What is psychotherapy treatment? What is a psychotherapist? What approaches to psychotherapy exist? And how do we practice it here at Good Conscious Life? (Please note, this article describes the situation of psychoterapy in Denmark which may be different from that of your country.)
Perspectives on psychotherapy vary greatly depending on who you ask (and their education in psychotherapy). People typically have quite different views on what psychotherapy is, and there’s a good reason for that. Just like what is the case with coaching, the phenomenon of psychotherapy can be seen as a bit like the ‘Wild West’ when it comes to definitions and approaches.
In Denmark ‘psychotherapist’ is not a protected title (just as is the case with ‘coach’). This means that theoretically, anyone in Denmark can call themselves a psychotherapist (or coach) without exams or certifications.
One consequence of this is that there are many ideas about and many approaches to psychotherapy. Since there’s no official standard, it’s impossible to say that any one approach is more right or wrong than another. They’re just different interpretations and expressions of psychoterapy.
Here at Good Conscious Life, we also practice psychotherapy. We refer to it as guidance of consciousness.
If you wish to gain a deeper understanding of what psychotherapy actually is (its origins and approaches), this article might be just what you’re looking for.
The purpose of this article is to provide you with good, solid knowledge of psychotherapy. We’ll serve you information about:
– What is Psychotherapy Treatment?
– How does Psychotherapy Work?
– What Is a Psychotherapist (Compared to a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist)?
– Advantages and Disadvantages of Unregulated Psychotherapy in Denmark
– What Approaches Exist within Psychotherapy?
– Characteristics of Our Psychotherapy Approach at Good Conscious Life (Guidance of Consciousness)
– The Various Mindsets in Psychotherapy: How Does Guidance of Consciousness Relate to Different Psychotherapeutic Traditions?
What is Psychotherapy Treatment?
Not surprisingly, traditionally, psychotherapy is a term for treatment methods aimed at the ‘psyche’. The word “psycho” + “therapy” originally comes from Greek and means ‘treatment of the psyche’.
Although today many psychotherapists work with more than just the psyche (understood as ‘that which only happens in the mind’), talk therapy is still often the primary foundation in psychotherapeutic treatment.
The Historical Origins of Psychotherapy
– We Need to Go Back to Freud and His Idea of ‘The Talking Cure’
When looking back in time to examine the history of psychotherapy, it is not surprising that we’ll meet our good old Austrian doctor and psychologist, Sigmund Freud.
Sigmund Freud is generally considered the father of psychotherapy. He created psychoanalysis in the early 20th century and adopted the term “talking cure” from a colleague, as he felt it perfectly captured the essence of how psychoanalysis may heal people.
According to Freud, the cure in talking happens when we bring out that which is unconscious and hidden inside through the means of talking. Freud believed that this process of self-awareness (making the unconscious conscious) had a healing effect.
Following Freud’s groundbreaking work, other great, well-known figures emerged (including the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, the German-American developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, the Austrian doctor and founder of individual psychology Alfred Adler, and Freud’s own daughter Anna Freud), each of whom ended up creating their own branches within psychotherapy.
What they all had in common was an interest in the unconscious and an idea that the key to healing lies in the process where the unconscious and unspoken is made conscious through words.
In the first half of the 20th century, the development of psychotherapy was already rapidly progressing, and from then until now, it has perhaps even accelerated further. While psychotherapy was originally seen as a ‘talking cure’, in recent decades there has been a gradual shift in this understanding, or perhaps rather a development.
The understanding of psychotherapy has become broader and more inclusive (at least that is the case in Denmark) in that many pepople today work not only with ‘talking’ but also with, for example, the body, energies, art therapy, or the transpersonal / spiritual.
Despite Great Diversity in the Field, The Consensus Is that Psychotherapy Is about Creating Deep, Positive Changes in the Client
Although there are many different opinions on what psychotherapy is, most people agree that the overall goal of psychotherapy is to help create positive changes (often deep and fundamental) in the person receiving treatment (often called the ‘client’).
While there can be many reasons for seeing a psychotherapist, the most common is the desire to resolve some personal problems or challenges. These challenges can be in specific areas of life, such as relationships, work and career, finances, personal development, spiritual development, family, health, conflict resolution, etc. It can also be personal challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, phobias, PTSD, trauma, grief, etc.
