Regression therapy is a therapeutic process that uses one’s earlier life experiences as source material to resolve current problems. This concept is similar to psychodynamic therapy. However, regression therapy is more solution-focused, whereas psychodynamic therapy is more interested in the process and the experience. Past life therapy encompasses all the same techniques and theories as regression therapy, however, the boundaries are lifted from the conscious mind, enabling the client to explore a past-life.

Regressing someone back to his childhood or a past-life is by no means a phenomenon. If you listen carefully, people regress all the time, whether it’s at a casual party or standing in line at a grocery store. In a therapeutic setting, a therapist will help a client regress and to make the unconscious conscious. By using different therapeutic techniques such as hypnotherapy, guided imagery, relaxation exercises or just talk-therapy, a client can be regressed into a past memory that may be influencing his present life in a negative way.

Unlike many traditional talk-therapy modalities, hypnotic techniques help bypass the client’s analytical mind, thus enabling the therapist to elicit forgotten memories, including suppressed and repressed issues. The more unconscious identification there is, the less our ego is able to assert and defend itself against the inner compulsions and beliefs. Many forgotten memories, especially traumatic ones, are instilled in the unconscious mind. We all have defense mechanisms that shut down our innate ability to tap into our emotions due to our inability to cope with stress, fear, or pain. Compartmentalizing or trying to forget painful experiences is usually our natural tendency. After years of repressing these issues, the actual facts of the event and the emotions that are associated with the event become fragmented – waiting to be unleashed and reconciled.

Studies show that generally a strong experience of catharsis is needed to alleviate one from unwanted beliefs, complexes, or destructive behaviors. Pioneer of psychology Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) learned hypnosis from Joseph Breuer (1842-1925), who had treated a young woman suffering from neurotic symptoms, which they diagnosed as hysteria in 1880. Breuer had the patient discuss past events in a state of deep hypnosis. She was able to recall traumatic events from her childhood, which she could not remember in her conscious state. She was able to integrate the experiences and connect them to her emotions. The end result was that her neurotic symptoms disappeared. Breuer and Freud’s earliest technical efforts were referred to as the “cathartic method” (Brueur and Freud, 1893-1895). Sources say that Freud was not good with hypnosis and found it to be confusing and embarrassing and his success rate with such hypnotic techniques was very poor. He finally abandoned hypnosis and worked mainly with free association for memory recall and to explore the unconscious. Freud’s condemnation of hypnosis combined with the growing reputation of psychoanalysis caused the medical profession to reject hypnosis. Milton Erickson (1901-1980) was trained as psychiatrist, but was most known for his innovative techniques in hypnotherapy, which helped revive hypnosis. It was not until the middle of the 20th century that hypnosis was again accepted as a valuable technique in therapy and for medical and clinical applications.

The framework in facilitating a proper regression is to encourage a client to reenact or experience a traumatic event to as if it were happening and being experienced again. The client is guided to stay focused on all the sensations and feelings that come with the experience on a physical and emotional level. The objective is to get the client passed the point of his conflict, confusion or fear. What makes the experience different and healing for the client is he is able to got honor his true emotions and perceptions of the event without being judged or criticized. The therapist provides a safe space for the client to reconnect and integrate his emotions with the event. When the client moves through his discomfort, this creates the turning point where the client releases or gains better understanding with whatever issues have been constricting him.

Today, there are still mixed opinions about the efficacy of regression therapy. There are non-believers who feel that regression therapy is unnecessary and that the therapist is planting information in the client’s mind. Some feel that it is like brainwashing. These are just myths caused by misinformation and inept therapists. Whether a client is under hypnosis or in a trance, he is fully conscious and in control at all times during the session. He can reject whatever is being said to him. In a properly facilitated session, a therapist will elicit or evoke information that only comes from the client. Every experience is subjective. The only way to truly judge whether or not regression therapy is effective is by one’s own experience. The most important ingredient of any type of therapy is the interpersonal relationship. The technique is secondary.

Ray Doktor is a clinical hypnotherapist, past-life therapist, spiritual counselor, and life coach. He has a B.A. in human behavior and a M.A. in counseling psychology. Currently, he is a pre-doctorate candidate in clinical psychology and working on his licensure.

While under supervised training, Ray’s education included training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Gestalt therapy, and Milton Erickson’s techniques. He also had the opportunity to have been personally mentored by world-renowned therapist, Dr. Morris Netherton. This training included assisting Dr. Morris Netherton in conducting workshops and lectures around the world. Ray has lectured and provided demonstrations at workshops on stress management, sexual abuse recovery, trauma, addictions, health issues and surgeries, prenatal period and birth, past-lives, and spirituality.

Ray has been a practitioner for over 11 years, learning, teaching, and combining hypnosis with other energetic modalities. Visit his website at http://www.wholeminds.com

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Each school varies on it’s curriculum and will also vary in the types of massage therapy it specializes in it’s training courses and program. There are over 80 different types of massage therapies from reflexology to Swedish massage to shiatsu massage and beyond. These training schools will specialize in one of many of these areas.

A training school may offer massage courses in one or more of these types of massage therapies as well as massage courses in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, as well as in business marketing and ethics. Once the massage therapy training and massage courses are completed, many training schools also offer job placement opportunities for the massage therapist graduates.

State Requirements for Massage Therapy Training

There are differing state requirements for accreditation of training schools, so make sure the massage therapy training school you are considering is up to speed on all it’s license requirements. In order to get paid as a professional massage therapist, you must not only complete massage therapy training courses, but you must also fulfill all the legal requirements in your state. Without this, you cannot and should not practice, especially for money. Training courses are not difficult to find. There are many great training courses around, probably in your area. Many training schools are reasonably priced.

It is very likely that you will be able to find a training school or training courses near where you live. Although most massage therapy training courses and schools are located in metropolitan areas, you might be able to find one in a smaller, but growing city as well. In terms of job placement and employment opportunities once you have completed your training courses, metropolitan areas like Philadelphia, New York City and Los Angeles will be the best places to find massage therapist jobs.

Because of the rapidly rising interest in holistic and alternative healing and medicines, as well as natural therapies replacing traditionally medical treatments, massage therapy is going to be a rapidly growing industry that will require massage therapists to go through training courses. Also with the growing demand, training schools should begin to grow as well and choice of schools as well as training courses will become abundant. Training courses should also be looked at critically, making sure they have the techniques you are looking for and have the types of training courses you want.

Continuing Education for Massage Therapy Training

Many graduates of training programs take the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB). Many states require massage therapists to pass this exam in order to get a license to practice. When a massage therapist passes the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB), they are nationally recognized and need to renew their status every 4 years. Just like in most health related professions, massage therapists are required to do 200 hours of massage therapy work in addition to fulfilling continuing education massage courses.

Beyond this nationally recognized designation, each state has it’s own regulations and laws, and anyone interested in becoming a massage therapist or attending a training program or desiring to take courses, should look into his or her own state regulations regarding practicing as a massage therapist.

Massage Therapy Business

Massage therapy is a business indeed and it’s a way to make money for many people. Some work for hospitals, clinics and sports facilities, but most are self-employed and owners of their own business. This requires business skills that most businesses have to deal with like marketing, sales, billing and accounting, on top of doing the work. Training is just the beginning step to a rewarding career or business in this field.

