INTERNAL WORK
The most effective vehicle I have ever found for entering my clients’ inner lives is a method I have named Internal Work. It is roughly equivalent to what Carl Jung termed active imagination. It is a process in which the flow of mental imagery and themes is controlled by autonomous aspects of the psyche other than the Ego. It is a simple procedure, and it has been my experience that approximately 80% of the population has no difficulty with it, even on their first attempt.
Underlying Internal Work is the assumption that potentially autonomous, intelligent centers of awareness exist within the Internal World. Although this assumption contradicts both common belief and many schools of psychology, my professional experience has affirmed the validity of it many times over. Over the past ten years, I have facilitated thousands of Internal Journeys in my clinical practice and at my workshops. In most of these, I suggested that the participants encounter specific aspects of the psyche. Eightyfive to ninety percent of these Journeys have reflected the multiplicity of the psyche. However, these experiences have also made it quite clear that if the suggested experience does not correspond to an already existing internal reality, little or nothing will happen.
The Ego is never alone, even in the loneliest retreat. What a person calls by his first name is only one of the ego states that form the sum total of his psyche. Anyone who is willing to listen will encounter many ego states that accompany and communicate with him. Anyone who pays attention to the inner life will become aware that there are many impulses, drives, needs, and even voices and visions, that do not fit his self-perception.
The historical antecedents for this view of the mind are very ancient. In fact, most of the healing practices of ancient man used Internal Work as one of the primary forms of therapy. Shamans spent much time and effort communicating with the “gods,” “demons,” and various other “spirit beings” they encountered while in trance. Usually they had spirit guides to whom they paid great attention. They often perceived themselves as encountering spirit beings within other people, which they dealt with in various ways.
Whenever ancient literature mentions people having conversations with God, the gods, angels, demons, Christ, various saints, etc., it is almost certainly a record of someone’s Internal Work. Such experiences are the result of an individual going within and encountering various aspects of his Internal World. Although the language may differ, it is evident to anyone who has done much Internal Work that the process is the same.
From the very beginning, this is how humans have interacted with the deepest aspects of themselves and have been most effectively guided toward wholeness. Dreams were always very important, but originally dreams were secondary to visions or conversations with God or others within. Castenada has written a powerful, modern account of the transformation of a personality through extensive Internal Work. What he describes in his books is basically similar to the internal experiences of most of my clients. The journeys Carlos takes are somewhat more dramatic than the average session of Internal Work, but they are obviously the same type of phenomenon.
The Internal World is able to generate remarkable fantasies. When these are shared with persons in the External World, they often generate a great deal of enthusiastic attention. I suspect that the truly great storytellers were simply giving colorful descriptions of their Internal Journeys. Sometimes, the Ego itself believes that these stories are actual visits to another plane or dimension.
Internal Work is a natural part of human experience. The storytelling capacity of the Internal World is the source of much of the world’s great drama and literature. It is only since the Renaissance that it has been stifled and looked down upon as something not befitting a rational person. Modern culture’s heavy emphasis on logical positivism and scientific rationalism predisposes people to reject the significance of Internal Work.
Today there is a new openness to the possibility that the human psyche may possess many centers of awareness. The rediscovery of Janet, research into the phenomena of multiple personality disorder (MPD), and Ernest Hilgard’s (1977) studies of hypnosis and the hidden observer phenomenon are offering new evidence supporting this point of view.
Jungian therapists, as well as those influenced by the above mentioned research, accept that the Internal World is composed of many distinct, autonomous elements. These entities exercise considerable influence over the Ego. Anyone seeking to live at his fullest potential must understand and communicate with these internal “others.” Their reality may be very different from the Ego’s reality, but it is of considerable personal relevance nonetheless.
The research in MPD crystallizes this new but ancient perspective. It clearly documents that there are some people in this world who possess more than one personality. Their internal voices are highly developed, personified realities that have their own intentions, needs, and even their own physical realities.
These people are much more numerous than has been previously realized. They are no longer considered oddities, but are recognized as examples of a process that seems to touch most of the population. Everyone is at least somewhat divided within; the difference is merely a matter of degree. (See Beahrs, 1982 for a more detailed discussion of this.)
Unless the individual has had an ideal upbringing in which he was fully accepted for precisely who he was, he will have had to dissociate parts of his True Self. These parts may be as small as tiny fragments of emotion here and there, or they may be as significant as the entire childlike aspect of oneself. They may be as vital to survival as the person’s capacity to defend himself in a straightforward fashion.
Even a passing familiarity with the principal elements of the Internal World makes clear that they are not to be manipulated. They must be acknowledged and dealt with.
Like most religions, Christianity accepts the possibility of others within as a given. In the early church, when the elements of the Internal World were positive, they were considered visions of saints and angels, or encounters with Jesus or God. When they were negative (i.e., contrary to the conventional wisdom about what is good and proper), they were looked upon as demonic.
This perspective on evil and the dark side of human nature has occasionally brought about even more dramatic harm than the splitting itself. Many religions developed rites of exorcism for driving out negative” internal elements. In most instances, these rites are nothing more than attempts at psychological amputation.
