I have been in therapy for over a decade. I have done ACT therapy, EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and I have even been hypnotized twice. And from all those different kinds of therapy, there is one key ingredient for success: consistency.

There are other factors that contribute to success: compatibility with your therapist, affordability, and being able to make it to your sessions. But I would argue that showing up week after week is the greatest factor in success.

I lift weights. I go to a solid gym. It has all kinds of machines, barbells, dumbbells, and even kettlebells. It’s close to my place and affordable. But none of that matters if I don’t show up and do the work.

It is exactly the same with therapy. You could have a seasoned therapist with exactly the right technique to help you heal. But if you don’t show up and do the work every week, you will not heal.

If you are considering therapy or have tried therapy and it didn’t work out, I challenge you to do what I did when I started treating my PTSD.

First, find a counseling clinic relatively close to either where you live or where you work, whichever would increase the likelihood of getting there.

Next, look at the pictures of the therapists and read their bios. Whoever jumps out at you, someone you genuinely would like to meet, make an appointment with them. This is the first step.

Then you must make The Decision. I capitalize those words because this will decide whether you are consistent or not. When I decided to treat my severe PTSD, at the very beginning my therapist stated, “I can help you.” She also explained it would be brutal. In her words, “Treating this will be like setting a bone. To set a bone, it has to be broken first.”

So, when I left her office and walked back to my Civic, I made The Decision. I said to myself, probably out loud, “I don’t care how hard this is going to be or how long it will take, I am going to get better.” I remember exactly where I was when I said this. And because I made this vow to myself, I did.

Therapy isn’t as complicated as most people think it is. Find someone you don’t mind talking to for an hour a week, come prepared to work, show up every week, and then you will find results.

The idea of walking into a therapist’s office can be daunting. But they know this. They are trained to help you through whatever is going on. If you have access to treatment, it doesn’t make sense to me not to get help. Getting help radically changed my life. And I think it could help you too.