David is a Business Development Consultant who assists businesses craft marketing and sales strategies which include developing marketing materials, developing a sales model and recruiting and managing a sales force. David also helps people start home based businesses and those looking to work from home. He’s been there, and he’s there now himself. In addition to his consulting work, David also does contracting for various humanitarian organizations and has multiple streams of income from projects on the Internet.

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There is so much fuel for thought in this book, that you will have the opportunity to read several articles as my mental juices are stimulated.

As a Mind-Body Psychotherapist I work with the concept and the emotion of fear. From the lowest level of anxiety to full blown panic, this emotion can cause the heart to race and one to shudder in anticipation of the possible event that one’s life feels out of control.

Decisions made when in a state of fright are not, by their very nature, rational. It’s an emotion, not logic.

The amygdala in the limbic brain becomes activated when we are overwrought. The cortex, the rational part of the brain takes a back seat. The admonition to be reasonable has no effect other than to induce anger in someone in a state of severe agitation.

Let’s look at the word “epidemic.”

Do a “gut check” right now. Just reading the word, does your abdomen twist a little, perhaps even hurt? Do you want to act on emotion or are you calm enough to look beyond the hype to the facts and evaluate the pros and cons of your actions.

Think of your beliefs regarding this word bandied about by FOX, CNN and other national and local news sources. Looking in the thesaurus, one of the phrases is “widespread disease.” That’s what the “ordinary” person thinks of. The mind then runs to such things as the plague, AIDS, SARS, bio-warfare, H1N1 and so on.

People are in such panic they are ready to take any vaccine the pharmaceutical industry dishes out, even though it has not been tested, to avoid getting sick.

What does “epidemic” mean to epidemiologists. Alcabes, who is an associate professor of Urban Public Health at Hunter College of the City University of New York, as well as a visiting professor at Yale’s School of Nursing, describes it as a “disease” appearing more often than usual.

When flu season hits, the outbreak hits the news. When another teen dies in an automobile accident, unless he or she is prominent, the family grieves privately. The number of teens who loose their lives on the road while in a car is four or five times that from illness. Yet the tragedy of the lost future in our youth is not continually in public awareness.

The flu outbreak is unusual. The death from another car crash is tragic but not unusual.

How we handle the out of the ordinary depends upon our own beliefs as well as the attempt of public agencies to influence feelings and actions.

The question for you to examine is, “Are you able to gather information before following the hysteria driven sound bites, or do you allow yourself to be swept away in the artificially created tsunami of fear?”

Cathy Chapman, Ph.D., LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker assisting people achieve their dreams of health, wealth and abundance through Mind-Body Psychology. She works from a spiritual and energetic model employing BodyTalk and Psych-K to balance the body and change beliefs. Cathy offers free of charge a powerful spiritual healing tool anyone can use. Get your Soul Healing Prayer now at http://www.distancegrouphealing.com.

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Adult pathological narcissism is no more “curable” than the entirety of one’s personality is disposable. The patient is a narcissist. Narcissism is more akin to the colour of one’s skin rather than to one’s choice of subjects at the university.

Moreover, the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is frequently diagnosed with other, even more intractable personality disorders, mental illnesses, and substance abuse.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (CBTs)

The CBTs believe that insight – even if merely verbal and intellectual – is sufficient to induce an emotional outcome. If properly manipulated, verbal cues, insights, analyses of standard sentences we keep saying to ourselves (”I am ugly”, “I am afraid no one would like to be with me”), inner dialogues and narratives, and repeated behavioural patterns (learned behaviours) coupled with positive (and, rarely, negative) reinforcements – are sufficient to induce a cumulative emotional effect tantamount to healing.

Psychodynamic theories do not believe that cognition can influence emotion. They believe that much deeper strata have to be accessed and studied by both patient and therapist. The very exposure of these strata is considered sufficient to induce a dynamic of healing. The therapist’s role is either to interpret the material revealed to the patient (psychoanalysis) by allowing the patient to transfer past experience and superimpose it on the therapist – or to actively engage in providing a safe emotional and holding environment conducive to changes in the patient.

The sad fact is that no known therapy is effective with narcissism ITSELF – though a few therapies are reasonably successful as far as coping with some of its effects goes (behavioural modification).

Dynamic Psychotherapy

Or Psychodynamic Therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

As opposed to common opinion it is NOT psychoanalysis. It is an intensive psychotherapy BASED on psychoanalytic theory WITHOUT the (very important) element of free association. This is not to say that free association is not used – only that it is not a pillar of the technique in dynamic therapies. Dynamic therapies are usually applied to patients not considered “suitable” for psychoanalysis (such as Personality Disorders, except the Avoidant PD).

Typically, different modes of interpretation are employed and other techniques borrowed from other treatments modalities. But the material interpreted is not necessarily the result of free association or dreams and the psychotherapist is a lot more active than the psychoanalyst.

These treatments are open-ended. At the commencement of the therapy the therapist (analyst) makes an agreement (a “pact”) with the analysand (patient or client). The pact says that the patient undertakes to explore his problems no matter how long it takes (and how expensive it becomes). This is supposed to make the therapeutic environment much more relaxed because the patient knows that the analyst is at his/her disposal no matter how many meetings would be required in order to broach painful subject matter.

Sometimes, these therapies are divided to expressive versus supportive, but I regard this division as misleading.

Expressive means uncovering (=making conscious) the patient’s conflicts and studying his/her defences and resistances. The analyst interprets the conflict in view of the new knowledge gained and guides the therapy towards a resolution of the conflict. The conflict, in other words, is “interpreted away” through insight and the change in the patient motivated by his/her insights.

The supportive therapies seek to strengthen the Ego. Their premise is that a strong Ego can cope better (and later on, alone) with external (situational) or internal (instincts, drives) pressures. Supportive therapies seek to increase the patient’s ability to REPRESS conflicts (rather than bring them to the surface of consciousness). As a painful conflict is suppressed – so are all manner of dysphorias and symptoms. This is somewhat reminiscent of behaviourism (the main aim is to change behaviour and to relieve symptoms). It usually makes no use of insight or interpretation (though there are exceptions).

Group Therapies

Narcissists are notoriously unsuitable for collaborative efforts of any kind, let alone group therapy. They immediately size up others as potential Sources of Narcissistic Supply – or potential competitors. They idealise the first (suppliers) and devalue the latter (competitors). This, obviously, is not very conducive to group therapy.

Moreover, the dynamic of the group is bound to reflect the interactions of its members. Narcissists are individualists. They regard coalitions with disdain and contempt. The need to resort to team work, to adhere to group rules, to succumb to a moderator, and to honour and respect the other members as equals – is perceived by them to be humiliating and degrading (a contemptible weakness). Thus, a group containing one or more narcissists is likely to fluctuate between short-term, very small size, coalitions (based on “superiority” and contempt) and outbreaks (acting outs) of rage and coercion.

Can Narcissism be Cured?

Adult narcissists can rarely be “cured”, though some scholars think otherwise. Still, the earlier the therapeutic intervention, the better the prognosis. A correct diagnosis and a proper mix of treatment modalities in early adolescence guarantees success without relapse in anywhere between one third and one half the cases. Additionally, ageing ameliorates or even vanquishes some antisocial behaviors.

