What Happens in Therapy ?
You come and we talk.
I carefully attend not only to what you say but what happens
with you as you say it.
I observe the processes that correspond with your account
and begin to get an idea of what else is likely to be involved.
I ask questions to clarify my own understanding of situations you describe and your processes. I begin to explore and confirm with
you the way this experience is constructed.
I give support where feelings seem overwhelming. We begin
to get a map of those areas which cause you most difficulty.
Where necessary we construct a means to stabilise and relieve
the situation.
I detect where, despite the difficulties, you evidently still have
access to inner energies and resource. We begin to decide how the problems might reasonably be approached and in what ways - taking account of your present emotional state and energy levels.
We evolve a plan.
If there is a great deal of distress you may find it easier to get calm and stabilise things through formal hypnosis But it may not be used at all.
Often in the course of our exchanges a variety of pleasant states may occur quite spontaneously whilst you are wide awake. This is the mind adopting a reflective unconscious learning mode - thinking
of nothing in particular - as often happens when our thoughts wander whilst watching TV or looking dreamily at a landscape.
As we unravel your difficulties we also discover what really works
for you. You may be invited to carry out a variety of exercises to enable you to connect with useful states. ( The unconscious has extraordinary ways of acquiring learning not available via conscious routes.) If you wish you may be taught self-hypnosis.
You may also be asked to carry out some entirely harmless activities whose meaning and purpose completely elude you. These exercises will be specifically designed for you to engage some powerful inner resource.
Generally clients find this experience very interesting and quite enjoyable !
Clients report, with some surprise, that they respond spontaneously and effectively with a completely new repertoire in previously very difficult circumstances.
And indeed, the whole aim of this therapy is to makes things easy !!!
I also like to get an objective assessment of people's experience
and progress to increase and confirm our understanding of various approaches.
You may be invited to provide completely anonymous assessments and feedback to assist research in this continually evolving field. You are under no obligation whatsoever to do this but your help will be greatly appreciated.
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Copyright keith bibby august 2007
