioral therapy found that online treatment could significantly reduce symptoms of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Online therapy and similar treatment options may be the future of mental healthcare, especially as more and more people worldwide seek out resources for themselves and others.