Through a series of conversations over a certain number of sessions – sometimes over several years – psychotherapists typically work to facilitate clarity and help create insight into their clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior patterns. They do this with the aim of helping their client feel better and function more effectively in their life.
Classical Myths About Psychotherapy
There are many myths and prejudices about psychotherapy. Let’s debunk them together:There must be something seriously wrong with you – or you must have serious problems – if you need to see a psychotherapist!
Back in the days it was taboo seeking therapy with a psychotherapist or psychologist. You were considered weak or a failure, or maybe even mentally ill. Fortunately, this is no longer the case in ‘mainstream’ consciousness. For many people, seeing a therapist is almost as natural as brushing their teeth. It’s something you do to take good care of yourself – and possibly also in order to develop personally and spiritually.
When you see a psychotherapist, you have to talk about your childhood and all its traumas!
Many people who haven’t tried psychotherapy see before them a Freud-inspired scene where they lie on a couch and tell an eagerly note scribbling therapist about their traumatic childhood events with their mother or father. This is the classical, old form of psychoanalysis, the original way psychologists used to work, but it’s not modern psychotherapy. Psychotherapy today actually just consists of a normal conversation face-to-face – and possibly some exercises and such.
Classical psychoanalysis does (and many psychologists do) indeed focus on the past, while much psychotherapy today is not particularly focused on the past, but more oriented towards the present (what challenges you might be facing right now) and the future (what you want to achieve and how you get there). However, in some cases, clarifying elements from the past can be useful in creating peace and empowerment in the present.
When you see a psychotherapist, you constantly have to talk about how you feel about this or that!
Unless the type of psychotherapy itself is emotion-focused, psychotherapists are not particularly interested in feelings per se. Feelings are important to all of us and therefore part of the picture, but for psychotherapists, feelings are only relevant to work with directly if the client has not learned to sense or express them in a functional manner (e.g., has learned to suppress them, cannot express them in a useful and beneficial manner, etc.).
As a client, you’ve only just summarized how things have been since last time and briefly discussed what you’d like to work on in this session, when the 50 or 60 minutes are up and you have to leave because the next client is waiting his turn.
Okay, that problem can be very real. For example, some psychologists are almost “known” (infamous) for this, and it can also happen with psychotherapists. It makes complete sense that you can go deeper, gain more insights, and make much more progress if you have more time than just 50 minutes or an hour.
As a client, if you want to avoid that, that challenge is easily solved: Look at the therapist’s website and find out how long a session lasts. If it’s not immediately visible, check the price list – it’s almost always listed there. We ourselves (Birgitte and Søren) are extremely client-focused, so we’ve made the highly unusual choice that our customers get all the time they need, and the price is always the same. When a client asks how much time they should allocate in their schedule, our usual answer is “allocate three hours, and if you feel finished before that, that’s fine.”
If you see a psychologist or psychotherapist, ‘digging’ through your stuff will take several years – and you will end up spending a lot of money!
This is partly true. Here too, it can be relevant to distinguish between psychologists and psychotherapists, as well as between different types of psychotherapy.
If we are to make a rough generalization and compare all psychologists to all psychotherapists, our experience with our customers tells us that many people often need to see their psychologist a fair amount more than they need to see their psychotherapist (for similar issues).
In our opinion, part of the difference lies in the way the two professions work, including the time spent in sessions. Clearly, the more sessions you have, the more expensive it will overall be (even though therapists who offer longer sessions often charge a bit more for it).
That being said, there is of course, a significant difference between psychologists, and an even greater difference between psychotherapists: within psychotherapy, there are many different “styles” (you can read more about this under the heading “What Approaches Exist within Psychotherapy?”).
Since every client’s process is different, it’s also impossible to predict how many sessions will be needed. That’s why we don’t offer sessions ‘in bulk’ for less money, but rather arrange new meetings on a case-by-case basis, depending on what our customers feel they need.
Furthermore, we work differently than most other psychotherapists: We are two people (a man and a woman) who work with the client at the same time, and we use what we call guidance of consciousness – and that combination is extremely effective.
How Does Psychotherapy Work?
In psychotherapy, it can be very difficult to predict the course of a session. How exactly a session unfolds depends greatly on the client’s needs and goals, which should always be identified on a session-by-session basis. Each session is therefore unique.
That being said, there are still some elements that are typical:
What Typically Happens in the Very First Psychotherapy Session?
