What to gain and what to avoid in therapy
There are many reasons why we might become a therapist or seek therapy.
The therapists roll in many ways is to empower the client. Whilst I am not suggesting the therapist is acting as a parent or that the client is the child in the therapeutic setting, there is an interesting parallel that might be acknowledged. There are many unhelpful parenting models that will dissempower the child, here Peterson refers to the 'all devouring mother'. This concept refers to the Freudian theory of the Oedipal complex, not physically but psychologically.
Do not tell your client what to do.
Help your client understand what they want to do.
It would also be helpful if we relied on Carl Jung's concept of the Anima and Animus here, rather than talking of men and women as Peterson does. Jung would proffer that archetypally we have a masculine and feminine side to our brain, regardless of gender, although there tends to be a dominance.
With this in mind we might also have an 'all devouring father'. The point being that over protection dissempowers the child and stunts development. Eventually the child becomes an adult unable to function without the parent.
The manager that micro manages the team, dissempowers the team and the therapist that answers all of the client's questions, robs the client of the skill and the ability of discovery. The experienced therapist does not tell the client the answer or explains what the client has gained, rather the therapist helps the client find the answer and understand what they have gained.
When the client articulates the answer and voices the progress, the development is understood and the client has learned for life, 'non scholae sed vitae,' 'we learn not for school but for life.' Schools of modernity teach pupils how to learn rather than relaying information related to specific subjects. It is not that an experienced therapist does not care or does not want the client to understand but that they care enough to sit with the pain and help the client to understand. In this way there is a life learning and self empowerment. This approach has a reference to 'being about the client,' where robbing the client of discovery says more about the therapist.
Therapy is not to save us from uncomfortable feelings.
Life is stressful at times, therapy helps us to function in adversity.
Therapy is not about protecting us from every eventuality.
Therapy prepares us for life.
Therapy is not saving someone.
Therapy helps people to be stronger.
Therapy can build a sense of worth and personal resilience.
Therapy is not to save us from uncomfortable feelings.
Life is stressful at times, therapy helps us to function in adversity.
Therapy is not about protecting us from every eventuality.
Therapy prepares us for life.
Therapy is not saving someone.
Therapy helps people to be stronger.
Therapy can build a sense of worth and personal resilience.
To Contact James or The Surrey College of Clinical Hypnotherapy And Psychotherapy For Hypnotherapy And Psychotherapy In Surrey At Any Time Tel: 01932 341055 If we are with a client in the practice, please leave your name and number.
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