Janis, thank you very much for the nice compliments!  :) Much appreciated.
:) I'm glad you found my posts informative.

I re-read them again, and realized it sounded like I don't believe in the
use of "techniques" (such as the banging on pillows, or "directing anger
towards parents" that is done in "Primal Therapy"). I want to add that I
think a "bag of tricks"
of techniques can be a useful thing.  I've used whatever I can think of
that
I guess might help a particular person at the time, including Guided
Imagery, visualization, reversal-of-roles, music and dance therapy, talking
with God, fantasy story-telling, prayer, telling one's life story, banging
on pillows, just anything and everything I can think of or make up at the
time, until
I find something that works.

What I think is critical, is not having ANY preconceived, rigid "formulas"
(Primal Therapy, or any other) to use with this particular client at this
particular moment in his or her life. It sure would be EASIER if I didn't
have to THINK so darn much of the time :),  and could use the same
"formula" over and over with great
success with every single person. However, fortunately or unfortunately,
people
are far more complex than that. And so, I first have to try 7 things that
don't work, watching carefully for all the feedback, before I finally find
the approach that does work, with this person, on this particular day.

Sometimes I have to be pushy and very directive ("tough love"). Sometimes I
have to be completely silent and give vast amounts of space and relaxed
patience (I used to see one young man who was raised on a secluded farm in
the back-country, and until he left home as a young adult never had much
contact at all with any people but his parents.  He needed me to just
sit quietly and peacefully with him, and allow him lots of space, and
silence, to
be able to find himself, his thoughts and his voice).

Some people need to be reminded how beautiful life is and how much good
there is, and it brings a tear to their eye. They forget about the beauty
and sweetness of life.

And then there are other people that need to be reminded of the opposite -
that all is not just "pretty flowers" and "lah-lah land" but that reality
includes much
ugliness and suffering and filth and evil. (For some people it is a great
relief to be able to see reality instead of the deceptive illusions they
were brought up in).

Anyway, my point is that everyone is different, and needs different
approaches. We each have our own path.

Love, Liza


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[log in to unmask] (Liza May)