Why “Talking” Alone May Not Lead to Feeling Better
Yes, I do believe in talk
therapy and the healing that comes from having a very empathetic and supportive
relationship with the therapist.
Sometimes it feels great to have a witness to your sadness, worry or
anger. It is also helpful to have someone
who tells you honestly AND compassionately – without judgment – when you do
something that’s counterproductive, especially in your interpersonal
relationships. The session serves as a
safe place to practice an emotionally intimate relationship.
Yet having a good cry or episode of righteous indignation or even
gaining understanding, from a thinking perspective, on why you are reactive or
hang on to unhelpful behavior patterns, doesn’t mean that you will feel better
long-term. Maybe not even the next
day. For this reason, I incorporate
body-based interventions into my work with you.
In 2015, I completed the first level in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP),
developed by Pat Ogden, but my work is also informed by an understanding of the
many mind-body techniques that have become an important new trend in
psychotherapy. These include Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Internal
Family Systems, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and yoga- and mindfulness-influenced
therapy models. I am continuing with the
Level II training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which runs from September 2016
through January 2018.
These use a “bottom-up” approach, meaning that awareness is first
brought to the individual’s experience in the body, rather than a “top-down” thinking
approach, which is used in cognitive therapy.
The central idea is that memories are not always stored as conscious
thoughts but also unconsciously and are noticeable as sensory
information. I help you bring awareness
and curiosity to this information, to let it lead you to a place you weren’t
able to reach no matter how much you retold your story.
Pat Ogden has described Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
as the highly interpersonal process during which the therapist and the
client together are studying the
client’s internal emotional processes as they occur in the present moment. This includes images, thoughts, sensations
and emotions. This strong emotional
connection, known as attunement, brings about “relational repair” that helps to
heal the imprints on the nervous system by the earlier trauma. Some clients feel an immediate transformation
in how they feel after doing this type of work.
Others may return to the next session stating that they felt
significantly better during the past week but they don’t really know why.
In a nutshell, here’s why it works. Together, therapist and client recognize the
body’s wisdom in making choices that led to physical and/or emotional survival. This lessens any self-blame about being the
way they are now. Individuals learn to
notice sensory information under the protective eye of the therapist, who makes sure they don’t become emotionally
out of control or shut down. They might possibly visualize or use movement to
create different outcomes in which individuals can release the energy stuck by
feeling helpless during a traumatic event or during a difficult time in
childhood. There is reorganization within the brain and other parts of the
nervous system. Over time, together, we discover and reduce what keeps you stuck
and unable to enjoy life.
© 2015 Debra Haverson
