Theory versus Intervention
These days I notice that clients often call looking for a specific technique that they have heard about such as Focusing or EMDR. Many therapists have many different techniques in their tool box while others build their whole therapy around one specialization, this is especially common with EMDR. Yet there is a big difference between an intervention, something that you do to facilitate change, and a larger paradigm that helps you organize and make sense of all of the information that you see in the client /system.
The theory informs and provides options for many different interventions for the different presentations that occur and the different stages of healing a client may be in. Inside the chosen theory interventions are easily tailored to a person's unique personality and paradigm.
I have found Core Energetics to be an especially useful lens from which to work with clients in many different ways. The most useful aspect is the understanding of the developmental stages of life and how what happens in each stage leads to how we react in the next stage. Another invaluable aspect is having the tools to change the body structure along with the emotions, thinking patterns and behaviors.
I sometimes tell people the journey of therapy is like going on a river rafting trip. I am the guide; I have a map and know the territory, I know where the rapids are and how to navigate them. But I have never been on this particular trip with this particular person before, it will be a unique journey that we undertake together. I am so glad to be working from a trustworthy theory that provides a consistent frame and gives me structure but allows me to be completely present with the client's unique situation.