The first time a psychotherapist and client meet is often characterized by spending some time getting to know each other. (That’s why some psychotherapists allocate a little more time for the first session). The psychotherapist will typically explain how they work and discuss the framework of the conversation to build trust and security.
In addition, the psychotherapist often invites the client to tell a bit about himself / herself, such as why he / she is here (the conversation often revolves about issues the client wants to resolve or goals they want to achieve).
The first session rarely dives directly into trauma or other deep-seated issues, but typically aims to establish rapport. It’s generally about whether there can be a good connection and collaboration: whether the psychotherapist feels he / she can help the client, and whether the client feels trust in the psychotherapist and sees the potential for being helped.
How Does Psychotherapy Proceed Afterwards?
Once the psychotherapist and client have decided to work together, the client typically begins a course of therapy that can last from a few sessions to several years. If the client has a simple, specific problem he / she wants to resolve, it can be done quickly in a few sessions.
However, if the client wishes to work on deeper issues (such as severe traumas or conflicts, dysfunctional habits and behavioral challenges, etc.), he / she will often continue for many sessions, sometimes for several years with the psychotherapist.
At the beginning of a therapy process, it’s quite common for the client to see his / her psychotherapist once a week or once every two weeks. Later on, it’s not uncommon for sessions to occur less frequently, such as once a month.
Very often, clients maintain a connection with their psychotherapist (if they are satisfied with them, of course), after completing their initial therapy. By doing this, when new challenges arise (even after several years), they easily resume contact and start a new therapy process.
What Is the Course of a Typical Psychotherapy Session?
Although sessions, as mentioned, can proceed in many ways, here is an example of how a typical session may progress:
Psychotherapist and client:
– Adjust expectations and clarify the goal for the session (what are the client’s needs, what issues does the client want to resolve, or what opportunities does the client want to achieve)
– Discuss and delve into the topic of the session (the client talks about what he / she would like help with, and the therapist asks questions to understand the situation and help the client get a clear picture of it)
– Continue to talk or engage in various exercises to gain insight, clarity, and awareness of the issues
– Discuss solutions and options related to the issues
– Determine what the client, based on the new insights, specifically chooses to do differently in daily life
– Talk about any homework for the client (e.g., exercises, trying out new behaviors, etc.)
– Summarize the session and agree on future meetings (e.g., what worked well or didn’t work, whether things should go faster or slower, and possibly schedule a new session)
What Is the Difference Between a Psychiatrist, a Psychologist, and a Psychotherapist?
It can be confusing with the three titles (psychotherapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist) as they look. However, if you’re seeking help, it is important to know the difference between these three professions, because even though they all deal with the mind and related matters, they approach it in very different ways.
What Is a Psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a fully qualified medical doctor (M.D.), who has undergone several years of additional training to specialize in psychiatry. Becoming a psychiatrist requires significant traditional education and takes a long time. Psychiatry’s primary methods include psychopharmacology (medication), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and actually also psychotherapy.
Some people refer to psychiatrists as “pill pushers” because there is an idea in the population that psychiatrists have a preference for prescribing medication (psychopharmacology) to solve psychological problems. This view of psychiatrists is probably not entirely fair, as many psychiatrists also have training and tools in psychotherapy. However, it is true that only psychiatrists have the authority to prescribe psychopharmacological medications, precisely because they are medical doctors.
We have also heard people with personal experience in this area say, “One should be careful with psychiatrists because there is a risk of receiving a [implied: inaccurate or incorrect] diagnosis in the healthcare system which cannot be removed.”
We do not take a stance on this issue, but unfortunately, psychiatry in Denmark has been deprioritized from a political standpoint for many years, and as a result, it is under significant strain. This has been widely reported in the media, highlighting errors that should never have occurred.
What Is a Psychologist?
Psychologists are also university-educated, but their education is predominantly theoretical and not based on medical science. It is a generalist education covering many (though not all) areas of psychology in Denmark. One notable exclusion from the Danish psychology education, in our opinion, is transpersonal psychology, which ‘academic’ psychologists, those who teach at the university, seem to strongly oppose. This is despite the fact that transpersonal psychology is recognized, esteemed, and popular in many other countries.
After obtaining their master’s degree, psychologists can get state authorization and call themselves authorized psychologists after completing two years of practical work and supervision.
What Is a Psychotherapist?
