Schedule that couples therapy session now. You’ll probably feel better immediately.

Starting any process of healing and treatment can be scary. Couples Therapy — or therapy of any sort — forces us out of our comfort zones. That’s why people tend to resist treatment; that’s why we don’t like going to the doctor.

But here’s the thing about starting couples therapy. When you make that call and schedule your first appointment, you’ll probably feel better immediately.

Granted, nothing has materially changed in your relationship to warrant feeling better. You still haven’t addressed your communication styles or the roles you’ve slipped into over the months or years.

So why do most couples feel better after just making a call to a couples therapist?

The placebo effect is healing that occurs when the mind is “tricked” into believing a healing treatment has been administered. In most drug experiments, for instance, some of the subjects, without their knowledge, will be given a sugar pill instead of the actual drug. That sugar pill is called a “placebo.”

It’s common for subjects given a placebo to report a benefit simply because the pill and the professional offering it feels like real treatment.

When you make the call to the couples therapist; when you schedule that first appointment, you’ll feel better because you’ve interacted with a person who offers help. You’ve taken control of your pain. You’ve started the process of healing.

Here’s the thing couples therapy: The placebo effect is real

When you’re in pain — and relationship pain is among the worst pain — any relief is welcome, even if it’s relief by placebo effect.

What’s more, that placebo relief is usually enough to carry you to your first couples therapy session. There’s a lot more you can do to start feeling better about your relationship.

Next time, we’ll discuss how to prepare for your first couples therapy session.