Integrating different parts of the psyche Family constellations; also known as drama therapy, play therapy or psychodrama is a great tool to integrate different parts of the psyche. It works through the same principles as ‘gestalt therapy’ another therapeutic technique that; focuses on process (what is actually happening) over content (what is being talked about). The emphasis is on what is being done, thought, and felt at the present moment (the phenomenality of both client and therapist), rather than on what was, might be, could be, or should have been. Gestalt therapy is a method of awareness practice (also called mindfulness in other clinical domains), by which perceiving, feeling, and acting are understood to be conducive to interpreting, explaining, and conceptualizing (the hermeneutics of experience). This distinction between direct experience versus indirect or secondary interpretation is developed in the process of therapy. The client learns to become aware of what he or she is doing and that triggers the ability to risk a shift or change. The objective of Gestalt therapy is to enable the client to become more fully and creatively alive and to become free from the blocks and unfinished business that may diminish satisfaction, fulfillment, and growth, and to experiment with new ways of being1 Most of the time, trauma or dissociation occurs because the mind did not have the opportunity to integrate the experience. For example; if you are hungry, you will go and prepare a meal, eat it and then have time to digest it. Indigestion occurs when the body is not given the chance to fully absorb and assimilate the food. The psyche is no different; ‘indigestion’ (dissociation) occurs when the experience is fragmented. In the case of trauma, the experience is always fragmented. Trauma can be something ‘big’ such as being run over by a car, or something labelled as ‘small’ such as being emotionally invalidated your whole life. One causes severe physical scars and the other causes severe emotional scars. The mind does not discern between what is meant to be traumatic or not. We have all been traumatised, this is the human condition. The mind does not separate between traumas because a crisis is a crisis and such is not quantifiable. The way the brain works to store trauma is a bit like trying to shove something too big to fit into a drawer; it will spring open at every opportunity. The brain here dissociates and stores the information in different parts; the smell, visuals, noises are not formed into a coherent whole but scattered around different memories. For a while I worked with a guy who would get triggered every time he opened the fridge; the refrigerator lights would trigger him into a full-blown traumatic episode without him knowing exactly why. The fridge lights reminded him subconsciously of being run over by a car. It is no mistake to say that the subconscious pretty much runs your life if you remain unaware. Family constellations (psychodrama) gives you the opportunity to delve into parts of the psyche, and have a quick access to emotions that may have been suppressed or denied by coming full circle in regards to a certain perspective. There are a couple of ways this theory works in practice. By instance, someone might always have had a difficult relationship with his/her mother. In psychodrama/ family constellations you would choose someone to play your mother. You can think of a specific traumatic scenario or just imagine what your mother would say/ would have said in a particular example. This person would play the rejecting mother in this example. The person would then react the way it would feel authentic and in alignment for them to react towards the mother. It may be that the person would yell, allow themselves to get angry in a safe environment and say to the mother all the things he/she wishes he could have said. Suppressed emotions occur because we are not in alignment with our true self and act in ways we deem to me morally or socially acceptable. This is when dissociation occurs. It may be that in order to ‘keep the peace’ or ‘not upset mom’ the person represses the emotion and ends up feeling abandoned, rejected and invalidated. Having a therapist there to assist you in going through and integrating the emotions is important. Then you would reverse the role-play and the mother would play ‘good mother’. The mother would then listen (an experience many did not have whilst growing up); maybe even paraphrase to make sure the person feels heard. The mother would then give his/her ‘child’ a big hug and tells the person how much she loves him/her and accepts them unconditionally regardless of how they may feel at that moment in time. The mother would not try to take away the tears, or distract the person from the emotion. The mother would be present and embody unconditional love. This technique is very powerful when done in a safe environment and the person allows themselves the freedom of full emotional expression. By expressing the negative emotion, and then aligning during this role play with the experience he/she wishes they could have had, the mind finds relief and the emotional body integrates and redefines alignment. I am giving a brief overview of how to integrate aspects of the psyche/ the self via this method. Soul retrieval/ inner child work is another powerful technique too. However, depending on where the person is at; going through the emotions this manner can be extremely cathartic. I have always seen how powerful this technique is in practice and use it often with clients. For any emotional issue or conflict; you give the Self permission to argue both cases, from different standpoints; you see what arises and after this process decisions should become a lot clear as you remove the blocks that may be preventing you from feeling whole towards a certain issue. There are many techniques to heal; I am just illustrating one which I feel people who cannot go into inner child work or soul retrieval themselves yet might find beneficial in order to access and process trauma. It is also extremely validating to have the experience of feeling significant and validated by another person – it builds new pathways in the brain, calms the central nervous system and releases endorphins (feel good chemicals.) The body is the unconscious mind and it will never lie, once you discern the body’s message and the body’s intelligence you have found the golden road towards anything you are seeking resolution with. I am a therapist find me at facebook/drfernandabarros it is a JOY to assist you in your journey towards unity with self and others. It is a JOY to assist the elevation of the planet’s consciousness planting seeds of awakening one person at a time.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 12:09:25 +0000
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