The craziest therapies that actually work

Aren't you feeling a hundred percent great? It happens to the best of us, you know. And it happens more often than you think, yes: even with your friends or colleagues.

What you can do is of course talk to someone about your feelings. It can be wonderfully relieving. And even if you sit for an hour complaining and barely talking, it still works. The most commonly used form of therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy, which works for things like anxiety and depression. The core of this is: your thoughts are not necessarily the truth. Your thoughts do influence your behavior. So if you learn to think differently, you will also behave differently, better, and you will feel better because you get better responses.

1. Animal therapy

My favorite. That there are puppies to cuddle when you come to talk about your misery. All problems disappear, right, when you see such a little tail wagging?

2. Aquarium therapy

Yes, because looking at a tank full of water and fish is said to be calming and stress-reducing. If you have one at home: give it a go.

3. Crystal therapy

Not really scientifically proven to work, but hey, whatever helps you... Here you are mainly looking at and holding stones and crystals. It is said to be healing.

4. Dark therapy

Doesn't sound cozy: you mainly sit in a dark room and that is supposed to get rid of your unpleasant thoughts. Meh, doesn't sound appealing to us.

5. Inversion therapy

You didn't know it existed either: you hang upside down in some strange chair, which allows you to see everything differently. Literally.

6. Air therapy

Making money from air; it is possible after all. You let people breathe in and out well and, well, you mainly say that the pure air works to calm their minds. For some, it even does something.

7. Chess therapy

A game of chess with your psychologist would strengthen your bond, allowing you to talk better about what’s bothering you. And it also makes you smarter.

So if you really have something to mope about: definitely go play chess in a dark room full of puppies and stones with your head upside down. Something like that.