Mindfull awareness - in the here and now training...

Manuela Maciel manuelamaciel at mail.telepac.pt
Tue Sep 12 12:10:27 CDT 2006


Dear Patti

Thank you very much for your kind reply. It was most helpful. I am also 
very fond of EMDR for some specific situation, particularly PTSD and 
Phobias. It is amazing the reffectivenes of the results. I was curious 
about this method that you refre also inspired in Peter Levine method. 
The only book that I have from Levine is  teh "awakening of the tiger"? 
(translated in portuguese). Would you advise it? i haven`t read it yet...
This reminds me that I have a new patient that was kidnapped for 2 days 
and has some severe anxiety symptoms. Anyone has any experience on how 
to deal with theses situations, with Psychodrama or other methods?
Thank you again.
Manuela
PATRICIA DESERT wrote:

> Dear Manuela--Peter Levine's somatic healing perspective and methods 
> have been a guide for me.  You can find his books on the 
> internet.  Yes, I actually sit with my clients as they move into a 
> mindful space.  I do not move into that space also however.  The 
> objective is for clients who are experiencing painful affect to sit 
> quietly and simply notice that in their bodies.  I need to be watching 
> for somatic cues that an intervention is required.  For those who have 
> the ego strength we might spend most of the session with the 
> client quietly sitting and observing h/her inner process with me 
> coaching h/her to just notice.  My direction "just notice"  becomes 
> like a mantra.  My clients report a range of healing effects including 
> deactivation of painful emotional and physical states, clearer 
> thinking, greater sense of good will towards self, increase sense of 
> optimism, etc. 
>  
> I work primarily with clients diagnosed with BPD, DID, complex PTSD, 
> and related symptomology.  As we know a symptom of these populations 
> includes a highly dysregulated affective system.  Therefore, 
> stabilization is part of the preparation for those that need it prior 
> to trauma processing.  Just recently at the EMDR conference in 
> Philadelphia I learned a wonderful protocol that utilizes Peter 
> Levine's strategy of "pendulation."  Here's the shortened version.   
>  
> I first help them develop positive images that stimulate positive 
> physical feelings.  Bilateral Eye Movements are then instituted for a 
> short period. Then I have them call up the distressing image they came 
> into session with or want to work on.  I have them sit "mindfully" 
> without judgment or criticism as they observe how their mind/body 
> responds to the painful image.  As soon as the pain becomes 
> intolerable I do an intervention by having them shift back to 
> mindfully focusing on the positive image and feelings.  Again I 
> institue Bilateral Eye Movements.  This stimulates similar neural 
> networks in the brain and the result is that a cascade of positive 
> images, thoughts, beliefs, feelings emerge.  After calmness is 
> attained they then shift back to the painful image/feelings.    
>  
> Through this pendulating process between positive and painful 
> affect clients experience a decrease in fear of powerful feelings, a 
> newfound sense of personal empowerment, a resource to use to maintain 
> a dual focus when accessing trauma, and an ability to effectively 
> process trauma material. 
>  
> Hope this answers your questions.  I enjoy reading your grouptalk 
> comments and I hope to see you again at one of the international 
> conferences.  Warmly, Patti
>  
>  
>  
> ---- Original Message -----
>
>     *From:* Manuela Maciel <mailto:manuelamaciel at mail.telepac.pt>
>     *To:* list at grouptalkweb.org <mailto:list at grouptalkweb.org>
>     *Sent:* Friday, September 08, 2006 8:05 AM
>     *Subject:* Mindfull awareness - in the here and now training...
>
>     Dear Patti
>
>     I was very interested in the mindful awareness practices that you do
>     with your clients since I am also using mindfull and other meditation
>     practices in my therapy groups but not yet much at the one-to-one
>     appointments.. Do you actually seat down and meditate with them?
>     Does it
>     work? What kind of effects do you notice? And to which kind of
>     patients
>     do you use it more?
