New Treatment Method Requires a Difference in Therapeutic Thinking

JULY 6, 2014

The method requires a difference in thinking – The Process Healing Method requires thinking at the level of brain processes, one level up from neurology. This approach assumes that active memories cause all behavior. Each memory has a unique memory structure created at the time it formed. Our autobiographical memory consists of unique linked memory structures. A memory can be as simple as a word, like ‘and,’ or as complex as a compartmentalized part that has amassed all memories of behavior experienced during a trauma. Emotion or thought intrusions have unique memories and can be treated directly.

Because of this, when you are dealing with a patient’s problem, you think about memory structures causing the problem. This may be awkward for many therapists.

Crucial definitions – The most difficult concepts with which therapists have to grapple in this model of personality are the definitions of dissociation, association, dormant memories, conscious and unconscious experience, and the subconscious. These are well-defined constructs used in treating your patient. First, think of this truism. Memories are either dormant or active. When active, they are either active in the conscious or active in the unconscious experiences. All inactive memories are dormant. I assume our behavior is a collage of memories assembled from active memories in the conscious and unconscious experiences. Dormant memories are not used in creating behavior. As we behave, memories move to dormancy or activity depending on the demands of internal and external stimulation and active memories. The creation process is a recursive process in which the last response is part of the next response. I assume this process is similar for all processes and activity in the brain and body.

These definitions are easy for patients to understand and using them helps simplify explaining dissociative processes, as I will explain later. Patients accept these concepts easily. A therapist reading the book has other definitions in mind. He or she will have problems understanding Process Healing unless they accept these definitions, at least, while reading the book.

Introducing the subconscious – The subconscious, as defined in Process Healing, is another source of confusion. Although the subconscious is out of awareness of the person and appears to be an unconscious process, the subconscious is not the unconscious or in the unconscious. The subconscious does not usually run the body. For the sake of simplicity, I assume the subconscious is a body-wide language system that starts shortly after conception and more or less becomes functional at birth. It is independent of the active memories and emotions that run the body. Our experience, like hurt and trauma, does not distort the function of the subconscious. It, therefore, usually has a clear “vision” of details about active memories and associated emotions. It can learn a treatment method and complex procedures using the treatment method. It serves as an ally in problem solving, treats the memory structure of any issues, and identifies barriers for treatment. It participates in a person’s creative activities. It can operate independently of the conscious mind.

It is easy to see that most therapists would have difficulty embracing this view of the subconscious. By using finger responses, I have been able to communicate with the subconscious with over 95% of my patients in session one. I don’t believe that hypnotizability is a factor with this method in communicating with the subconscious. I routinely resolve barriers for communication. While the subconscious responds to many metaphors, it is not the “inner-observer” as described by Hilgard and later research.

Memories run our brain and body activities – Memories run our behavior and the activity of all structures—like heart, other organs, and nerve groups—in the brain and body. Each structure has its own state-dependent memory that interrelates to all other relevant structures. This means that it is possible to discover—meaning problem-solve—a means to treat any maladaptive structure in the brain and body.

While not necessarily a truism, assuming that all issues are caused by memory structures, allows all issues to be subject to the use of problem-solving to search for a safe treatment strategy.

Problem-solving issues – Identifying the memory structure of a particular symptom and treating the memory structure that causes the symptom simplifies treatment. Symptoms are typically a belief, an emotion, a kinesthetic response, a dissociated memory, a compartmentalized part of the personality, or a maladaptive brain function.

This changes all symptoms into one symptom—the target symptom. This simplifies treatment, because all that remains is to identify the memory structure of the target symptom and then have the subconscious treat the symptom. When treatment doesn’t work, you simply problem-solve to find the barrier, treat the barrier, and then attempt to treat the symptom again. All symptoms can’t be treated in one session. Some symptoms have multiple unique memory structures. When memory structures remain dormant during a therapy session, they can be treated in a later session. The subconscious cannot “see” dormant memories.

The causes for amnesia clearly defined – Two different processes cause amnesia. 1. The dissociation process. This process operates like a part and is a normal process that changes active memories providing conscious experience to active memories in the unconscious experience. I believe the dissociation process is a normal process learned early in development for the purpose of removing unuseful active memories from conscious experience. This caused the conscious and unconscious experience (Minds). The dissociation process associates with the memory structure to cause it to be experienced in the unconscious. For example, some skills are dissociated memories that can look like parts but are simply over-learned behaviors. It follows that unconsciously repressed or consciously suppressed experience involves dissociation. 2. Compartmentalized parts. These are personality parts with unique structures created by extreme trauma and when there is no memory in the main personality to handle the situation (Read this twice.) Highly motivated memories triggered by the situation, flood the conscious experience and, when there is no remembered, organized response to handle the situation, the main personality become dormant. The situation caused relevant, motivated memories that ‘push’ the main personality dormant. The memories that cause the behavior during the trauma, create a new personality part, which amasses his or her memory of the trauma. This memory is not usually accessible by the Main Personality. It is a unique memory structure running the body that has executive function, and, therefore, is different from parts and memories caused by dissociation. Dissociative parts or memories that become conscious, are either skills or memories caused by repression or suppression (dissociation) of unwanted or painful memories that are stimulated to occur.