Unlike the other two titles, a psychotherapist, as mentioned earlier, is not a protected title in Denmark and does not require any specific education (e.g., a university degree). Essentially, this means that anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist. Consequently, there is no possibility of becoming ‘state-authorized’ or ‘authorized psychotherapist’ – simply put, such distinctions do not exist.
In certain other countries, however (e.g., Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom, and USA), becoming a psychotherapist requires specific training. In Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal, one must even be a medical doctor to practice psychotherapeutic methods.
Psychotherapy is certainly the profession among the three that encompasses the widest variety of approaches, methods, and techniques, with new ones continually emerging. Depending on one’s perspective, in Denmark, we either face a disadvantage or benefit from the fact that the title is not protected and the field is unregulated.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Unregulated Psychotherapy in Denmark
We’ve heard the situation of unregulated psychotherapy in Denmark described as “a bit like the Wild West”. In some ways, that’s true, but it’s also somewhat of an exaggeration. Here’s what we consider to be the most important aspects:
The biggest disadvantage for the customer is insecurity. As a customer, you may not necessarily know what to expect when choosing a psychotherapist. You might rely on recommendations from friends or invest time and energy into researching texts like this to find psychotherapy styles and therapists that match who you are and what you want to achieve.
The biggest advantage is significant development in the field. Non-regulation allows for diversity and rapid development and improvement in the field of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy in Denmark is a vibrant field, quick to embrace new influences, techniques, and methods, which is of great benefit for potential customers.
State Approval Provides Security, But Also Rigidity and Professional Arrogance
The moment psychotherapy becomes a state-approved education in Denmark, the field will become rigid in numerous ways: The education will have to last for a specific period of time; it might need to be conducted at specific schools; practical experience will not count (or only very little); only certain disciplines, theories, and methods (namely those present when the education was approved by the state) will be respected, while all others will be discarded, and new ones will hardly get a chance to emerge. In short, all innovation and improvement will suddenly slow to a crawl or even stop altogether.
The education for psychologists is a prime example of this: Even though transpersonal psychology is widely respected and popular in many places abroad, with proven positive effects for the clients, it is not included in the Danish psychology education, as mentioned earlier. On the contrary, it is either silenced or actively opposed by leading academic psychologists.
This scenario is common in all types of academic education: “The old professors want nothing to do with modern nonsense.”
It is understandable in a way, but it is simply not beneficial or good for the clients. Yet, this is the pattern …
The Pattern of “Academization” Has Been Seen Before … and It Might Also Affect Psychotherapy
In the past doctors were too focused on the physical body and not adept enough in dealing with psychological aspects. Then psychologists emerged. They fought for state recognition, and once achieved, innovation in the field stagnated, prompting a need for something new. What emerged, among other things, was psychotherapists.
Psychotherapy is currently a vibrant and diverse field undergoing rapid development. When psychotherapists eventually achieve state recognition in Denmark (which they are currently advocating for through associations like Dansk Psykoterapeutforening (The Danish Association of Psychotherapists) and Foreningen af Danske Psykoterapeuter) (Danish Psychotherapist Association), the pace of development in the field of psychotherapy is likely to slow down dramatically, eventually coming to a near standstill. Such a development will create the need for something new.
Thus, a new, vibrant field will emerge that dares to embrace diversity and innovation – psychotherapy version 2.0, so to speak. However, it won’t be called psychotherapy because it won’t be allowed to. That’s just how it goes.
What Approaches Exist within Psychotherapy?
As we have mentioned many times, psychotherapy is truly a very broad field with many different approaches. In 1996, author Nigel Maclennan listed 450 different types of psychotherapy, and there have certainly been more since then. It is indeed a field in rapid development. We won’t list all the approaches here. Instead, we will present some of the main traditions and also provide our categorization to create a bit of an overview.
These main traditions, of which there are probably between 15 and 35, are categorized by Wikipedia into these main categories (some of which partially overlap each other) …
• Psychodynamic / psychoanalytic psychotherapy
• Cognitive therapy / cognitive behavioral therapy / metacognitive therapy
• Humanistic psychotherapy / experiential therapy
• Existential therapy
• Systemic therapy
• Narrative therapy
• Body-oriented psychotherapy
• Jungian therapy
• NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
• Psychosynthesis
• Spiritual therapy / transpersonal therapy / integral therapy
• Psychedelic psychotherapy
• Play therapy
• Reality therapy / choice theory
• Postmodernist psychotherapy
• Feminist psychotherapy
• Behavioral therapy
• Exposure and response prevention therapy
• Hypnotherapy
• Interpersonal psychotherapy
• Expressive psychotherapy
• Multimodal therapy
• EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• Substance abuse therapies
• Computer-assisted therapy
• “Indigenous” psychotherapies, e.g., some from Africa, based on Ubuntu philosophy
Finally, we (Birgitte and Søren) would like to introduce our own method, guidance of consciousness, which is completely unique, even though it shares elements with some of the above psychotherapeutic approaches – but that’s because it is so interdisciplinary.