In their seminal tome, “Personality Disorders in Modern Life” (New York, John Wiley & Sons, 2000), Theodore Millon and Roger Davis write (p. 308):

“Most narcissists strongly resist psychotherapy. For those who choose to remain in therapy, there are several pitfalls that are difficult to avoid … Interpretation and even general assessment are often difficult to accomplish…”

The third edition of the “Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry” (Oxford, Oxford University Press, reprinted 2000), cautions (p. 128):

“… (P)eople cannot change their natures, but can only change their situations. There has been some progress in finding ways of effecting small changes in disorders of personality, but management still consists largely of helping the person to find a way of life that conflicts less with his character … Whatever treatment is used, aims should be modest and considerable time should be allowed to achieve them.”

The fourth edition of the authoritative “Review of General Psychiatry” (London, Prentice-Hall International, 1995), says (p. 309):

“(People with personality disorders) … cause resentment and possibly even alienation and burnout in the healthcare professionals who treat them … (p. 318) Long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis have been attempted with (narcissists), although their use has been controversial.”

The reason narcissism is under-reported and healing over-stated is that therapists are being fooled by smart narcissists. Most narcissists are expert manipulators and they learn how to deceive their therapists.

Here are some hard facts:

There are gradations and shades of narcissism. The difference between two narcissists can be great. The existence of grandiosity and empathy or lack thereof are not minor variations. They are serious predictors of future dynamics. The prognosis is much better if they do exist.

There are cases of spontaneous healing and of “short-term NPD” [see Gunderson's and Roningstam work, 1996].

The prognosis for a classical NPD case (grandiosity, lack of empathy and all) is decidedly not good as far as long-term, lasting, and complete healing. Moreover, narcissists are intensely disliked by therapists.

BUT…

Side effects, co-morbid disorders (such as Obsessive-Compulsive behaviors) and some aspects of NPD (the dysphorias, the paranoiac dimensions, the outcomes of the sense of entitlement, the pathological lying) can be modified (using talk therapy and, depending on the problem, medication). these are not short-term or complete solutions – but some of them do have long-term effects.

The DSM is a billing and administration oriented diagnostic tool. It is intended to “tidy” up the psychiatrist’s desk. The Personality Disorders are ill demarcated. The differential diagnoses are vaguely defined. There are some cultural biases and judgements [see the diagnostic criteria of the Schizotypal PD]. The result is sizeable confusion and multiple diagnoses (”co-morbidity”). NPD was introduced to the DSM in 1980 [DSM-III]. There isn’t enough research to substantiate any view or hypothesis about NPD. Future DSM editions may abolish it altogether within the framework of a cluster or a single “personality disorder” category. As it is, the difference between HPD, BPD, AsPD, and NPD is, to my mind, rather blurred. When we ask: “Can NPD be healed?” we need to realise that we don’t know for sure what is NPD and what constitutes long-term healing in the case of an NPD. There are those who seriously claim that NPD is a cultural disease with a societal determinant.

Narcissists in Therapy

In therapy, the general idea is to create the conditions for the True Self to resume its growth: safety, predictability, justice, love and acceptance – a mirroring and holding environment. Therapy is supposed to provide these conditions of nurturance and the guidance necessary to achieve these goals (through transference, cognitive re-labelling or other methods). The narcissist must learn that his past experiences are not laws of nature, that not all adults are abusive, that relationships can be nurturing and supportive.

Most therapists try to co-opt the narcissist’s inflated ego (False Self) and defences. They compliment the narcissist, challenging him to prove his omnipotence by overcoming his disorder. They appeal to his quest for perfection, brilliance, and eternal love – and his paranoid tendencies – in an attempt to get rid of counterproductive, self-defeating, and dysfunctional behaviour patterns.

By stroking the narcissist’s grandiosity, they hope to modify or counter cognitive deficits, thinking errors, and the narcissist’s victim-stance. They contract with the narcissist to alter his conduct. Some even go to the extent of medicalizing the disorder, attributing it to a hereditary or biochemical origin and thus “absolving” the narcissist from guilt and responsibility and freeing his mental resources to concentrate on the therapy.

Confronting the narcissist head on and engaging in power politics (”I am cleverer”, “My will should prevail”, and so on) is decidedly unhelpful and could lead to rage attacks and a deepening of the narcissist’s persecutory delusions, bred by his humiliation in the therapeutic setting.

Successes have been reported by applying 12-step techniques (as modified for patients suffering from the Antisocial Personality Disorder), and with treatment modalities as diverse as NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), Schema Therapy, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization).

But, whatever the type of talk therapy, the narcissist devalues the therapist. His internal dialogue is: “I know best, I know it all, the therapist is less intelligent than I, I can’t afford the top level therapists who are the only ones qualified to treat me (as my equals, needless to say), I am actually a therapist myself…”

A litany of self-delusion and fantastic grandiosity (really, defences and resistances): “He (my therapist) should be my colleague, in certain respects it is he who should accept my professional authority, why won’t he be my friend, after all I can use the lingo (psycho-babble) even better than he does? It’s us (him and me) against a hostile and ignorant world (follies-a-deux)…”

Then there is: “Just who does he think he is, asking me all these questions? What are his professional credentials? I am a success and he is a nobody therapist in a dingy office, he is trying to negate my uniqueness, he is an authority figure, I hate him, I will show him, I will humiliate him, prove him ignorant, have his licence revoked (transference). Actually, he is pitiable, a zero, a failure…”

And this is only in the first three sessions of the therapy. This abusive internal dialogue becomes more vituperative and pejorative as therapy progresses.

Narcissists generally are averse to receiving medication. Resorting to medicines is an implied admission that something is wrong. Narcissists are control freaks. Additionally, many of them believe that medication is the “great equaliser” – it will make them lose their uniqueness, superiority and so on. That is unless they can convincingly present the act of taking their medicines as “heroism”, a part of a daring enterprise of self-exploration, a distinguishing feature and so on.

They often claim that the medicine affects them differently than it does other people, or that they have discovered a new, exciting way of using it, or that they are part of someone’s (usually themselves) learning curve (”part of a new approach to dosage”, “part of a new cocktail which holds great promise”). Narcissists must dramatise their lives to feel worthy and special. Aut nihil aut unique – either be special or don’t be at all. Narcissists are drama queens.

Very much like in the physical world, change is brought about only through incredible powers of torsion and breakage. Only when the narcissist’s elasticity gives way, only when he is wounded by his own intransigence – only then is there hope.

It takes nothing less than a real crisis. Ennui is not enough.

About The Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain – How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory Bellaonline, and Suite101 .