>     Warmly
>     Manuela
>
>
>     PATRICIA DESERT wrote:
>
>     >Dear Bud--I have experienced this role lock over and over again
>     with clients
>     >stuck in their negative self perceptions.  And one of the most
>     powerful
>     >practices I have taught my clients and use as the foundation of
>     my work is
>     >mindful awareness.  I feel the powerful and loving presence of a
>     universal
>     >energy when I sit with clients and see the healing that comes
>     when they can
>     >sit quietly and mindfully connect with self, noticing everything
>     that comes
>     >up without judgement or criticism.  This I believe is connecting
>     in a deeply
>     >spiritual level with self and when my clients, including those
>     diagnosed
>     >with BPD!,  can do this the most remarkable calmness, peace, and
>     problem
>     >solving capabilities emerge.  I erupt in goose bumps each time
>     this happens.
>     >
>     >And I too wish when my children were growing up that I knew about
>     the
>     >soulful expanding experiences you describe.  Prechtel's program
>     is new to me
>     >and I plan to find out more about it to pass on to my colleagues
>     who work
>     >with adolescent and teen addicts struggling to find their way.  
>     Thanks. 
>     >Patti
>     >
>     >
>     > 
>     >
>     >>From: BARNETT WEISS <budweiss at verizon.net
>     <mailto:budweiss at verizon.net>>
>     >>Reply-To: list at grouptalkweb.org <mailto:list at grouptalkweb.org>
>     >>To: list at grouptalkweb.org <mailto:list at grouptalkweb.org>
>     >>Subject: Re: client or trainee
>     >>Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 07:01:36 -0700 (PDT)
>     >>
>     >>Yes Yes and Yes again I say YES !!
>     >>
>     >>  Educational models along the lines of mentoring when you
>     really look at
>     >>it.
>     >>
>     >>  Mentoring in terms of expanding the role capabilities of all
>     who come to
>     >>learn. Understanding and reworking poorly formed roles that keep
>     people
>     >>stuck in certain situations and expanding their capability in so
>     many
>     >>others.
>     >>
>     >>  We live in societies where much of the most profound aspects
>     of who we
>     >>are have been crushed leaving a great vacuum within even in the
>     most devout
>     >>religious communities, the conserves have taken over, memorized
>     and obeyed
>     >>with so little relatonship to what indigenous people have known
>     for milenia
>     >>in terms of spirituality.   This serves the ethic of scarcity as
>     a basis
>     >>for all we operate within.  The most powerful and wealthy must
>     maintain
>     >>that sense of scarcity and fear so that they can remain in
>     charge of the
>     >>wealth they have gathered. To that end, nearly all education is
>     presently
>     >>bent while the soul is left out of the classroom. That soul or
>     true time
>     >>tested indigenous spirituality is the source of abundance.  So
>     many seek it
>     >>with mentors who have not been adequately mentored themselves
>     and have
>     >>agendas that continue to serve the sense of scarcity.
>     >>
>     >>  One of the wonderful programs that I only wish I had known
>     about when my
>     >>children were younger is that begun by the great Guatamalan
>     trained shaman
>     >>Martin Prechtel
>     >>http://www.lightworks.com/MonthlyAspectarian/1997/October/1097-06.html
>     >>  In the process begun by him which is now carried on by groups
>     trained by
>     >>him, a group of nearly 10 adolescent or older up to nearly 30
>     years of age
>     >>boys/young men one year and 10 girls/young women the next are
>     given one
>     >>hundred tasks to perform prior to thier being formally graduated as
>     >>initiates.  These tasks require mentors who the committee that
>     supports
>     >>them assists in finding. THe tasks are all about building a more
>     profound
>     >>relationship with Nature and their spiritual development as well as
>     >>performing service tasks in the community. At the end of the
>     year, well
>     >>over 100 persons gather to honor the inititates at a beautiful
>     ceremony. At
>     >>that time, everyone who comes to the initiation is asked to present
>     >>themselves in front of the initiates who will offer the
>     supporters some
>     >>insight into the supporters life and purpose and anything that
>     occurs to
>     >>the initiates that may assist the supporter in maintaining their
>     life's
>     >>purpose. It is overwhelming to say the least for
>     >> everyone and as spiritually renewing as anything I have ever
>     known. Those
>     >>I know who participate in this process as supporters are some of
>     the most
>     >>wonderful, deeply spiritual, resourceful and dependable people I
>     know.