In many evangelical and charismatic churches, there is a reawakened interest in exorcism. They see demons in nearly every human disorder. There may be a grain of truth in this attitude, because split off parts can be responsible for an amazing variety of human ills. These churches then draw the conclusion that if something within is causing problems, the best thing to do is eliminate it. What is overlooked is the potential value of the darker aspects of the psyche. Usually these attempts at exorcism do not succeed in actually destroying a part. Either nothing happens or the part hides for awhile and comes back later, even more angry and polarized than before. When the exorcism is successful, the energy of the destroyed part will usually recoalesce into a roughly similar entity after a period of months or years.
If it is clear that parts should not be exorcised, neither should they be included into the Ego just as they are. In most instances, a denied aspect of the True Self will be in a polarized, out of balance relationship to the Ego. It will tend to be as extreme in the expression of its energy as the Ego is in denying it. Simply reclaiming the part as it is could be a disaster. For instance, if a denied Sexuality is simply embraced by the Ego, it might well give rise to inappropriate behaviors that could greatly harm the client as well as a spouse and others with whom the person is intimately involved. The same could be said of Anger, the Hurt Child, or any other inner part, except those that come directly from the Center, such as Inner Wisdom or the Great Mother. These latter aspects can never be fully assimilated by the Ego. However, the Ego can eventually learn to live in such a way that it becomes a relatively transparent channel for their gifts. This usually does not occur until all the other aspects of the psyche are in balance and the Ego is nearly free of egocentric distortion.
Usually, at least one third of each therapy session I conduct is dedicated to Internal Work. Generally, the Internal Work precipitates highly demanding, creative experiences that confront the egocentric Ego and precipitate change. With few exceptions, the Internal Work done in my office is much more powerful than that done at home. However, I do recommend to many clients that they do Internal Work during the week between sessions.
Some people do not connect with autonomous, internal entities. In my current case load of approximately forty—eight clients, I have two whose Internal Work simply consists of observing a series of brief, dreamlike experiences, most of which they understand readily. One of these clients used to do a great deal of work with inner parts, but has since integrated them. The other, although a deeply troubled person, has never encountered any autonomous inner parts.
When parts are available, I prefer to work with them instead of merely inviting a flow of images. Having tried both options, I have found that therapy is much more powerful and precise when parts are involved.
Some clients are not very adept at Internal Work. Usually this is due to a limited capacity for visualization or an inability or unwillingness to allow material to flow spontaneously. Often these clients have no sense of inner parts such as Inner Wisdom, the Hurt Child, Anger, etc. Yet they usually have their share of unresolved traumas, at least some of which are out of awareness. With these clients I use Dreamwork or directed association (as described in the chapter, The Healing Process) to uncover what is in need of healing.
Although Internal Work is not ego-controlled, it is a conscious, intentional activity, unlike dreams or hallucinations. It is not merely an act of observation as is found in certain forms of meditation in which the individual simply contemplates certain objects, scenes, or sounds. Nor is it daydreaming, by which I mean the enjoyment of a scene that one purposefully generates or allows to flow with the intention of filling time or feeling good. Finally, Internal Work does not use imagery to foster egocentric goals such as revenge or control fantasies, or as a way to program oneself to become wealthier, more popular, or other specific ego-determined goals.
Internal Work is thoroughly experiential. It impacts the intellect, emotions, and senses simultaneously. I much prefer Internal Work over any other therapeutic modality I have ever used or studied. The power of its stories, images, and metaphors is often so overwhelming that it shocks the Ego out of old, egocentric patterns.
Additionally, Internal Work is a trance procedure. When an individual is in trance, his defenses are lowered. Most of his ordinary fears and concerns will seem distant. Therefore, he will not be as inclined to resist uncomfortable material as he normally would, and is more open to truth. What is ordinarily screened from awareness is made accessible or nearly so. Emotions, especially, are sharper and deeper.
When people are in the Internal World, their openness to imagery and metaphoric thinking increases. The Internal World tends to communicate more by metaphor than it does by words. Metaphor (i.e., the use of an image, or more accurately, the use of an experience to make a point) is richer, more powerful, and more effective than putting the same message in words. In fact, it is often impossible to fully express the experience in words.
Internal World experiences engage a person not only intellectually, but emotionally and physically as well. They can be transforming in a way that verbal descriptions can never be.
Trance is almost always necessary for internal metaphors to have their most powerful impact. When an individual is in normal, left brain consciousness, metaphors do not have much meaning. The normal reaction is to analyze the metaphor. This reaction is based on the assumption that understanding is the key element in embracing the gift the metaphor brings. However, the insights derived from Internal Work, and the very structure of the Internal World, go beyond logic. Because of their subjective nature, they are not readily accessible to scientific validation. They are not illogical, but they are far beyond anything that logic or reason could attain on its own. When a person is in a right brain, trance-like frame of reference, she can experience and be in the metaphor. Trance allows the Ego to live the inner life instead of merely knowing about it.