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

Visit Sam’s Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com; palma@unet.com.mk

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As we enter the dawn of a new millennium, traditional psychotherapy-and the therapist’s role-appear caught in the sort of crisis described by Denise Breton and Christopher Largent in their book, The Paradigm Conspiracy.1 The detached, analytical approach often practiced by psychotherapists since the days of Freud no longer makes people well. In fact, this strict therapist-patient/ normal-sick paradigm may actually make them worse, contributing to deeper feelings of alienation and frustration. For our own field of addictions therapy as well as other specialties, it is evident that the time has come for a “”paradigm shift”" toward a more “”soul-sensitive”" 2 approach to psychotherapy. The need for change was championed in recent statements by Dr. Patrick Carnes at the National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity conference in St. Louis. Fr. Leo Booth echoed the view that spirituality has become the cornerstone of both our individual and collective healing when he stated that as therapists, “”We must open our mind to new ways of seeing our future…and bring to that the energy of creative positivism.”"3

Authentic Process Therapy (APT) represents such a paradigm shift in psychotherapy — combining the structure of the healing community found in 12-Step recovery programs with a facilitating therapist, and employing traditional as well as contemporary healing techniques to address the deeper issues that invariably arise in the course of long-term recovery. APT and its core concept of “”complete recovery”" grew out of my own personal struggle toward wholeness as an AIDS survivor, as a gay man, and as a person in recovery, as well as from my experience with clients from diverse cultural and transpersonal perspectives, and from the maturing recovery movement over the past 20 years. Authentic Process Therapy may offer an important alternative for treating addictions and compulsions. This article provides a summary of APT, its goals, methods, basic philosophy and spirit.
Incorporating Strengths and Acknowledging Limitations of 12-Step Programs

Since 1935, with the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, tens of thousands of alcohol and drug-addicted men and women have begun the journey to recovery by turning to a compassionate spiritual community embodied in AA and other 12-Step programs. This approach has been unrivaled in its ability to help people stop active addictions. Yet, all too often, the process of recovery is limited in terms of healing the issues that underlie alcoholism, drug dependency or other life-threatening addictions. The realization of one of AA’s Promises, “”We will know a new freedom and a new happiness…,”"4 eludes many 12-Steppers who struggle between feelings of gratitude (thankful to have their lives back in control) and feelings of frustration and emptiness that something is still missing.

These secondary issues are profoundly important to complete recovery. Even individuals with years of sobriety can experience problems that threaten their continued recovery — among them: codependency and other secondary addictions; depression; self-destructive behavior; underachieving; fear of abandonment; lack of sexual fulfillment; and the array of challenges facing those who are also living with HIV and other serious illnesses. I can attest to the fact that issues regarding sexual orientation can be a particular challenge for recovering gays, lesbians and transgender individuals. All of these, and other manifestations of internalized dilemmas, can keep people in recovery from what we want the most: mutual trust, love, and respect.

To overcome these limitations, notable therapists including John Bradshaw and Earnie Larsen 5, 6 have suggested an expanded model of recovery that goes beyond coping with primary addictions. Authentic Process Therapy is one such approach. APT recognizes that recovery is a two-stage process. Stage One, the healing from a primary addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, sex, gambling or any other dependency, requires a committed, singular focus for at least 1 to 2 years-and more for many individuals. But overcoming an active addiction is only half the battle.

Whereas Stage 1 is “”recovery from”" addictions, Stage Two-the direct focus of APT-is “”recovery of”" fulfillment, wisdom, serenity, and emotional, spiritual and sexual wholeness.

The objectives of Authentic Process Therapy in Stage Two recovery are:

To identify and express complex feelings… A tendency to be overwhelmed by mixed feelings-gratitude and joy for one’s freedom from chemical dependency, and sorrow, grief, or even rage at past experiences-typically emerges with time in recovery. APT helps clients develop a vocabulary for talking about these feelings and coping skills to deal with them.

To connect in more meaningful ways with others in a community… APT is based on the healing community model of AA, but encourages those in recovery to create new “”facilitated communities”" to deal with specific Stage Two issues such as childhood trauma, sexual orientation and how one’s healing impacts and is impacted by culture.

To heal the internalized sexual-spiritual split… A major element of APT is devoted to resolving the conflict between sexuality and spirituality, an overwhelming problem for many individuals in recovery.

To disengage power dynamics… By encouraging clients to examine their own role in power structures of daily life, APT can help to resolve ongoing difficulties with authority figures and intimates, and foster free expression in all relationships.

To achieve a “”shame-free”" presentation of self… Through APT, recovering individuals no longer feel ashamed or embarrassed by a difficult personal history.

To discover an individual “”life purpose”"… Clients learn how to contribute more meaningfully to society, to give back to loved ones, and to help establish a better future.

Simply stated, the key to achieving the goals of Authentic Process Therapy is “”being real.”" The desire to be “”authentic”"-to present true inner feelings rather than a false front-is a minimum requirement for participation. Certain African tribal ceremonies refer to this as “”speaking from the pit of the belly.”"7 While it seems easy enough, it means more than merely speaking what is on your mind, because “”what is on your mind”" usually refers to surface issues that have been filtered through society’s value system. Authentic Process Therapy reaches down past the surface into the deep regions of consciousness to summon feelings that have long been suppressed as the ultimate means of achieving an integration of body, mind and spirit that is often unattainable in conventional 12-step settings, traditional psychotherapy or addiction counseling.

In attaining these goals a helpful device is the use of the The Living Map, in which the healing process is envisioned in the shape of a tree. This bird’s eye view can make the transition into the healing process less frightening by providing an overview of what to expect, and when things get tough, we can return to the bird’s eye view to reassess our position. Most importantly, clients’ trust of their intuition grows during Stage Two recovery, and that it can be increasingly relied on as a compass to guide the individual to wherever he or she needs to be on the tree, and to the people, communities and processes that are necessary for complete recovery.

APT utilizes “”Four Powers”" that dissolve barriers to complete recovery:

1.The Power of Community-based Healing
2.The Power of Shared Intentionality
3.The Power of Shared Belief
4.The Power of Authentic Process
We use the Four Powers to move through various stations of experience toward fulfilling the constellation of shared desires that are inherent in the human condition. Along the way the Tree of Awareness blossoms, producing wonderful and sometimes totally unexpected fruit.

The Role of the Therapist in Authentic Process:

APT is a psycho spiritual approach, meaning that it integrates varied addiction psychology and psychotherapeutic principles merged with modern day and indigenous applications of spiritual wisdom. In spirit, the role of the therapist in APT is much like a shaman. He or she must act as a facilitator, guide, role model and force for healing in both individual and group settings. As such, the therapist is not a removed, clinical authority figure but a special member of the type of therapeutic community defined by M. Scott Peck in his book, A Different Drum as:

“”…a group of individuals who have learned how to communicate honestly with each other, whose relationships go deeper than their masks of composure, and who have developed some significant commitment to rejoice together, mourn together, and to delight in each other, make others’ conditions our own.”"8

Authentic Process Therapy has its roots in the power of the healing community described by Peck, embodied in the 12-Step model and further developed in the concept of “”wisdom circles”" proposed by Charles Garfield, Cindy Spring, and Sedona Cahil.9 In APT, the therapist’s province is defined in large part by the group. A 1993 survey of 130 Stage 2 clients and workshop participants found that the most prominent needs and expectations that recovering people have of their therapists were as follows 10:

•To encourage the client to take healthy risks
•To give feedback, without which therapy would be frustrating
•To provide a role model of what a fuller recovery might look and feel like
•To be interactive and help illuminate dynamics that are debilitating
•To compassionately include and have understanding of the “”shadow self”"
•To understand that therapy is ineffective if a client is suffering an active substance addiction
•To recognize that a new approach/ strategy is required if the process becomes stagnant
•To be confrontational in a respectful manner and in the spirit of illumination

In contrast to traditional psychoanalysis, the community dynamic requires that the client view the practitioner as an advanced traveler or someone who is specially educated in this adventure of life — never as someone who is “”normal”" while the client is “”sick.”" For recovering people, a clinical setting eliminates the spiritual nurturing that leads to healing. Furthermore, the therapist’s removal of the “”self,”" as practiced in traditional psychotherapy can create a painful re-enactment of dysfunctional childhood deprivation. While this might be a treatment goal in psychoanalysis, it can be counterproductive for people in addictions recovery. Instead, in Authentic Process Therapy, therapists and clients work together without hierarchy towards mutual authenticity and community. Everything is discussed, nothing is hidden. APT is not esoteric in nature and is not elitist. People are simply encouraged to speak from the heart.

