What is resistance in psychotherapy and what does it look like to a therapist?
I deeply dislike how “resistance” has somehow become a bad thing. No, resistance is the client’s ability to slow down certain interpretations, certain kinds of probing or premature conclusions by a therapist. That makes it a healthy defense that helps keep the process at the right pace.
Unfortunately, uninformed therapists have come to claim therapy “isn’t working” because of client “resistance.” That’s particularly pernicious because it’s just another way to blame the patient.
A skilled therapist knows that understanding what the client is resisting can be a tremendous source of material, and not an indicator that the client is scared or lazy.