The 6 Basic Psychotherapeutic Approaches:
– The Physical, Emotional, Mental, Energetic, Expressive, and Spiritual Approach
Since 450-500 different methods (including the main categories mentioned above from Wikipedia) may feel quite overwhelming, we suggest a different and more intuitively understandable division into just a good handful (6) of categories. We base the categorization on what the various types of psychotherapy particularly (but not exclusively) emphasize.
Perhaps our categorization can make your choice of a suitable type of psychotherapy a bit easier (if you are indeed seeking personal psychotherapy). Most of us have a sense of what suits us and what doesn’t. For example:
If you are a very mental type of person – which often means you may have difficulty getting in touch with your emotions – you might not benefit as much from types of psychotherapy that emphasize feeling and having to describe your emotions. On the contrary, if you are very emotionally expressive, the more mental approaches might not be your first choice within psychotherapy.
The key is to find a type of psychotherapy that fits who you are and what you want to achieve.
Here is our suggestion for six categories of psychotherapeutic approaches:
• The Bodily Approach
(Examples: Somatic Experiencing therapy, sensethic therapy (formerly known as bioexistential psychotherapy, Danish link), bioenergetics (body therapy by Alexander Lowen), organic psykotherapy Danish link), and to some extent The Rosen Method.)
• The Emotional Approach
(Examples: emotion-focused therapy, psychoanalysis / psychodynamic psychotherapy, Jungian psychotherapy, neuroaffective psychotherapy Danish link), and primal therapy)
• The Mental Approach
(Examples: cognitive and metacognitive therapy, narrative therapy, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), and to some extent various types of behavioral therapy because they typically involve mental techniques).
• The Energetic Approach
There aren’t as many examples here, but there are psychotherapists who are also healers, and there are a few practitioners in Denmark who offer energetic psychotherapy. We (Birgitte and Søren) also work with the energetic approach when needed. Not only in the form of healing but also in several other ways, such as training in energy-based boundary setting and finding – and standing by – one’s own inner power.
• The Expressive Approach- Expressing Oneself Through Art
When we engage in art – singing, playing music, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, writing, or making poetry – we express a lot, and this can be used therapeutically. Here are some of the most typical forms of expressive psychotherapy:
– Art therapy
– Dance therapy
– Drama therapy
– Music therapy
– Writing therapy
– Poetry therapy
– Psychodrama therapy
• The Holistic and Spiritual / Transpersonal Approach
(Examples: integral psychotherapy, transpersonal psychotherapy, psychosynthesis, Holotropic Breathwork (by Stanislav Grof), and psychedelic therapy, as well as our (Birgitte’s and Søren’s) own guidance of consciousness).
In these spiritual / transpersonal types of psychotherapy, many different aspects of the individual are addressed as needed, potentially including all five types mentioned above (the physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and expressive dimension), with a particular emphasis on wholeness.
Please Remember, This Is Just a Rough Categorization
Again, this is just a rough categorization, and it’s important to understand that the therapy forms mentioned above typically do not ONLY focus on, for example, the emotional or the physical aspects; there are almost always multiple elements involved.
Gestalt therapy, for example, is not used as an example above because it is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on many dimensions, both thoughts, emotions, and the body in the now.
Our Type of Psychotherapy:
– The Foundation of Guidance of Consciousness Is Wholeness
Guidance of consciousness – the type of psychotherapy we offer – falls into the last category mentioned above (“Wholeness and the spiritual / transpersonal”), however, NOT just theoretically, also in practical terms. Specifically, this means that we use BOTH physical, emotional, mental, energetic, expressive, and transpersonal / spiritual methods and techniques. We work in a completely interdisciplinary manner.
Our experience is that all parts of a person are interconnected, so working with virtually anything can be beneficial. We aim directly at helping people gain insight into all aspects of themselves and helping them integrate everything into a well-functioning whole.