>     >>
>     >>  This is in fact the direction of my life and all of the
>     methods and
>     >>techniques that I have gathered during my 67 years. All are
>     pointed toward
>     >>supporting more of this kind of thing happening for more young
>     and older
>     >>people. My work in creating the Dagara Village up state New York
>     under the
>     >>tutelage of Malidoma Some is about that. As well, my association
>     with the
>     >>Plant Spirit Medicine work of Eliot Cowan whose shamanic
>     training comes
>     >>through the Huichol People as well as Prechtel's work and those
>     of other
>     >>Indigenous people of the land we call the Americas are other
>     models with
>     >>which I am working.  I often laugh at the fact that we call this
>     land the
>     >>Americas named after a ne'er do well drunkard and womanizer
>     whose false
>     >>perverse fantasies about this land were used to sell the
>     newspapers of his
>     >>times, and so the land was named after him. A cruel joke
>     untaught in our
>     >>schools and a perfect example coming out of the scarcity model
>     of life
>     >>about which I write here.
>     >>
>     >>  Milton H. Erickson, MD, another mentor of mine,  was also
>     quite enamored
>     >>with these types of indigenous cultures and supported them more
>     than people
>     >>suspect. It is highly probable that Erickson was in fact the
>     model for Don
>     >>Juan in Casteneda's work as Casteneda spent a great deal of time
>     working
>     >>with Erickson before and after he began to write his powerful
>     pieces.
>     >>
>     >>  Indigenous people are not interested in categorizing people
>     and in fact
>     >>rebel against it as an insult to the spiritual ground that is
>     essential to
>     >>their way of life.  Rather  they are seeing what the individuals
>     gifts are
>     >>and working to have those gifts be available to the people. The
>     Shamanic
>     >>work is greatly occupied with dealing with the blocks that
>     prevent the
>     >>access to those gifts and the polution of the spirit consequent
>     to the
>     >>abandonment of their ancient rights and traditions or the
>     violation of
>     >>contracts clearly spoken either in this life or another and
>     subsequently
>     >>forgotten.
>     >>
>     >>  Blessings all, Bud
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>Peter Howie <peterhowie at macquariehouse.com.au
>     <mailto:peterhowie at macquariehouse.com.au>> wrote:
>     >>  Dear Adam,
>     >>
>     >>Sorry Adam but I can't help myself.
>     >>
>     >>"So there's a cultural lag-- a need to recognize this sub-field,
>     but still
>     >>the main field of psychodrama is based on the conventional model of
>     >>psychotherapy-- and training certification is also geared to
>     this, albeit
>     >>loosely. "
>     >>
>     >>I came across this quote as I was perusing some early ANZPA thesis.
>     >>
>     >>"I have always tried to show that my approach was meant as much
>     more than a
>     >>psychotherapeutic method--my ideas have emphasized that
>     creativity and
>     >>spontaneity affect the very roots of vitality and spiritual
>     development,
>     >>and thus affect our involvements in every sphere of our lives.
>     Furthermore,
>     >>I have always wanted to have people attend to the processes of
>     health, as
>     >>well as to the problems of illness; thus I am glad that Dr
>     Blatenr has
>     >>noted the applications of psychodrama in the home, school and
>     world of
>     >>business" J L Moreno, M.D., 1973 in Forward to "Acting In" by
>     Adam Blatner.
>     >>
>     >>Part of our discussion involves, at an underlying level, how the
>     conserves
>     >>of the psychotherapeutic communities/world (Psychology,
>     Psychoiatry,
>     >>Counselling etc) have dominated some of this discussion. It may
>     not be so
>     >>much about the dilemmas that arise from boundary issues with
>     >>clients/patients/trainees but more about how this work is
>     conceptualised.
>     >>Personally and professionally I think viewing most of our work
>     as that of
>     >>education or adult education works for me. Deep learning is deep
>     therapy.
>     >>Still working on this idea.
>     >>
>     >>Cheers
>     >>
>     >>Peter Howie
>     >>Brisbanew, Australia
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>Grouptalk mailing list
>     >>List at grouptalkweb.org
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>     >>
>     >>   
>     >>
>     >
>     >
>     > 
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>     >
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