Amnesia handled in this way may conflict with most therapists’ beliefs about amnesia. However, these definitions simplify our thoughts about amnesia and assist in treatment by identifying the cause of an amnesic experience, which can then be addressed directly. The explanation and treatment an amnesic response fits the experience of the patients and helps to normalize intrusive thoughts and behaviors.

Rapport with all active parts is obtained in the first session – Dissociative or compartmentalized parts are often problematic during treatment. Getting rapport with all parts of the personality in the first 1 ½ hour session, before beginning treatment, mostly eliminates these problems. This treatment method is respectful of all parts of the personality from the onset of treatment.

This may be unbelievable to most therapists, however, this approach simplifies treatment, and, since all parts become convinced to want treatment and to integrate with the main personality, it is respectful to the personality and personality parts.

Treating without knowing the details of the trauma – The content—cause of trauma, the history of the part, and the function of the part in the personality—is largely ignored during treatment. There is a treatment leverage found to be most important to all parts. All parts want more happiness and less pain. Offering this as a goal or option overshadows concerns about content, function, and history, and often leads directly to treatment, namely, removing pain, strengthening the positive qualities in the part, and integrating the memory into the Main Personality. In treatment, all parts in rapport join a treatment team of members who want treatment and integration.

Working with the content of parts both strengthens the self-worth of the part and slows down therapy. This treatment method avoids that problem. In addition, the subconscious can treat the members of the treatment team, one after the other without the therapist’s intervention.

Redefining Integration – What I call integration is not traditional integration or joining of parts. I believe that the memory structures of the main personality and trauma parts are preserved in the integration process. After the pain of the trauma part is treated and the positive attributes are strengthened with positive emotions, the structures of the main personality and trauma part exchange memories, until they both have the same memories associated with them. Since our behavior is usually based on memories in the main personality, both the trauma part and the main personality can experience running the body at the same time without conflict. Parts and the patients both like this theory’s definition of integration. Because the pain is removed from the trauma part before integration, there is no limit to the number of parts or memory structures treated in one session. When integrated using this method, they have no memories with painful emotions and, therefore, the system needs no time to settle, while the parts manage negative memories.

Therapists trained to integrate parts by a process of sharing memories between them will find this approach unusual. Integrating without dealing with content simplifies treatment. Integrating any number of parts in this way is so simple and straightforward that it is hard for most therapists to believe. Young parts grow up fast. Protective behaviors are preserved.

The method is a cookie cutter; the patients are unique – It is said that a cookie cutter approach to treatment does not work with all patients. In this case, the treatment method is a cookie cutter, but the interventions for problematic syndromes or symptoms have to be individualized, because the patients are unique. This requires problem-solving to identify the specific memory structure of a symptom in each patient. While symptoms can be similar across all patients, they can be more or less complex and be represented differently within patients. This approach identifies the uniqueness of the symptom in the individual.

By individualizing the treatment approach with the Process Healing Method, success rate is higher and therapy progresses faster. Strategies learned with one patient can be used with later patients. However, there are issues that took me years to solve. Immediate, situational issues still have to be addressed in therapy.

Overlooked trauma habits – Symptoms also involve predispositions or habits that complicate treating the problematic issues. Predispositions, thought to be learned by age four, appear to affect our behavior to a varying extent. Most therapies do not directly address these predispositions. Treating predispositions both simplifies and accelerates therapy.

This is the basis of a novel intervention that therapists won’t appreciate unless they learn and practice the Process Healing Method. These are the subpersonalities described by Hal and Sidra Stone.

Thorough treatment of trauma – Life history with an early trauma results in many later memories sharing the early trauma emotions. This contributes to motivating later traumas or dysfunctional behavior. A simple intervention eliminates these replications of the initial trauma emotions. This results in a more thorough treatment of the original trauma.

This is a NLP intervention I call the “Massive Change History and everything at all levels of the physiology.” The “everything” includes other structures affected by the target trauma. This intervention is done after every treatment.

The subconscious can treat issues independently – Barriers that prevent the subconscious from treating independently from the main personality can be treated by the subconscious. Then the subconscious can treat any time, day or night. Patients are warned to not feel alarmed if they may feel the treatment processing occurring between treatment sessions.

Independent treatment by the subconscious is one of the more spectacular advantages of treating with the subconscious that may be hard for therapists to fully accept or anticipate. Therapy actually continues between sessions.

Working with the subconscious is efficient – The complexity of this approach is easily resolved. When working with one or more parts to treat or get on the treatment team, rather that run down the list of considerations about treatment, another intervention can be done. The parts can be asked to talk to the subconscious to get answers to all their considerations about treatment, so they can make an informed decision about receiving treatment. In most cases, after a brief period, the part or parts are willing to be treated or to join with the treatment team.

Treatment applied directly to the issue – Since unique memory structures underlie all compartmentalized parts, dissociative parts, trauma memories, and issues, treatment involves replacing painful emotions associated with the memory structures with neutral to positive emotions. Without motivation, the issues no longer occur. If negative beliefs are involved and were treated, the patient, therapist, or subconscious can compose a positive, self-empowering belief, and the subconscious can strengthen new belief until it is true.