Our personal basis of understanding (which we call The Wholeness Comprehension) revolves around wholeness from a transpersonal, spiritual background – but made concrete and practical in everyday life. That’s precisely why we are interdisciplinary bridge-builders. We work with higher consciousness aiming to make it practical.
The fundamental aspect of our work, especially at the beginning of a process, remains the basic way of getting to know each other which forms the foundation for almost all psychotherapy: the conversation.
Often, there will be an evolution in the way we work with each person: We start by making sure that basic elements are in order, and once they are, we can move on to more advanced aspects.
During our years of practice we have identified some showstoppers – elements that we believe must function in an acceptable manner for us to work more effectively with people. If these elements are too dysfunctional, the first thing we typically do is work on these aspects.
A good example of a showstopper is will – if a person lacks the will to change, psychotherapy will be ineffective and won’t progress. Therefore, a person’s relationship with his / her will will be among the first things we assess. If necessary, we will work on this as the first thing.
Another example of a basic showstopper is health: If our health isn’t in order, e.g. not getting enough sleep or water, having hormonal imbalances, or facing other health challenges, it makes sense to address these early on in the process.
Once we are sure that there are no unbalanced showstoppers, we can proceed – always towards wholeness in the way that best suits the unique individual in question.
The Wholeness Comprehension
We (Birgitte and Søren) have coined The Wholeness Comprehension. It can be considered our theoretical foundation, and as the name implies, its basis is: wholeness. The Wholeness Comprehension sees wholeness as the starting point for everything and is, in the original sense of the word, holistic.
We see a human being as whole – a wholess which consists of smaller parts that are also whole. This wholeness is also part of a larger wholeness, which in turn is part of an even larger wholeness.
We also emphasize balance: Our goal is “wholeness in balance”.
In this way, a human being is both:
– A ‘small’ wholness that encompasses body, psyche, emotions, energies, and consciousness from the lowest to the highest levels.
– A participant in larger wholeness units, such as families, groups, societies, the entire human race, ecosystems, Earth as a whole, and in the extremely vast wholeness that is “life, the universe, and everything”.
This way of viewing ourselves and life (the Wholeness Comprehension) is what we use practically and concretely in our work. Everything can be solved in a super effective and positive way through The Wholeness Comprehension. Everything becomes simple and clear.
Many human problems arise because, on an unconscious level, we believe ourselves to be separate: from others, from life, and even from parts of ourselves. Returning to our own wholeness is the key that solves most of a person’s problems and generally works best – and continues to work.
The Different Mindsets in Psychotherapy
– Guidance of Consciousness Versus Various Psychotherapeutic Traditions
Besides the various psychotherapeutic approaches focusing on the physical, emotional, mental, energetic, expressive, and spiritual aspects, there’s another way to distinguish these approaches: through their overall perspectives on humanity, the world, and life.
All depending on what the different mindsets of the various approaches of psychotherapy are, they will have different perspectives on what should be focused on in the individual and in treatment, and how.
We have identified four criteria that differentiate various types of psychotherapy mindsets from each other.
These include …
– Focus on the Past, Present, or Future
– Focus on Illness or Health
– Focus on Coping or Fundamental Solutions
– Basis in Old Reductionist, Physical-Mechanical Paradigm or New Holistic, Consciousness-Focused Paradigm
… and below we will take a closer look at each of them.
Focus on the Past, Present, or Future
In terms of time, different psychotherapeutic approaches vary in where they primarily focus in the client’s life. Here, the choice naturally lies between:
• Past
• Present
• Future
Examples: Traditional psychoanalysis focuses heavily on the past, gestalt therapy focuses on the present, and future-oriented therapy places significant emphasis on the future.
It is quite typical (and entirely natural) that therapies focusing extensively on the past may take longer than others.
Therefore, it’s also a choice potential clients should consider when selecting their therapy approach.
Our Type of Psychotherapy: Guidance of Consiousness Focuses Primarily on the Present
As consciousness guides, we (Birgitte and Søren) are interested in wholeness, which includes our clients’ past, present, and future.
Understanding the past can inform us about the present. However, we find that excessive focus on the past is not particularly useful. Our primary focus tends to be on the present (and somewhat on the future).
Essentially, there is only the present moment where decisions can be made, improvements can be implemented, and experiences can be lived. However, since we aim to ensure our customers have a positive experience and a good life in the future (whatever form it may take), we generally take the future into consideration as well.