The Authentic Process approach also eschews transference, the substitution of the therapist for the object of repressed emotions and impulses, such as a parent or authority figure from childhood. This type of relationship makes recovering people feel manipulated, often clouding their continued growth with confusing power dynamics. In APT, therapists are also participants who are encouraged to share their own experiences and life challenges, when appropriate, in order to promote their clients’ progress, either by creating a natural and real relationship, reducing shame, or creating a larger framework in which to process feelings and ideas.

A Combined Approach

The combined approach offered by Authentic Process Therapy has proven particularly effective in enhancing recovery in three major areas:

Overcoming secondary addictions… In APT we recognize that addictions and compulsions are basically coping mechanisms, self-medications to help deal with and further suppress the deeply repressed effects of early and contemporary traumatic stresses, deprivations and cultural prejudices. Until the underlying chaos is released and cleared up, old addictions will invariably be updated with other primary or secondary addictions, in an effort to maintain a feeling of equilibrium and safety when faced with chaotic, traumatic conflicts beneath the conscious surface. With education and “”inner statesmanship,”" these underlying conflicts can present themselves for healing. As we are able to make it “”okay”" for them to come out of hiding, addictions fall away with each exposure.

Addressing Shame… Shame is the nemesis that plagues recovering people in their crusade toward wholeness. To understand the impact of shame-based behavior and ideation on daily life, APT utilizes John Bradshaw’s “”Externalization Process”" technique 11 to consciously make contact with one’s younger self, and with the shame that impedes its further integration. APT is a highly effective way of releasing toxic shame by exploring unconscious material and making it conscious within the safety of a healing community milieu. Carl Jung called this phenomenon “”transcendent function,”" explaining that when unconscious content becomes conscious we experience a sense of clarity, a fuller understanding of ourselves, an experience that goes beyond ordinary, everyday consciousness. 12

Expressing joy… The ultimate goal of complete recovery is the transpersonal breakthrough into what I call “”holism.”" Holism as defined in Authentic Process Therapy encompasses not only the feeling of being whole and complete in oneself, but also of being integrated into the cosmos, one with nature, and connected with all humanity. This holistic experience is accompanied by feelings of great joy, empowerment, creativity and love, from which we can meet future challenges with grace and wisdom. Yet, recovering people are often embarrassed and reluctant to share blissful feelings because they are afraid they will be misunderstood, or that the feelings will not last. Safe friends, communities, or professionals with whom to share these feelings are essential.

Open to All

The freedom to experiment with joy is a giant step beyond traditional definitions of recovery, as well as an issue with which many “”normal”" people have difficulty. Thus, it is increasingly being recognized that the same techniques which empower former addicts toward states of wholeness and happiness can likewise work wonders for those outside of the recovery community who feel empty and unfulfilled. Authentic Process Therapy shares this view and welcomes all comers who recognize the potential for greater authenticity of expression and interaction in their lives. At the same time, APT, with its emphasis on community, continues to offer an important centering point for individuals in recovery. And, because much of the healing and education can take place in groups, workshops or facilitated wisdom circles, the overall cost is less than that of individual care alone.

In helping to fully respect and appreciate one’s own complex nature, Authentic Process Therapy offers clients the opportunity to embark on a most exciting and meaningful inner journey — a path to wholeness, in which recovering individuals not only learn to chart a more effective course through their inner wilderness but to fully appreciate the unsought gift M. Scott Peck calls “”being touched by grace.”" 13

References:
1.Breton, Denise and Largent, Christopher. The Paradigm Conspiracy. Garden City, MN: Hazelden, 1996.
2.Journal of Noetic Science
3.Fr. Leo Booth, Keynote Address, 1999 New York Federation of Addictions Counselors Conference, Albany NY
4.Alcoholics Anonymous. New York: AA World Services, 1955.
5.Bradshaw, John. Healing The Shame That Binds You. Florida: Health Communications, Inc. 1988
6.Larsen, Earnie. Stage II Recovery: Life Beyond Addiction. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.
7.African ceremonies
8.Peck, M. Scott. A Different Drum [tbd]
9.Garfield, Charles, Spring, Cindy, and Cahill, Sedona. Wisdom Circles. New York: Hyperion, 1998.
10.Picucci, Michael. The Journey Toward Complete Recovery: Reclaiming Your Emotional, Spiritual & Sexual Wholeness. New York: North Atlantic Books, 1998.
11.Bradshaw, John. Healing the Shame That Binds You. Florida: Health Communications Inc., 1988.
12.Jung, CG. Psychology and Religion. CT: Yale University, 1938.
13.Peck, M Scott. The Road Less Traveled. New York: Touchstone, 1978.

Michael Picucci, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City who offers an interactive and humanistic style utilizing somatic and energetic techniques balanced with the more traditional approaches. Michael is available for consultation and can be reached here: http://www.goodtherapy.org/m15_view_item.html?m15:item=frank%40michaelpicucci.net and here too http://www.goodtherapy.org/New-Orleans-therapy.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Picucci

Greatly crammed and frenetic working hours and bloodthirsty nature of the vocation can leave us with no time to unwind, catch grab a breath, spend time with our family and work over our relationships. These outcomes in stressed relationships, broken weddings, sensitive clash, etc in personal lives, and this also affects our professional lives and can result in short of attentiveness, loss in business, continuous illness resulting in absence from work, etc.

Psychologist Brisbane:

If you observe any of the over cited symbols and indications, like wakefulness, stable annoyance, concern, etc in your partner or kids, then it is highly advisable that you take an scheduled time from a capable and reputed Psychologist Brisbane.

Even if you have least hesitation and are hesitant whether it is a symptom of a mental disorder, it is highly suggested that you check with a psychologist as soon as possible and let the specialist decide whether it is a symptom or not. Do not strive to take matters in your hand instead let the experts handle it and do their job. Things can really get out of control when proper help of a psychologist is not given to the patient, as they can try considering suicides or harm others around them.

Due to the traumatic life not only adults, even children are suffering from mental disorders like hyperactivity, insomnia, lack of concentration, etc. The expert psychologist has their professional examination skills, tested and trusted healing methods and recommendation to consider the disorder and heal it. Psychologist Brisbane suggests some therapies curing sickness like: despair, schizophrenia, anger and addiction administration, compulsive disorder, personality administration, attention shortage disorder, etc.

Relationship Analysis and marriage counselling Brisbane:
Tension, anxiety, depression and severe mental disorders also affect our marital and other relationships. We accuse our spouse’s dedication level, short of interest, etc for the broken marriage or strained relationship, on the other hand, the accountable to be blamed is our contemporary } way of life and mental disorders.

Relationship Counselling Brisbane offers rapport and marriage counselling to couples whose marriage is on rocks or to persons who reveal a tension relationship with their parents, etc. The Psychologists who offer this counselling have revived many marriages and make better many relationships. Instead of opting for divorce. Try this counselling meetings and see your marriage work again. They try to bring back optimistic mentality by developing sympathy, acceptance, sympathy, integrity, empowerment, etc in the lives of the separated couples.

Timely intervention of an specialist psychologist can help save lives of many and recover the quality of life of many.

