Why Therapy Feels Like Stepping Into the TARDIS

A client commented as he walked into the therapy room, “I imagine that coming in here is like entering the TARDIS.”

It was such an interesting comment that we spoke about it for a while, and I decided to write about some of my later reflections.

The comment about the TARDIS was a reference to the well-known time machine that appears in the Doctor Who series. TARDIS is an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. “It’s bigger on the inside” is the most commonly heard remark of those who enter the doorway of the TARDIS for the first time. On the outside, it is an ordinary police box, of a type that was once used when the Doctor Who series commenced, but which no longer exists. Inside, it is immensely, even infinitely, spacious.

There were three reasons why the client likened the therapeutic space to the TARDIS.

1. Safety

The TARDIS is a place where Doctor Who takes shelter.

So, too, can the client take shelter in the therapy room. In a safe and secure environment, they can sit with themselves, say what they want to say, think what they want to think, without fear of judgement, without fear of criticism.

It is a space of some comfort, both physically and psychically. It may not always be comfortable. Clients can come face to face with harsh realities or recall painful events, but they do this in an environment where there are no dangers.

2. Time travel

Just like Doctor Who in the TARDIS, a client can travel in time within the therapy space. Well, perhaps not literally.

But they do recall the past. They think on the present, and they surmise about the future.

They may go to their own past or perhaps even the past of other people such as the past of their parents. Some clients will go to the past of their ancestors.

They bring their recollections back to the present.

They look at what the future holds for them or what it may hold, and how there could be alternative futures depending on certain outcomes.

3. The space opens

This was the main reason why the client thought that walking into my therapy room was like walking into the TARDIS.

He said it felt to him like his mind was opening up, picturing different perspectives, broadening his way of thinking. He said that he had thoughts and realisations that he usually did not have elsewhere.

For him, and I suspect for other clients, being in the therapy room provides an opportunity to explore alternatives, to consider other ways of thinking, or other ways of doing or of being.

In therapy, people are not bound to say certain things or to think in a restricted way. Perspective taking can be unbridled.

So much can be done in such a relatively small space.

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If you want more information about this topic or if you feel the need for support in helping you to achieve your goals, you can contact Astra Psychology or any other experienced psychologist or psychotherapist. Be prepared to reach out for help. It is always available.