It has been clear from classes in EFA that many participants are primarily interested in EFA as a method of self help. Then, why not call it Emotional Self Help? Because in directing these methods of help toward others, they become more clear, and problems in their use become more apparent. It is easier to deduce methods of self help from a knowledge of how to help others than vice-versa. EFA includes emotional self help. In the chapters of this book that treat the four basic emotions, the sections on Experiencing consist of simulations that are, in effect, self-help exercises. Other sections on Expression, Distress, Provocation, and Resolution are as valid for self help as for helping others. The sections on Contact 1 and 2, Problems, and Emergency can also be read from a self-help point of view, and perhaps as an aid in clarifying what kind of help it is possible to ask from other people.

There are limitations to self help. Reich compared the idea that a person could do self therapy to the story of the man who tried to pull himself out of a swamp by his own hair. Self therapy, or self analysis, is full of self deception. But Emotional First Aid opens the possibility of a more honest contact between people. Since more than one person is involved, some emotional resolution or increased self knowledge can result. More importantly, if we are able to be supportive of people with whom we have personal relationships, our contact has more energy and is less undermined by the pressure of undischarged emotional tension from outside sources.

The psychoanalyst Eric Berne remarked, 'Love is nature's therapy.' Although I work as a therapist, I do not believe that everyone needs therapy. And I do not believe in the idea that once started, therapy never finishes, that it is part of a perpetual process of personal growth. I know many people who keep growing and facing life problems without any need for therapy. On the other hand, if life problems cannot be resolved because of chronic emotional blocks, therapy is a possible resource. And a personal therapy is essential for any therapist or counselor. If you feel chronically stuck in some area of your life, have no shame about seeking the help of a therapist. But make sure that he or she has, in the course of training, undergone therapy 'from the other end.'

Seeking professional help is not as simple as going to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Psychiatrists (physicians, M.D.s, who have undergone further specialized training in the field of mental illness) are usually oriented toward treating emotional problems through medication. Their training also influences them strongly to see emotional problems in terms of illness or disorder, which is sometimes but not always valid. For some psychiatrists, an attempt to understand the patient through psychotherapy is limited to a preliminary interview, after which drugs are prescribed. Others, however, have become skilled therapists, usually through nonmedical training with an institute or school that specializes in one of the many forms of psychotherapy or psychoanalysis.

Psychologists (usually with a Ph.D. or M.A. degree) often have no training in psychotherapy, but are experts in human behavior, development, learning theory, or the behavior of rats. The popular Bob Newhart image of a psychologist usually applies only to what are called 'clinical psychologists.' They too have often received much of their practical training from private institutes, outside the universities.

To confuse the issue further, the popular image of a psychologist applies also to many counselors who have done their formal training in the field of Education. In fact, in almost all universities, the most systematic training in techniques of psychotherapy is to be found not in psychology departments but in departments of education, counseling, or social work.

There are many excellent therapists who have no formal training in either medicine or psychology, but who have trained privately. Most have a preliminary academic degree in a field associated with human behavior.

All this means that a good therapist may be a psychiatrist, a physician, a psychologist, a counselor, or a social worker. If you seek to work on your problems with a therapist, your choice of where to look is probably determined by your prior reading, financial considerations (therapy with a physician or psychiatrist is usually covered by insurance; with the other categories this is less likely), and your conception of what kind of background you want your therapist to have.

To find a therapist who will work with the emotions along the lines discussed in this book is not always easy. Reichian therapists (sometimes known as orgone therapists, or as 'orgonomists') are sparsely scattered. Various neo-Reichian therapies, such as Bioenergetic Analysis, are oriented to the view of the emotions as structured in the body musculature, but use an approach based on stressful exercises, which are not necessarily sensitive to the individual's needs. Ordinary 'talk therapy' may in fact be more in contact with the individual. Some therapists from the various categories mentioned above who have been trained in 'family therapy' are sensitive to the emotions and are used to facing the dynamics of relationships.

My own bias is in favor of Reichian therapy. But all kinds of therapy, including Reichian therapy, can be manipulative in the hands of a practitioner who is not adequately trained or who has not worked through his or her own emotional blocks.

Under the circumstances, the prospective patient or client has the right to exercise great care in the choice of a therapist, to question the therapist extensively in the preliminary interview, and to stop the therapy unilaterally if it becomes impossible to resolve through discussion with the therapist whatever doubts may emerge about the therapy. No therapist, whether psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor, is worth working with if he or she is not ready to answer the following questions:

1) Where and for how long did you receive your training in therapy?

2) Have you undergone a personal therapy? With whom?

3) Do you work directly with the emotions? How?

If you sense any evasiveness in a therapist's answers to these questions, or if you find that you simply do not like him or her, seek another therapist. There is no harm in 'shopping around.' On the other hand, don't expect a therapist to have to charm you into making a commitment. A good therapist will not necessarily give you an easy time in a preliminary interview. He or she too will be trying to find out how serious you are. But he or she should answer your questions.

Some therapists may agree to a trial period. You might 'contract' for three or four sessions, so that you can find out what kind of work is involved, while the therapist has at least an initial commitment from you. After such a trial period, you should have a basic understanding of each other, and of how far you may want to proceed. Of course, you are free to stop when you want. It might be part of your contract with the therapist, though, that you will, at that time, take a session to discuss your reasons for leaving therapy. This will be an indication that you are not simply running away. Follow your instincts. But it will not be an easy voyage. If you take it, good luck.