For more insights and further information about Psychologist Brisbane visit our site http://www.psychclinic.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brett_O_Perry

Hypnotism is a popular therapy now. This can decrease the intensity of pain or can speed up the healing process for any person. The technique can help a person to delve deep within himself or herself and find solution to his or her problems.

When a person is hypnotized, some evident signs can be noticed. Abnormal breathing, difficulties in swallowing, waxed skin etc are some of the common signs which a person displays. Muscles tend to become relax and redness of eye can be observed in this specific situation. Actually, it is a relaxed state of mind where a person gets ample scope to explore various facets of his life. This might help him to come up with revelations that he himself might not have known.

In Subliminal hypnosis technique, an experienced person hypnotizes another person to take him to a trance like state. In Subliminal hypnosis, an instruction can be given to a person, which may be stored in the memory of a person in the subconscious level. Thus before hypnotizing a person, one needs to corroborate the fact that no harmful instructions will be given to him.

Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP Hypnosis is another treatment procedure that may generate desired results. If this hypnosis can be conducted properly, one can delve deep within his subconscious and find out facets about himself or herself that hitherto might have been not known.

In fact NLP Hypnosis can provide unique solutions to those who want to change their mindset in order to lead a normal life style. As this hypnosis can help a person control over his emotions and feelings, one can change the mode of his life efficaciously.
Often, hypnosis is carried out to help a person to get rid of addictive habits like smoking or drinking. Though hypnosis can generate better result, it can’t be conducted against the will of a person. So if a person is willing one can carry out hypnosis and heal the person from varied malaises.

Hypnosis can assist a person to free himself from his bad habits and allow one to bring in positive changes in ones life. A person with an abusive nature can bring positive changes in his life by undergoing the treatment of subliminal hypnosis.

Conversational Hypnosis is another popular type of Hypnosis. It was Igor Ledochowski, who popularized “Conversational Hypnosis” by publishing the groundbreaking book under the title of “The Power of Conversational Hypnosis”. Igor was a versatile personality and he had attained mastery in various spheres of life and career. Association for Neuro Linguistic Programming, International Network for Humanistic Neuro Linguistic Programming and British Society of clinical Hypnosis are some of the reputed organizations where he had become a full time member.

Today Hypnosis in its myriad forms is a much accepted technique. It is used by a diverse array of people to improve the quality of their lives.

Ancient History

To truly understand hypnosis, it is vital to take a look at its use throughout ancient civilizations. The facts are that hypnosis, used as a therapeutic tool, has probably been used throughout the history of mankind. Modern anthropology has found that the healing brought about by the village witchdoctor, shaman or wise woman, can often be attributed to a strong belief in the one being healed. The chanting and singing that is part of these cures often takes the form of what we would term as suggestion. These healers believe that the body, thoughts and emotions influence one another so they understand it is possible to influence a physical sickness by changing thoughts, emotions and behavioral patterns.

Hypnotism was practiced during numerous medicinal practices and rituals. Celtic druids and Chinese religious leaders used hypnotism. There also seem to be evidence of its use in the pages of the Jewish Scriptures and the Hindu Vedas. There are also historical records of its practice in Persia and South America.

While there is evidence showcasing the use of hypnosis rituals during pre-historic times, one of the first visual accounts was through the hieroglyphics decorating tombs dated at 3000 BC that show ancient Egyptians using hypnosis in the Egyptian sleep temples. These temples were places where worshippers were put to sleep and priests suggested cures. The procedure for formal hypnotic induction as it is known and used today actually came from these priests. The success of the Egyptian sleep temples led to their introduction in Greece in 4th Century BC and in Rome 100 years after that. The temples remained popular and functioning during the flourishing period of the Roman Empire.

It is hard to say when the suggestion and sleep cure concept was introduced in Europe. Both the new and old testaments of the Bible seem to speak of what could be called be hypnosis. The practice of lying on of hands was introduced in the first century and its therapeutic value was reinforced by the English monarchy, particularly Edward the Confessor (1042-1066 AD). This was recognized by the Church of England and rituals were put into place with appropriate healing hymns and chants to facilitate cures. Eventually royalty lost interest and as a result, so did the people. Afterwards suggestion healing fell into disrepute and was considered a practice of black magicians and sorcerers. During the middle ages it came to be considered more evil than beneficial and it was during this time period that many of the misconceptions that exist to this day were formed.

Modern Hypnosis

Hypnosis as it is thought of today began in the 18th Century with Anton Mesmer. An Austrian, he led the way in the usage of trace, which eventually earned him the nickname, “Father of Hypnosis.” His name is also the root for the term “mesmerism.”

Mesmer became interested in magnetism after studying as a Jesuit priest. Mesmer was encouraged by his friend Mozart to purchase a space where he could perform magical “cures” on people. Soon Mesmerism or animal magnetism became popular with the French nobility. Mesmer believed all living things contained a kind of magnetic ‘fluid’ and if a person had enough of this fluid, they would be healthy. The theory behind Mesmerism was that man could influence his magnetic fluid to bring about healing. In his salons Mesmer placed magnets on the afflicted parts of his patient’s bodies and soon he became Europe’s foremost expert at magnetic healing. His practice grew quickly and he became very famous. One day after forgetting his magnets he just made passes over a patient with his hands and was surprised to find that he got better. From there on, he thought he had sufficient magnetic fluid in himself to affect the cures.

Although Mesmer did receive much praise for his healing powers many dismissed his results as a pure imagination, probably as a result of his use of lights and other gimmicks. One of his most notable critics was Benjamin Franklin.

In 1784 Louis XVI set up a commission of investigation. The commission, which included Benjamin Franklin, M. La Guillotin, and La Voisier, concluded that magnetism with imagination had some effect, but Mesmer’s theories of magnetism were discredited. His Society of Harmonies continued and a member of the Society, Le Marquis de Puysegur, believed that the magnetic power was produced in his own mind and was transferred to the patient through his fingertips. He found that he could produce a sleep in which the patient would follow his commands and introduced the terms, perfect crisis and profound sleep.

In France, Abbe Castodi de Faria scientifically investigated hypnosis as it related to trances and willing participants. The “fixed-gaze method,” which is still used in stage hypnotism shows is credited to Faria. Also during this time John Elliotson of England used magnetism and hypnosis to ease the pain of surgery.

In 1843 a Scottish surgeon working in Manchester by the name of James Braid coined the terms ‘hypnotism’ and ‘hypnosis. The word hypnosis was derived from the Greek hypnos, which meant sleep. Later, believing the word to be misleading, Braid tried to change the word hypnosis but it had already gained wide acceptance so it stuck.

He had become interested in mesmerism while watching a demonstration that was part of a carnival show. At first he was convinced that it was a fraud and a swindle and was determined to discredit hypnosis once and for all. Instead, he became thoroughly convinced of its value. Using vocal suggestion, he was able to explore the influence that hypnotists had on their subjects. Braid is also honored for discovering “waking hypnosis.”

Braid concluded that eye fatigue was necessary to induce the state and found that some people could go into a trance if there eyes where fixated on a bright object. Using his shiny bright lancet case he induced his patients to enter a deep hypnotic sleep where he found that they would accept his healing suggestions. He was convinced that a neurological process was involved and that the process could be very useful when no organic origin could be found for a person disorder. He coined the word Neurypnology, which literally means nervous sleep.