Many people carry unbearable truths within themselves. Most of these truths have to do with childhood abuse, especially sexual abuse. Internal World metaphors and dream symbols may point toward such experiences, but in such an oblique way that the Ego is unlikely to be immediately aware of what is being exposed. These symbols and metaphors gradually prepare the Ego so that the final breaking through into awareness of the hidden experience will not be quite so devastating. The meaning of these symbols often becomes clear only in retrospect.
The obscurity of Internal World processes is not the major problem in therapy. The real problem is that the Ego wants to hide or run when confronted by the demands of the experience.
I usually do not encourage the Ego to attempt to interpret internal metaphors without doing the experiential work first because the Ego is just as unlikely to discern the actual meaning as an external person. In fact, the Ego is more likely to misunderstand the metaphor, because it has more of an investment in its life distortions. The therapist should simply connect the Ego with the metaphor and let the metaphor speak for itself. There is no great harm in the therapist offering some suggestions as long as the client does not invest too much authority in the therapist’s opinion. The client needs to understand that if he really wants to know what the metaphor means he will have to live it internally.
Intellectual interpretation of inner material does have value. It can cause a change in thinking with attendant changes in feeling and behavior. If time is limited, interpretation is sometimes the best that can be done. However, to be satisfied merely with interpretation denies the client the true potential of the metaphor’s gifts.
The Internal World generates potent symbols effortlessly. If the Ego will embrace them, these symbols can be so powerful that they effect the transformation they symbolize. I frequently encourage my clients to find and wear--or otherwise keep near to their person--jewelry or artifacts that reflect their inner symbols. Such items frequently take on a sacramental quality for their owner.
For example, I have a client who has a sense of the Goddess as an eagle. For this woman, the Divine is the Great Mother, who takes the form of a hovering eagle that possesses clear perception, great power, and a very nurturing attitude toward her babies. I recommended not only that the client experience this internally, but that she also buy herself a necklace or pin that has an eagle on it. She has done this, and she wears it all the time. It is not just a piece of jewelry, it is an amulet--a numinous, sacramental object. For her, it is charged with energy, emotions, and perceptions that keep her connected to her deepest reality. Such external symbols can be very powerful.
Artistic expression of internal processes can also be quite helpful. Again, it is a way of owning internal material, and expressing or claiming it at the ego level as fully as possible.
The Internal World is concerned first and foremost with wholeness, the integrated embrace and expression of one’s full human potential. It views and comments on every aspect of a person’s life from that perspective, generating the awarenesses and experiences necessary to precipitate healing. It consistently presents clearer insight and direction, and more potent healing experiences, than any other source. In doing so, it may address a very narrow aspect of the person’s potential by producing a mundane dream designed to help him figure out how to fix a stereo, or it may present a mystical experience of overwhelming power and beauty. There are no limits to its range of expression. Neither I nor my clients’ Egos can generate anything that even approximates the quality of Internal Work when it is allowed to proceed in its own direction.
Even when ego level beliefs or needs set rather rigid parameters for the Internal World’s mythopoetic expression, it still uses this space to teach fundamental human truths and to further self—awareness as much as possible. If a person enters the Internal World seeking entertainment, it will usually accommodate, spinning wonderful tales full of sound and fury, in which the Ego is the principal actor. Yet even these experiences tend to draw the person to deeper levels of self-awareness.
The internal scenes, metaphorical events, and stories in which the Ego participates tend to be dramatic and beautiful. A single ten minute Journey may sometimes preoccupy a person for days afterwards. Symbols and metaphors are interwoven into a fabric of revelations and new perspectives that mere mortal playwrights could not possibly excel.
There is a direct negative correlation between the degree of Ego constraint and expectation and the power and number of constructive insights that are able to be generated in the course of an Internal Journey. The practice I have found most effective is to set a scene that gives maximum flexibility within minimal context. For instance, I will take the Ego to Anger’s cave, but after that Anger determines the Journey’s direction. Whatever happens tends to be accurate and very moving. Under this circumstance of minimal context and maximum freedom of expression for the Internal World, the true autonomy of this world and its denizens becomes obvious.
People frequently wonder whether the experiences and parts they encounter in Internal Work are just products of their imagination or whether they have any preexisting reality of their own. In the case of multiples, the latter is now the accepted position of most individuals in the helping professions. The matter is not so obvious with persons experiencing less dramatic fragmentation and polarization.
Anyone with a good imagination can conjure up numerous entities which have little or no relevance to the real structure of her Internal World. However, she will not be able to create and maintain a false internal reality for very long. The true inner structure is far more deeply grounded and powerful than a mere Ego fantasy. It will be only a matter of time before it will reassert itself in both Internal Work and dreams.
People’s doubts about the validity of Internal Work seldom last once they have met Anger and realize how powerless they are before it, or have been shown long repressed experiences by the Hurt Child who still lives in them as a personal, present moment.
The degree of autonomy and permanence of inner parts is proportionate to the person’s capacity for dissociation and the restrictions and/or abuse she has suffered. Most people have had to deny important parts of themselves, and these parts exist internally at varying levels of consciousness and autonomy.
