Therapy is, first and foremost, a lot of hard work—a process more akin to going to the gym than it is going to the spa. Anyone that pursues psychotherapy with sincere commitment and a desire to change is likely to discover many unpleasant aspects of his or her personality along the way. To this end, it should be emphasized that therapy is not for people who simply want to sweep under the rug these problematic aspects of the self. Although positive thinking and self-acceptance are essential to the therapeutic process, so is honesty, integrity and direct self-confrontation. It could be said that the more one genuinely struggles to get at the core truth of the self, no matter how difficult certain aspects of that journey are likely to be, the more one ultimately feels at ease in the world. It takes courage to honestly examine your personality without automatically retreating into the habitual defenses and protective mechanisms that help you avoid unwanted aspects of yourself from day-to-day. Therapy requires a skillful and gradual examination and letting go of such defensive mechanisms, so that you experience more and more of your real, authentic self throughout every aspect of your life.