Talking about real psycho therapy, isn't that an oxymoron? Why not a show about a helpful witch doctor. Very little of Freud's notion of psychoanalysis has passed the test of time and very few modern psychotheutic techniques have held water after extensive scientific peer reviewed research.

Most people have adequate insight into why they engage in destructive behaviors. Changing the behavior is the real issue and there is little evidence that additional insight into the so called "root cause" or further understanding of family dynamics makes one iota of difference in changing the patterns.

The fact that you don't seem to know how much psychotherapy has advanced since the days of Freud makes your argument hardly worth taking seriously. If we judged the biological sciences based on their state in the 1890s then we could disregard them as well. Luckily most thoughtful people realize that is not the case. Too bad you do not.

Actually, there is a lot of peer reviewed research into effective psychotherapies: Cognitive Behavioral therapies for depression and anxiety disorders, exposure therapies for phobias and OCD, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorders, Maudsley Method for anorexia nervosa to name a few.

And most people do not have a lot of insight into why they engage in destructive behaviors, any more than your average kid who gets asked "well, why did you do it then?". So, yes, changing behavior is ultimately the issue, but sometimes, it's not as simple as "just say no".

Actually the most recent study out of Canada (link below) is more equivocal and like most of these meta studies reports really limited evidence for limited CBT intervention. BTW, similar studies show a more favorable response in the treatment of depresion from simple daily exercise and lifestyle changes. Big pharma cites studies suggesting that anti depressants are the answer, but simple exercise is just as effective And again, the type of therapy that you cite above is a far cry from the talk therapy portrayed on TV, or in Good Will Hunting, or Ordinary People. There is certainly some evidence supporting limited CBT and other specific goal orientated therapy. Whether it is better than regular aerobics classes at the Y remains to be seen and studied. The vast majority of "therapists" are not doing anything remotely resembling CBT or some of the other focal treatment cited.

And, I never suggested that it was as simple as "just say no" any more than it is as simple as saying that you weren't hugged enough by your mom. <link>

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I actually know a tremendous amount about psychotherapy. To a great degree, Freudian theory has been discredited. As I posted elsewhere, psychotherapy generally compares well to nothing, but there is no real difference when compared to simple things like regular exercise and good nutrition.

As for Tom Cruise, there is some evidence supporting limited pharmacological intervention for the treatment of depression, so he was certainly wrong in speaking of Brooke Shields. And, although I am not a scientologist or a religous person at all, there is some evidence suggesting that a strong religous belief and active involvement in such activities relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety in most people. And if you look at the actual research, even that nonsense compares favorably with most types of talk based "psychodynamic" therapies. But that doesn't mean that Thetans or Allah are real or effective in treating depression.

Surprise, Suprise, Americans, to a great degree are sedentary, have lousy nutritioin, get very little exercise, engage in a great deal of passive entertainment (TV, etc), have unrealistic expectations of their marital relationship, and they feel lousy.

The question might be discredited bby whom? Psychotherapy reearch is notorisly poor and almost always biaed. Much of it is funded these days by the insurance and pharmacutical companies. Most psychoanalysts these days are pluralists drawing from several theories and modes of listening. Perhaps it is time for you to go back to school for a refesher course.

Psychotherapy is either science based or its not. If it is science it can be falsified and supported by peer reviewed data. If it is just the art of good conversation and listening, then it might be helpful to some on a subjective level in the same way that daily exercise, involvement in church activities (even pseudo church activites like scientology), and lifestyle changes can affect favorably affect mood. If it can only be supported antedotally, than it is not science, and the prevelance of notoriously poor and biased research doesn't make the case