Internal Work is the principal tool for reintegrating split off parts. No other intervention can even approach the power of Internal Work as a vehicle for encountering and communicating with parts. Ideally, Internal Work involves the Ego as much as the Ego is willing or able to tolerate. It is the Ego that goes into the Internal World, interacts with the major aspects of the psyche, embraces the issues, and makes new decisions. The therapist is in a dance with the Ego, allowing the Ego to lead, with the therapist giving subtle suggestions for refining the dance when the Ego is ready.
My first rule is to do my best to make sure that the client has a good connection with an internal wisdom figure. In most instances, these sources of intuitive, revelatory perception can function as potent co—therapists. As extraordinary as this may sound, it is based on the experience of thousands of hours of therapy with hundreds of clients treated by myself and by therapists I have trained. These wisdom figures know when the Ego is resisting and are able to confront it more effectively and subtly than I have ever been able to do. They also know when the Ego has had all it can tolerate and can comfort and support the Ego as it attempts to integrate what it has already learned. Wisdom figures have also frequently given me effective guidance regarding ways to help my clients around blockages in their therapy. When a client has a strong, readily available Inner Wisdom, progress is generally much better. However, many clients have ignored their Wisdom and consequently never found healing or integration.
Reintegration is a twofold process. First, the Ego must reclaim all those elements of personal history that have been dissociated. Unclaimed history will continually limit a person’s potential. Unresolved traumas are like open wounds. They fester and drain the energy of the entire psyche. They create a persistent state of malaise. Whenever they are touched through the encounter of similar life experiences or when ego defenses happen to be lowered, they can erupt in overwhelming pain. Secondly, the various split off aspects or fragments of the psyche must be reconnected with each other, the Ego, and the original self or True Self.
Reintegrating history and split off parts are interdependent processes. Because the psyche fragments in response to past traumas, the continuing unresolved impact of those traumas will make it nearly impossible for the parts to achieve a stable integration.
The healing of psychological traumas seems to have some parallels to the healing of physical wounds. If the damage is severe enough, it will require outside intervention in order for healing to occur. The healing always takes time in order to be complete, and sometimes a relatively minor insult to the healing wound will reopen it or at least trigger a severe reaction.
Because of the possibility of powerful material emerging, Internal Work is best done with the assistance of someone trained in the process. Memories are repressed because they have the power to render the Ego dysfunctional. Bringing them back without the support of an informed helper may very well cause considerable emotional turmoil and perhaps even a serious crisis. For instance, individuals suffering from an emotional disorder would be very unwise to go any further alone than simply meeting the Hurt Child. Connecting with a dissociated part without the support and guidance of a competent therapist could cause the Ego to become even more influenced than usual by the pain, early life decisions, and intense, often negative emotions that have been encapsulated in the part.
The process of reintegrating an inner part is usually lengthy and relatively complex. It begins with recognizing the fact of the other’s existence and its right to exist. Even this knowledge is sometimes difficult for a person to accept. Additionally, both the Ego and the part--or both parts if the integration does not include the Ego--must be willing to fully share all aspects of their experiences. This means accepting the behavioral inclinations, emotions, and physical sensations that are unique to the part, as well as the knowledge and thinking style of the part. I have seen no case where a stable integration was achieved that was not proceeded by a time of dialogue and mutual sharing. This gives both parties time to connect with each other at all four levels.
Once the part’s existence has been accepted, dialogue and negotiation can begin. Healing is always dependent upon the Ego’s willingness to accept and then embrace whatever has been rejected. Dialogue is the first step. Frequently, in the initial dialogue, both the Ego and the part will be antagonistic toward each other. They may have shared a long history of mutual enmity. Initially, bringing the struggle to ego consciousness does not imply that it will be any less intense.
The role of the therapist is to be a fair referee. He must not take sides and he must make sure that both the Ego and the part are given every opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings. Any deviation from this course will alienate one or the other and lead to greater overall rigidity.
If the dialogue is restricted so that one or both parties are unable to freely express everything they think and feel, then the true nature and scope of the issues that separate the Ego and the part will not be known. This would be a major roadblock to eventual integration.
The initial response to dialogue will probably be negotiation. With the therapist acting as mediator, the Ego and the part begin to decide what they can and cannot tolerate from each other. The beginning of negotiation has little or nothing to do with mutual respect or affection. It is motivated by simple self-interest.
Negotiation and dialogue lead the way to deeper healing. Once the Ego and part begin to know each other and respect each other’s needs, the polarization will diminish and a kind of caring will develop. When this happens it is time for the Ego and the part to begin healing the historical wounds that gave rise to the part.
The psyche will not split unless it has somehow been traumatized. As long as the trauma remains unresolved, integration is not much of a possibility. The part and the Ego may become good friends, but without healing the history, they will probably not be able to join their energies and become a transcendent third reality.
The process for resolving history with a part is outlined in table 1. For the process to be successful, the Ego must be willing to experience the behavioral, affective, sensory, and cognitive realities of the part. If the traumas that gave rise to this part have already been resolved, dialogue and growing mutual awareness and respect will be sufficient ground for fostering integration.