Focus on Disease (What Doesn’t Work) or on Health (What Does Work)
This difference in therapeutic approaches is so fundamental and simple that it can easily be overlooked. The question is, does the psychotherapy focus on:
• Sickness, everything that doesn’t work
• Health and everything that actually works
Psychology, and consequently psychotherapy, originally had the same starting point as the medical profession, and doctors and psychiatrists have a strong focus on diagnosing diseases. Therefore, psychology and branches of psychotherapy have adopted this focus, namely a focus on disease, and everything that doesn’t work. Naturally (but of course secondary), there is also a focus on how to cure these diseases.
But is this always useful? Certainly not. A focus on everything that is wrong is a negative focus and can easily lead to pessimism and a pathologizing of the individual:
The doctor / therapist / practitioner is looking for “the bad stuff” instead of “the good stuff” and the patient / client / customer is not empowered, but placed in a powerless, victim-like position and is thus disempowered.
As a patient who has been externally diagnosed, one can easily feel powerless and victimized, focusing on and thereby reinforcing negative aspects (compare this to the phenomenon of hypochondria, where this phenomenon is taken to the extreme).
Moreover: We can learn at least as much, perhaps even more, by focusing on health and everything that actually works. When we …
– know what typically works in a good and reasonable way for many people
– know what works for those who are doing very well and are functioning at their best
– and know what (or possibly: what else) works for that particular, unique individual
… then we can often help the individual very effectively.
When the challenge is not something physical, but rather something psychological (even though these things are extremely closely related), we can sometimes help – even without knowing exactly what the problem is or giving it a name, and without knowing exactly where it comes from (for example, which old trauma). Insight into the negative can be very useful, but it is not always necessary.
Here are some examples of different approaches. First, an example of a focus on illness and what doesn’t work:
Psychiatry focuses heavily on diagnoses (and medication). Traditional psychoanalysis focuses a lot on problems and causes, which usually lie in the past.
Now, examples of a focus on health and what works:
Humanistic psychology and humanistic psychotherapy, as well as the later developed transpersonal psychology and transpersonal psychotherapy, focus on the individual and what works, including empowering the individual.
Our Type of Psykotherapy: Guidance of Consciousness Focuses on Health and That Which Works
We (Birgitte and Søren) are not medical doctors and are not authorized to diagnose, nor are we interested in doing so. Our goal is simply to understand how our customers function and to help them function better.
So while we are inherently curious about our customers’ consciousness, including what may not be functioning optimally, our focus is clearly and unequivocally on what works.
And what works best? Wholeness – something we can consciously choose.
Focus on Coping or on Fundamental Solutions
The English word coping means “handling” or “dealing with or managing”. It is typically used to describe managing very unpleasant things such as traumas or deaths among loved ones. For example, one might distract oneself from or drown out uncomfortable feelings, problems, or whatever it may be – that is coping.
Many psychologists and psychotherapists place significant emphasis on coping> and coping strategies, assisting their clients or patients in developing such strategies. For these helpers, the focus is primarily on finding ways for their patient or client to function (almost) “normally” in their daily life.
This type of psychotherapy can be termed “supportive” and is also known as supportive psychotherapy.
Other practitioners or ‘helpers’ do not consider coping to be a real solution and believe it is only useful in the very short term – as a purely temporary solution. They find it more useful to seek out fundamental solutions so that there is no longer a need for coping afterward.
So when seeking help for your psyche, emotions, problems, decisions, and your life in general, this is a factor you may want to consider: Am I aiming for a purely temporary solution or a more permanent one?
Our Type of Psychotherapy: Guidance of Consciousness Focuses Almost 100% on Fundamental Solutions
As psychotherapists (consciousness guides), we clearly fall into the category of ‘helpers’ who view coping as useful BUT entirely temporary, something to move away from as quickly as possible. In fact, coping mechanisms are one of the things we aim to dismantle or transcend directly:
We find it acceptable to use a coping strategy for a very short period, but thereafter, our focus is 100% on resolving the challenge at a fundamental level – this will always be our priority.
(And as long as the person we help has or can find the will, we always achieve this goal).
The idea that a person must appear “normal” and, for instance, meet the norms and expectations of family or society regarding anything (such as identity, worldview, work, relationships, etc.), is not something we value highly. We believe that individuals – like you – and your family and society at large, benefit more from discovering who you truly are and how you can authentically live and fulfill your highest potential.
