[SPAM] Re: Mindfull awareness - in the here and now training...
W Randy McCommons
Dramatx at comcast.net
Tue Sep 12 22:07:17 CDT 2006
Dear Psychodramatists,
Let me stir the pot here a bit. After some 15 years of training in psychodrama and even more in drama therapy, I have come to the conclusion, which is well grounded in research, that the active ingredient in therapeutic change is not the 'method' whether it is EMDR or psychodrama or whatever but the relationship between the 'therapist' and the client. So I suspect that when someone makes great changes that that's whats going on. There are so many treatments that do not stand up under the scrutiny of research but are reported to provide therapeutic benefits that I mostly believe. However I attribute this to the individuals in the work. And a big thank you to my trainer Dorothy Satten. Sincerely, Warren Randy McCommons RDT/BCT
----- Original Message -----
From: PATRICIA DESERT
To: list at grouptalkweb.org
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 4:25 PM
Subject: [SPAM] Re: Mindfull awareness - in the here and now training...
I highly recommend Awakening The Tiger.
EMDR is more and more the therapy of choice I am using during individual sessions to help clients process anxiety and other symptoms. It is such a powerful form of therapy and I am experiencing it as more efficiently effecting change than psychodrama. On the other hand, I'll use action methods when teaching and supervising and with those clients not amenable to EMDR and psychodrama in therapy groups and 1-day personal growth workshops. Patti
Original Message -----
From: Manuela Maciel
To: list at grouptalkweb.org
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: Mindfull awareness - in the here and now training...
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/1097-06html
> >> 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
> >>http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Grouptalk mailing list
> >>List at grouptalkweb.org
> >>http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >Grouptalk mailing list
> >List at grouptalkweb.org
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
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