When the connection becomes sufficiently intense and the traumas that underlie the split have been worked through, the parts will usually spontaneously integrate. The outcome of integration is a new personal reality that transcends both the part and the Ego. This new reality is more balanced, open, and fluid than the previous, fragmented self. The psyche may temporarily lose some of the highly specialized gifts of the split off part. (These parts will sometimes exhibit a singular focus of energy that in some ways parallels the phenomenon of the autistic savant.) What it receives in return is increased vitality, a broadening of perspective, and new options that neither the Ego nor the part ever had before.
If the Ego is highly motivated, open to feelings, and willing to accept pain, the Internal Work will frequently proceed smoothly with little or no intervention by the therapist. A therapist may spend fifteen or twenty minutes of an hour session in silence as a client does a large piece of Internal Work of which the therapist is completely unaware.
I do prefer that the client tell me what is going on during the Internal Work. However, some clients cannot maintain their inner focus and speak at the same time. When clients are able to communicate, the therapist can sometimes encourage them and give them support or direction as they face disturbing or confusing inner realities.
Throughout this process, the therapist is completely reliant on the client’s commitment to honest self-disclosure. Without this, the process is basically useless.
There are many facets within the psyche which play important roles. The most significant for healing is the Hurt Child. If the historical issues embodied in the Hurt Child are not worked through, no amount of work with any other parts of the psyche will bring wholeness. The best that can be hoped for is an absence of internal conflict between parts and the Ego. Although the individual may feel more comfortable, the healing will still be incomplete. The person will continue to be controlled by old fears, automatic responses, and distorted early life decisions. These patterns can only be healed through resolving history, and this is usually best accomplished through working with the Hurt Child.
When the work with the Hurt Child is done well, other aspects of the psyche are much more readily brought into harmony. Split of f parts were created by a pattern of historical traumas, and continue to be energized by them until these traumas are resolved. When this has been done, the parts are much more flexible and willing to move toward integration.
Usually, I prefer to access and work with early life trauma through the Hurt Child. If this is not possible or feels inadvisable, history can be reached through other channels. The most obvious and common is through Ego awareness alone. If a client is incapable of Internal Work (approximately 10 to 20% seem to be), then the history that is available for working through is that which is already known, or is made available in dreams. In this instance, the therapist reconstructs the incident, or incidents, in as great a detail as possible. Then, with the client in trance, the therapist helps him re-experience it as fully as possible. He continually encourages the client to be very aware of both emotions and sensations as the experience unfolds. After reliving the experience, the therapist asks the client to imagine as best he can that he as an adult is now with the Hurt Child, offering the child nurturance, guidance, permission for expression of emotion, etc.
The technique of directed association can be helpful for those who have a limited capacity for Internal Work. When a client reports behaviors, thoughts, feelings, or sensations that are inappropriate in her contemporary context, these phenomena are likely to be dissociated aspects of some unresolved psychological wound. If Internal Work is an option, I simply ask the wisdom figure or Hurt Child to show the client the source of the symptom. Once the material is disclosed, I direct the client through the stages of healing summarized in table 1. If Internal Work is not an option, directed association can be a very useful alternative.
Directed association begins with deep relaxation, just as if the client were going to do Internal Work. Deep relaxation reduces dissociative barriers, as well as most other defense mechanisms. Once the client is deeply relaxed, the therapist asks her to focus her full attention on the symptom. If the symptom is not currently manifesting, he asks her to remember when she last experienced it. They then use the memory as a way to reclaim the symptom.
When the symptom is clearly present, the therapist requests that the client focus her full attention on it. If the symptom is a feeling, he asks that it be given as intense an expression as possible. If the symptom is a sensation, the therapist asks that the client try to be aware of nothing else so that the sensation can be fully present in consciousness. If the symptom is a behavior, he directs the client to repeat the behavior over and over in as intense a fashion as possible within the limits of the counseling environment. If the symptom is a thought, I ask the client to say the thought aloud over and over.
Through intensification of the symptom, other components of the BASK model (behavior, affect, sensation, knowledge [Braun, 1988]) may well begin to emerge. Eventually, a critical mass of awareness will develop and the source of the symptom will break through. Knowing the source of the symptoms does not automatically imply resolution. The client must experience and express all four elements of the original trauma. Additionally, he must receive appropriate nurturance and support, either from himself, the therapist, or a trusted friend. The entire process may occur within a single session, or it may require several sessions. It may even take a year or more of returning to the trauma or group of traumas several times over at ever deepening levels before it is fully owned and released. A reliable guideline is that it is impossible to let go of or transcend anything which has not been fully embraced and expressed.
It is usually not sufficient merely to know what happened to oneself and feel the related feelings. In most cases of severe abuse, some external expression is essential for healing. It serves several important functions. When a historical wound is spoken of or even lived out in the presence of a trusted helper, it violates the abusers’ demand for secrecy. This action helps the client begin to break free of the abusers’ psychological power over her. Moreover, most abuse victims feel that they have been shamed or flawed by the attack. Therefore, sharing the experience with someone who unconditionally accepts them will help erode the shame and move them toward self-acceptance.