A Scottish surgeon working in India, Dr. James Esdaile, was a personal friend and professional colleague of Braid. Esdaile performed several hundred operations painlessly using only hypnosis as an anesthetic. He would use eye fixation to prepare a patient for surgery and would produce something like suspended animation, now known as the Esdaile State, by stroking the body of the patient for several hours. Esdaile’s logs indicated that fatal surgical shock or post operative infection occurred in only five percent of cases compared with the then norm of fifty percent but when Esdaile presented his findings in a paper to the British Medical Society, he was scorned. This was largely due to the fact that the Church taught that suffering was a noble part of the human condition, that enduring pain established integrity. Interestingly, when chemical anesthesia was discovered in the mid-1800s the physicians changed their attitudes about pain.

James Braid and James Esdaile were the first researches who studied hypnosis scientifically. Their work helped to remove hypnosis from the realms of mysticism and began the work to discover what could really be done with it to help people.

In the early 1900s, a French pharmacist named Emile Coue made a great discovery which he called waking suggestions, now know as autosuggestions. Coue contended that all hypnosis was influenced by self-hypnotic techniques. Coue’s famous autosuggestion formula was, “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better”. Coue discovered that hypnosis only works when the suggestion is accepted by the mind of the subject and stated that all hypnosis is self hypnosis. He later developed the Laws of Suggestion. These Laws are set forth in a system developed by one of Coue’s students, Charles Baudouin, who explained that everything occurs through suggestion.

Although Coue enjoyed immense popularity in his homeland, his popularity changed when he brought his theories of autosuggestion to the United States and put himself in the hands of a promoter. The promoter exploited this new wonder cure to the point of ridicule, and his original formula became the subject of jokes and jingles. When exploring the history of hypnosis, you will run into a wide variety of personalities who have shaped the way people viewed and accepted the field. Some pioneers include, Liebeault, Bernheim, Brewer and Freud. Freud became interested in hypnosis in the late 1800s, but only for a short while and was probably responsible for hypnotherapy being shelved for many years when he abandoned it completely in favor of psychoanalysis. Other personalities that showed interest in hypnosis were Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein. Hypnosis was used in World War I by the Germans for pain control when they ran out of chemical anesthetics. It was also used for treatment of shell shock during and after the War. Following World War II and the Korean War, hypnosis was again used for pain control and to aid those who were “mentally disabled” by the war. This is now known as post traumatic shock syndrome.

In 1958 Milton Erickson brought about the approval of hypnosis for therapeutic use by the American Medical Association. Dr. Erickson was a psychiatrist and hypnotherapist with outstanding professional credentials and theorized that hypnosis is a state of mind that all of us are normally entering spontaneously and frequently. On the heels of Erickson’s work, hypnosis evolved into a well respected practice, used by doctors, psychologists, business and law enforcement. It’s also used for self help, and self improvement.

If you are looking to improve your life hypnosis can often help. To contact me visit my website www.TotalMindTherapy.net or call me at (800) 989-6570.

About The Author

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy, a combination of hypnosis, NLP, breathing techniques from the martial arts and visualization used for goal setting. His practice is located in San Diego, California. For more information about Wil and his practice please go to http://www.TotalMindTherapy.net

In medicine, Depression has various classifications that are given specific names, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Post Natal Depression, plus other terms such as, Manic Depression and a term not so common today, Nervous Breakdown. Manic Depression refers to a sufferer who alternates between very high moods and equally low moods. Depression in all its guises does not have a physical component, so can only be emotional complaint.

The first two mentioned types of depression take their names from the apparent source of the depression, particularly the second, but the essence of the complaint is the same, DEPRESSION, the victim is depressed and in extreme cases takes their own life – an act of total desperation.

So what is depression? Let us start with the word itself. A depression is something that is lower than its surroundings, such as a ‘depression in the road’ or in meteorology ‘an area of low air pressure’ and in this instance obviously surrounded by areas of higher air pressure. Similarly, when a person is feeling low in spirits they are said to be depressed, feeling lower than what is considered normal, a common enough occurrence after disappointments and losses, but if the feeling becomes chronic, more or less permanent, medicine labels its victims as suffering from Depression.

Without going into specifics, the chronic depression sufferer experiences any and every type of emotion and attitude to life that is negative, so the question, what is depression, will have to be left without a precise answer, but I will say this; anxiety, despondency and irrational fears prevail, which vary in degree and form from case to case. One person whom I helped felt that “life is not worth living” and was so despondent as to be suicidal, whilst another just sat there in front of me and started to cry. All I had said was, “How can I help you?”

The term Post Natal Depression, in offering a specific cause implies that it is a special kind of depression; it is different to any other form of depression, but to be blunt, that is nuts. Depression is depression is depression! Yet again, the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in acknowledging that it is depression, implies that it is a unique form of depression caused by trauma, but that is nuts too, trauma is the ONLY cause of depression and whether the trauma was major or minor, is like beauty; it is in the eyes of the beholder. For this reason, no dictionary can define when an upsetting event becomes a trauma; the dictionaries just refer to it as an event having dramatic negative emotional effects.

The word trauma can refer to both a physical injury and an emotional disturbance and like depression it varies in intensity from case to case. Interestingly, as a slight deviation, every physical trauma, say a broken leg, has a corresponding emotional trauma. The physician can set the broken limb, but the emotional trauma remains. The depth of the emotional trauma governs the longevity of the healing process; removing the emotional aspect expedites the healing. To return to the main theme, what has to be taken into account as regards emotional trauma is the attitude of the individual concerned, so here is an analogy. A person is walking down the road when a dog starts barking at them and approaching in a threatening manner, so they pick up a stone, hit the dog with it, which then runs off yelping with its tail between its legs. Another rather timid person in the same situation will probably start quaking with fear. What is traumatic for one is a minor inconsequential inconvenience for another.

This does not negate the fact that some experiences are majorly distressing, but whether major or minor, without exception they all fall within the Mace Method’s definition of an Upset. This is defined as “ANY EVENT THAT A PERSON WOULD NOT EXPERIENCE BY CHOICE” and this definition is the corner stone of the procedure. It does not matter what happened in an upset or what the effects were that were generated, the Mace Method rapidly and permanently, totally eliminates all negative effects, in other words it permanently banishes depression no matter how it is dramatised.

Happiness and survival are synonymous and for any individual their own personal survival is paramount. Causism has identified two vital laws of survival and the very logical first law states, NO-ONE WILL EVER KNOWINGLY INSTIGATE ANYTHING WHICH THEY KNOW TO BE NON SURVIVAL FOR THEM. Law two states, ONE IS ONLY AFFECTED BY WHAT ONE IS UNAWARE OF. A person may remember some traumatic experience, but buried in their psyche are emotions from the experience that are hidden from recall. It is these buried emotions, which once located and discreated are the key to recovery.

A sub-law of Causism states ATTENTION FOLLOWS ATTENTION. As an example, if I start writing about shopping, your attention goes to shopping. Here are other examples: Football, horse racing, swimming and finally food. As each word is read it controls your attention and with food for example, you start thinking about food and the same applies to each word; a simple but important facet of life.

Another sub-law states, ANYTHING CHRONIC ALWAYS HAS MORE THAN ONE SOURCE, so whether you are suffering from depression or not, there will be other upsets to address, but the initial upset is the entrance point to getting your life back on track and many people only require a single session.