We find that the ego is often (mis)used as a defense and coping mechanism. Therefore, we aim to assist our customers in transcending the use of the ego for these purposes. It is important to emphasize that we do not view the ego as something to fight against; on the contrary, we believe the ego should be integrated into the whole and find its rightful place as what we call the “little helper”. The ego can assist us in many ways, but it should not dictate or control; that role belongs to you!
The Old Reductionist, Physical-Mechanical Paradigm or the New Holistic, Consciousness-Focused Paradigm
The last characteristic we find worth mentioning about different types of psychotherapy is the therapeutic theory’s and method’s understanding of human beings, life, and everything. The simplest way to describe the difference is through these two options, which we provocatively will call:
• The old, limited outlook on human nature and worldview / paradigm: physical-mechanical
• The new, expanded outlook on human nature and worldview / paradigm: consciousness and holistic-focused
An old, limited outlook on human nature, worldview, and paradigm is one where the starting point is that humans primarily consist of a body and an ego (“the skin encapsulated ego”), and where the worldview and paradigm are reductionist and physical-mechanical. (Reductionism involves splitting things into parts and describing or grouping them).
For instance, it is on this basis that doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists in Denmark are educated: the body and mind are assumed to be physical-mechanical (like machines), and everything is seen as consisting in parts only. Psychiatry and traditional psychology, including psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy, thus have a background that currently relies on (and is deeply invested in) the old, limited view of human nature, worldview, and paradigm. There is ongoing development, but it is progressing very slowly.
A new, expanded outlook on human nature, worldview, and paradigm includes the body and ego in its understanding of human nature, but considers the whole (the entire human being) to be greater than the sum of its parts, and also incorporates larger, spiritual, or transpersonal aspects (such as the “soul”).
This worldview and paradigm are based on wholeness, consciousness, and quantum physics. This enables the paradigm to more accurately explain many things that the old paradigm cannot explain (such as consciousness, quantum physics, spiritual enlightenment, spontaneous healing, healing, etc.).
Examples:
The internationally recognized, yet almost unknown in Denmark, positive psychotherapy seems to straddle the line between the old and the new paradigms.
Psychosynthesis is an early form of psychotherapy based on the new, expanded view of human nature, worldview, and paradigm.
Transpersonal psychotherapy, integral psychotherapy, and guidance of consciousness are explicitly grounded in the new, expanded view of human nature, worldview, and paradigm.
Our Type of Psychotherapy: Guidance of Consciousness’ View of Human Nature, Worldview, and Paradigm Belongs to the New Holistic and Consciousness-Focused Paradigm
It’s already been “revealed”, both in the last section above and in the title of this section, which category guidance of consciousness belongs to: The new one.
There are two primary reasons for this choice: The first is that our personal experiences of reality are best described by the new, expanded paradigm. In other words, we find the “new” view of everything to be more precise, more accurate, more in line with that-which-is (the truth).
The second reason is just as pragmatic: The ‘new’ paradigm works better than the ‘old’ one. Simply put, we get much better results by using it. Better results = happier, more functional customers.
Our personal experience is that understanding (knowledge and theories), techniques, and methods based on the new paradigm are (far) more effective than those based on the old.
To give a completely fictional and extreme example: Let’s assume that a person has a number of traumas, phobias, bad habits, and a desire for a better inner and outer life. He / she might:
1) Spend several years in classical psychoanalysis and certain types of psychodynamic psychotherapy
2) Spend a couple of years in other types of psychotherapy
3) Spend even less time in integral psychotherapy, transpersonal psychotherapy, guidance of consciousness, and possibly psychosynthesis
4) Spend the least amount of time on what lies on the more extreme end: There is probably nothing faster or more effective than professionally conducted high-dose psychedelic psychotherapy (which involves plants / substances that are for the most part not currently allowed in Denmark).
Again, this is fictional and extreme, and not at all precise, but it gives an indication of a trend we believe we have observed: In psychotherapy, a broader view of humanity and life simply works better than a limited one.
Psychotherapy IS a Jungle
– We Hope We Have Been Able to Guide You Well Through It
Psychotherapy IS a jungle. Hopefully, this long article has helped you get a better overview of the field – and perhaps made it a little easier to choose if you are looking for help.
Warm regards,
Birgitte and Soren
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