Many victims speak of how they were crying or screaming inside during the attacks, but never dared utter a sound. Within therapy, all of this must be expressed. In the process of expressing held—in screams and crying, many clients will also want to give voice to their rage and fight back. This should be strongly encouraged, and is best done through the use of psychodrama.
If a client is capable of Internal Work, but the Hurt Child is not available, the therapist can ask Inner Wisdom to take the Ego to those times where healing is needed. Wisdom usually is very cooperative in this matter. Once the process begins, the therapist follows the same procedure outlined in table 1, beginning with step 5.
Another alternative channel to the historical material in need of healing is through a split off part. Each split off aspect of the psyche has its own collection of memories and historical traumas which create and define it. These can be reached through the Hurt Child, or through the part. In either case, I use the same procedure.
A common concern of therapists who do Internal Work regressions regards the validity of the experiences uncovered. It is well known that people’s memories are frequently inaccurate. Added to that is the problem that many of these “memories” are repressed experiences of which the client had no conscious awareness at all. How can the therapist be certain that it is not merely confabulation?
The answer is that one usually cannot know. When I have found people, such as an older brother or an uncle or aunt, who are reliable witnesses, they generally validate the material that comes forward through the regression work with the Hurt Child. Nevertheless, such witnesses are an infrequent opportunity. My best judgment is that ultimately it does not matter how accurate the memories are. The likelihood is very high that what is being shown to the client is either precisely what happened, or similar enough that it can at least facilitate resolution of the pain and early life decisions precipitated by the original abuse. After all, what one must live with is not reality, but one’s perception of reality. It is the perceptions of the External World held within the unconscious that need to be responded to and resolved. I believe that my clients are experiencing an accurate flow of their perceptions of their life experiences. In my opinion, that is sufficient.
For most people, Internal Work needs to begin with a relaxation procedure. Some individuals, who are especially adept, can enter the Internal World merely by changing the focus of their attention. A few people can be in both worlds simultaneously and yet still function effectively.
I have probably tried fifteen or twenty different relaxation techniques with my clients over the last ten years. The two which I have found to be the most universally effective are presented in appendix A. Any technique that gets a client comfortable, relatively free of tension, and mildly dissociated (i.e., beyond the usual ego boundaries and preoccupations) is sufficient for beginning an Internal Journey.
The techniques I use are simple and straightforward. I want my clients to clearly understand what I am doing and why. I also want them to be fully aware that they are in charge of the relaxation process.
Once they have completed the relaxation procedure, I then present a word picture of a mountain meadow (see appendix A). This meadow becomes a familiar place of departure for most successive Internal Journeys. It is also a place of quiet rest when the Ego feels overburdened by the demands of the External World. Ten minutes in the meadow can leave a person very rested and refreshed.
If someone has trouble focusing on the imagery, I suggest that he let go of all images. I then lead him through the second relaxation procedure and back down the ten steps. This is usually effective.
Once a person is well established in the meadow or other internal context, I suggest he invite forward the aspect of the psyche we will be working with that day. If the client can talk without disturbing the internal process, I might ask him if he can see the part. If he says yes or becomes emotional, then he has probably made a significant connection. I then suggest that he get acquainted with the part. I will have usually given him some guidance regarding what is appropriate and inappropriate within the context of a particular Journey. Once connection with the part is made, I give the client plenty of time to establish rapport.
Usually people will return from the Internal World on their own. Sometimes, if it is getting close to the end of the session, I will have to call the client back. Occasionally, a client will be reluctant to return. I then ask what is happening and decide whether or not to give the client extra time. Such judgments must be made case by case, with guidance from the client’s Wisdom and my own. If I am feeling strongly pressured by my schedule, giving the client extra time will not be useful, no matter how important the issue is. A therapist who is preoccupied with other concerns is less helpful than no therapist at all.
Some Internal Work is very moving and easily understood. It needs no facilitation or interpretation. The therapist’s role is more that of a support person helping the client integrate the insights or recover from the impact of the experience. The meaning of other Internal Work is not as clear and needs working through. If the client has a readily accessible wisdom figure, I will suggest that he talk the Journey over with his Wisdom. If this is not fruitful, I will try to help.
Helping in this context is paradoxical. The therapist does take some initiative in working through the material, but primarily he follows the client’s lead. In the give and take of therapy the client is the therapist’s teacher and guide much more often than not. Only the client knows the structure and flow of his own inner experience. Only he can tell the therapist what personal relevance the various symbols and metaphors have. No one can be an expert regarding someone else’s Internal World.
Insofar as there are some universal realities shared by everyone’s Internal World, the therapist can offer a general expertise that might be helpful to the client. Beyond this, there is very little the therapist can know for sure about the client’s inner experience. A spirit of humble, unobtrusive service assures the best outcome.
If a client wants to know what I am thinking, I gladly share it. If there is some principle or theme I think the client would benefit from knowing, I ask if the client wants to know. If he does, I say what is on my mind.