This brings us to the method itself, which is totally free of self-disclosure, in other words the client does not have to disclose anything about themself or what they have experienced. (See the Abuse article). The key is to locate upsetting events and that is done simply by talking about upsets, explaining what an upset is and if necessary repeating the word UPSET a few times. As explained above, as you read that you cannot help but have your attention drawn to some upsetting event from the past. If as occasionally happens more than one upset is recalled, do this, GO TO AN UPSET! Of all the upsets you have experienced in life, big or small, you have gone to a particular upset. The event that your attention is now on holds the key to the two most negative elements in your life and deep down, intuitively you know this and that is why your attention has gone there.

Locating the hidden elements buried in that upset will put you on the road to taking full control of your life, as per the mission statement, which is “TO ASSIST PEOPLE TO BE IN CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES AND LIVE THEIR OWN DREAMS.”

RESULTS “CHANGED THEIR LIVES”

Some Testimonals

DEPRESSION

I am writing to express my heartfelt thanks for my recent telephone session.

I am amazed at how my sense of absolute DESPAIR and DEPRESSION has been completely lifted and removed after your telephone session.

One minute I was back in the very worst feelings in my life and half an hour later I was watching TV with my wife and feeling completely normal. Incidentally I had felt completely overwhelmed several days before I rang you and in the blackest space imaginable, thank you so much, sincerely B.D. PERTH .

A lady suffering depression reported a year later after only one “MACE METHOD SESSION” “I have not had the slightest return of depression since and I do not need anti -depressants anymore” Thanks Rebecca QLD

I wish to thank you for the wonderful changes in my life since having that session with you. Over my life I have suffered with depression and anxiety. I’ve tried many modalities to heal and change this condition, which has plagued me; counselling, regression, group therapy, attitudinal healing, breath work, bodywork, psychology, John Bradshaw family therapy and co-dependence. They all helped to some degree but the depression still reared its ugly head. After one session with you the change is so profound that I have decided to train with you and become a practitioner, as it is the only modality that has completely eradicated my depression. Thank you with all my heart.

–B.M.

Note: Good as her word this lady is now fully trained and is helping many others

From a young mother who had lost a son and then a husband in tragic circumstances, she had been on anti depressants for 6 years. She wrote after a Mace Session “I feel like a new person, confident about who I am now, the depression has been lifted I feel as though I can handle anything that is out in front of me. I am a lot happier about life and living. G.L . QLD

POSTNATAL DEPRESSION

I wish to express my gratitude for the change in my health and well being since my session with you in early July. To give you a little background, I had suffered with Post Natal Depression since my first child was born seven years ago. After my second child was born two and a half years later I was experiencing severe exhaustion, panic attacks and anxiety. I was so bad that I was unable to cope with looking after the children and travelled from Melbourne to Perth , for help, from family, for a month to try and pull myself together. The depression, anxiety and panic attacks continued on and off for the next four years. I have tried everything from psychology, acupuncture, kinesiology and hypnotism to ease my anxiety. After my session with you I felt more confident and calm within. A lot of my anxiety was removed and I feel I can cope with any stressful situation over which I would previously panic. I also notice that my physical health and wellbeing has improved a great deal. Thank you John.

–Sincerely, J.S.

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

A Policeman suffering post traumatic stress, who had not slept nightmare free for 2 years, the result of a shooting incident at work, he had even put a gun in his own mouth to end it all. He said on an International Website “One session of the Mace Method achieved what a long list of anti- psychotics and depressant drugs could not, I NOW SLEEP NIGHTMARE FREE. I once said I would sell my soul for one good night of sleep, I don’t have to sell anything, I will be eternally grateful THANKS To Dr John Mace

AN INDECISIVE CLIENT

A client comes to mind, she was a lady in her early sixties, she came to handle an inability to make her mind up confidently, causing her to be stuck in life. The upset we handled was a trauma, which happened when she was an eleven-year-old, their house was burned down, her young brother was burned to death, she carried his body out which was in a terrible state, quite a shock, trauma and loss for an eleven- year-old or anyone for that matter.

After her “Mace Method” session with all the negative feelings and negative Identities eliminated she not only said she felt great and free of the loss for the first time, but she realised she had always remained the eleven-year-old when trying to make decisions. She said, “You know I don’t think I ever grew up” . This bears testimony to the fact that we can really become stuck in a loss or shock and its confusion along with the negative feelings and emotions long after the incident.

Prior to the session she had been agonizing over a decision whether to re-marry or not as her husband had passed away six months before. She had had a proposal from an old friend who had lost his wife. Straight after her session she stood up and said “Of course I am going to marry him, I’ve known him since my school days, I couldn’t find a better man!” With all the negative effects of the trauma/loss gone she confidently made the decision easily. M. Taree

NOTE: This example proves every life problem has a “CAUSE” handle the cause with a Mace Session and the effects DISAPPEAR.

Once in a while a paradigm change of great importance comes along – The “MACE METHOD” is one of them. IMAGINE your life with no hidden blocks or limitations holding you back, also being able to remain optimistic, cheerful while enjoying a state of well being, plus enjoying the relationships you want. If you are not happy with your life you easily can be. Remove the negatives with the “Mace Method” and your true self will emerge with all your potential at your disposal. It’s easy and the results are permanent.

This new innovative philosophy of life is the answer to enjoying a HAPPY SUCCESSFUL LIFE. ‘CAUSISM’ embodies an equally life changing component called the “MACE METHOD” a new therapy. The Purpose of the Mace Method is “TO ASSIST PEOPLE TO BE IN CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES AND LIVE THEIR OWN DREAMS”

DEPARTURE FROM CONVENTIONAL THERAPY

In a total departure from conventional counselling, IT DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY SELF DISCLOSURE and ONLY REQUIRES ONE OR TWO SESSIONS; which can even be carried out over the telephone.

The Mace Method has absolutely nothing to do with religion, but having said that it is generally accepted that we are composed of three elements; mind, body & spirit. That concept is perfectly true as far as it goes, but what the Causism research has uncovered is that there is a fourth element that has been named an Identity. These identities are of two types; knowingly created pro-survival identities and unknowingly created NON-SURVIVAL identities. The former are known as Positive Identities and the second, Negative Identities. The negative identity is a creation of THE PERSON, which is a composite of the being and all of its accumulated identities, good and bad, as distinct from the being. Before causism came on the scene, there was total confusion as to the separateness of mind and spirit. Added to which, the existence of the missing element the identity, was unknown.

ROCKY OR UNHAPPY RELATIONSHIPS are a product of these negative identities, which stop you being your real self.

ANALYSING OURSELVES

This research has proven that trying to analyse or change our own unwanted emotions cannot be done and often only makes things worse.

Edward De Bono (A Famous Author) was correct when he said :

“Logic never changes any emotion or feeling. You can spend hours with logical argument trying to change some feeling or prejudice; you are not likely to succeed!”

Please enjoy exploring how this process can assist YOU IN BEING ALL THAT YOU WHERE MEANT TO BE!

IT IS SIMPLE AND UNIQUE in its PROCEDURE AS THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PERSONAL DICLOSURE NECESSARY

Defintely a NEW PARADIGM!

Sherrie Hatfield

Mace Energy Method Practitioner/Trainer

www.themacemethod.com

www.macetrainers.com

About The Author

Sherrie Hatfield has been working and researching in the field of Higher Human Potential for more than 20 years. Starting her studies and research at a very young age in the field of human development of the whole being through early child care education, Sherrie got to personally prove that through the early formative years, ‘You give me the child for seven years and I will give you the man of tomorrow.’