Most of my energy is put into seeking to understand the client and his experiences through questioning and reflection. Through this, I help clarify the experience for both of us. Frequently, an interpretation is obvious to me even though the client may not see it. People often block awareness when a dream or Internal Work threatens the Ego. In such a case I offer my interpretation as a possibility. If the client has an “aha” reaction, we know we are probably on target. If nothing “clicks,” we set it aside temporarily. I need to reiterate here that intellectual awareness is only a small aspect of Internal Work. Transformation through experience is the fundamental goal.
The therapist needs to remember that the client’s Center already knows the point of the internal experiences. It generated the material. Moreover, it is a communication the Center wants the Ego to understand, feel, and respond to. I have seen no evidence to support Freud’s theory that inner symbolism is a form of obfuscation designed to keep the Ego unaware of unbearable truths.
In Internal Work, the therapist is not called upon to display much technical virtuosity. Technique is of minor consequence. The best technique is to stay out of the client’s way. The quality of my presence and my acceptance and openness to Internal World realities are the central issues for me as a therapist.
The therapist should keep the Ego focused on the task at hand and not let it avoid deep work by focusing on trivial issues. On the other hand, he must be sensitive to what the Ego can tolerate and not drive the client away by making him face more than he can handle. This requires sensitivity, careful listening, and a willingness to connect with the client as best he can. Additionally, the therapist must take seriously what his client tells him, believing that the Ego means what it says, unless previous experience shows this to be a false assumption. I generally make it clear to my clients that I am going to believe what they tell me. If they are going to tell lies or attempt to mislead me, it is relatively easy to do. The only consequence is that they will waste their money on therapy that will be essentially worthless to them.
When a client says that he cannot handle any more, the therapist should take him at his word. If he is at all suspicious, he should have the client check with Wisdom. If the wisdom figure thinks the client can tolerate more pain and is just not facing up to what has to be done, the therapist should ask it to confront the client. He should then remind the client that he must make his own decision.
When the material being dealt with in therapy is stretching the client to the limit of her tolerance, I check whether the client is experiencing any suicidal or self-destructive impulses. Whenever a client indicates any significant suicidal inclinations, this issue must take precedence.
My primary response to suicidal impulses is to develop a “no suicide” contract with the client. If the client is fragmented, I try to make sure that the contract includes not only the Ego, but any other parts that are sufficiently autonomous to supplant the Ego or significantly influence it.
A typical “no suicide” contract might be as follows: “1 promise that I will do nothing which would directly or indirectly lead to the death of the body or any of those who reside within the psyche.” Too easy an agreement sometimes indicates that the person is not serious. Any conditions or escape clauses the client wishes to add should be scrutinized very carefully. Clients will often use linguistic subtleties or narrow interpretations as a way out. If a client is only willing to give a time-limited contract, the therapist must be very explicit as to when and how the contract will be completed. For instance, if the contract concludes with the clause, “until next week,” or “until your appointment next week,” the client may skip the next week’s session and then feel absolved of any responsibility to keep his word. I usually conclude a time-limited contract with the phrase, “until we have our next session.” At the next session we then have to negotiate a new, hopefully permanent, contract.
One danger with a time-limited agreement is that the therapist might forget to renew it and this could be interpreted by the client as a lack of caring. In one such instance, a client is reported to have made a serious suicidal gesture precisely because of such an interpretation. Even when the contract is understood as permanent, it is a good idea to review the contract with the client periodically.
A firm “no suicide” commitment not only protects the client from immediate danger, it also reinvigorates the person’s commitment to healing. After all, if the client is firmly committed to staying alive, then he had best get on with his healing rather than spend even more years stuck in his pain. If the client balks at giving a binding “no suicide” agreement, Internal Work should cease immediately and hospitalization should be given serious consideration.
At the beginning of therapy, the therapist should warn clients about the potential destabilization of psychological structure and function that may be precipitated by uncovering powerful material. Such destabilization generally includes the following: (a) spontaneous abreactions (i.e., the client unpredictably falls back into an unresolved traumatic experience), (b) flashbacks, (c) powerful surges of emotion, appropriate to the trauma but inappropriate to contemporary reality, (d) regressive tendencies, (e) an overwhelming need for reassurance, and (f) an unpredictably different style of psychological functioning once the trauma is worked through.
The client needs to understand how these things happen and why it is important to accept them as part of the process. The only way to avoid these reactions is to refuse to face the old traumas in the first place. Although outlining these possibilities may frighten clients, it is crucial that they be prepared for what might happen. Otherwise, the attempt to heal the trauma may cause more harm than the trauma itself. In this matter, I believe that if the therapist is going to risk error, it should be on the side of caution.
I tell my clients that if they are willing to do therapy with me, they will probably become more dysfunctional than they are right now. However, I also tell them that it is unlikely that they will totally collapse. Very few of my clients end up unable to work or care for their families, although they may be pushed to the limit of what they can handle. I advise them to just be patient and trust the process, asking their Center for the strength they need. I am available to my clients if they become too dysfunctional. I give them my card that has both my business and my home phone numbers. I encourage them to call if they are in real trouble. I use the bond between us to give them a sense of external support, if they need it. I also encourage them to seek out and accept the support of friends and loved ones.
The Ego must be continually encouraged to open up and allow the destabilizing material to flow at a pace the client can reasonable tolerate. However, if the person is having seriously intrusive flashbacks or is profoundly depressed, I do suggest medication. Klonopin has been discovered to be exceedingly useful in managing flashbacks and spontaneous abreactions. Anti-depressants will usually help with severe depression. I would prefer to use medication rather than risk the possibility of either significant decompensation or increased rigidity on the part of the Ego.
The process of reclaiming history can have varying levels of impact on different individuals. Most people are basically responsive to Internal Work. However, there will be some clients for whom the process does not work very well, usually because the traumas are so massive that helping the Hurt Child undo the impact of the trauma becomes quite complex and difficult. In those instances in which the trauma is quite severe, clients may respond to the reclaiming of the experience in two basic, unproductive ways.
In the first instance, once the trauma begins to be remembered, the client may become totally absorbed in the experience and lose all connection with external reality. Afterwards, he may not be able to remember any part of it. All this accomplishes is to debilitate the client. It consumes his energy and makes him feel horribly abused even though he cannot remember what happened. Such experiences do not facilitate healing and may even be detrimental. Abreactions, followed by amnesia for the experience, have caused many post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers to be misdiagnosed as psychotic. Although many do have brief psychotic episodes during the course of therapy.
The best way to forestall these destructive abreactions in the future is to enlist the aid of aspects of the psyche (other than the Ego) that may have access to the memory being abreacted, such as a wisdom figure or Hurt Child. These parts can sometimes present sufficiently limited pieces of the experience being abreacted to enable the Ego to keep it in awareness. I have also been told by an individual working with another therapist that her internal parts are able to join forces and pull her out of an experience before she becomes overwhelmed by it. I have not yet had occasion to try this myself, but intend to if an opportunity presents. Another helpful strategy is to request that the client’s Internal World present dreams that will help reveal the trauma. Finally, the drug Klonopin has also proven to be very helpful in controlling unwanted, intrusive abreactive experiences. Finally, as discussed in the chapter on hypnosis, the timed safe” technique can be very helpful.
In contrast to the problem of overwhelming abreactions, the second relatively common, unproductive response to reclaiming dissociated trauma occurs when the Ego and/or the therapist are satisfied with merely accessing information about the experience. This allows the client to remain disconnected from the sensations and emotions that were part of the original event. Simply knowing about early trauma can be the beginning of fully reclaiming the experience, but of itself it will not lead to healing.
Even though a client may regain full memory of an experience and feel some appropriate emotions such as sadness and rage in reaction to it, there still may be a great deal more to be dealt with. This could include such things as loneliness, terror, shame, destructive life decisions, and physiological reactions to the original experience, all of which could be significantly affecting the person’s contemporary life.
In dealing with severe trauma, all the major elements of the experience must be reclaimed and worked through. This is hard work for both the client and the therapist. Sometimes only small pieces of the experience are available at any one time. The whole experience may take several months to emerge. In other cases, the whole experience may be available to memory, but the client can only tolerate dealing with small parts of it at a time. Frequently, clients will seem to have worked through an experience rather thoroughly, but after a few weeks or months, a new facet of the experience will emerge and have to be resolved. I have also experienced instances in which what I judged to be a fully resolved trauma reclaimed the client’s awareness and was impacting the client emotionally and physiologically. Sometimes this is precipitated by extraordinary stress and other times by an environmental cue. If it is clear to me and the client’s wisdom figures that the reemergence of the trauma presents nothing new to be worked on, I will use hypnotic suggestion and the help of internal resources to move the experience back out of awareness. I may also recommend Klonopin to help block the memory.
Because Internal Work is a trance procedure, some clients tend to become highly suggestible. If the therapist strongly suggests that the client either probably or definitely experienced a certain type of abuse, the person may produce a regressive “memory” that is designed to satisfy the therapist’s intent. Such a “memory” would not point to something in need of healing, but rather to an attempt on the part of the person’s psyche to cooperate with the therapist. It would not lead to any genuine healing, but would only add a layer of confusion to the process.
Many authors, including myself, have developed symptom lists which are designed to help clarify the potential outcomes of various psychological traumata. These lists can help therapists and clients appreciate the interconnectedness between pathologies and trauma and make their worlds more comprehensible. Such lists also help clients feel less alone and can guide the therapist toward potentially fruitful areas of inquiry.
Using a symptom list as a reliable diagnostic tool, however, is a serious mistake. People are far too complex for any therapist to be able to definitively conclude that a particular set of symptoms automatically means that the client has suffered a particular kind of trauma.
Therapists need to be very careful about implying anything at all regarding the nature of a client’s early life experience. The therapist needs to be present to the client as a support person, and as a catalyst for the process. But he must be very circumspect regarding any suggestions as to the nature of the experiences that need to unfold. The therapist should allow the Internal World to discern what needs to be dealt with.
posted by Dean Schlecht @ 6:43 PM
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