Process Teachings
For the PSEN US & Europe Training Programs
Having Access To Our Interior Spaces
Learning how to enter, deepen and navigate our own internal processes allows us as practitioners to understand the interior lives of others, and makes us better able to accompany them as they move through their own increasingly subtle and complex depths.
PSEN PROCESS TEACHINGS support the ongoing learning of the practitioner by building their processing ‘tools’ and skills.
This helps PSEN practitioners to deepen their awareness, to appreciate and better understand the underlying and dynamic processes taking place in our interior lives.
GETTING UNDER THE SURFACE CONTENT OF VERBAL LANGUAGE TO THE UNDERLYING 'PROCESS'
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR WHAT HAS BEEN UNCONSCIOUS TO EMERGE INTO AWARENESS
LETTING GO OF PROBLEM SOLVING & ''FIXING" MODES. ACCOMPANIES THE OTHER AS AN 'ACTIVE WITNESS'.
DEVELOPS THE CAPACITY TO INITIALLY TOLERATE THE 'NOT YET KNOWN', AND THEN GRADUALLY EMBRACES IT.
MOVING BEYOND LINEAR, MENTAL THINKING & ORIENTING TO POSSIBILITY, PARADOX & COMPLEXITY
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“Becoming an embodied and mindful presence.”
The aliveness of the practitioner influences the atmosphere of the client’s body and mind, as well as the unfolding process between them.
PSEN PROCESS TEACHINGS
PsychoEnergetic Process Teachings offer fundamental ways of understanding how deeper psychological and emotional processes come alive and move though us. They provide us with useful lenses through which we can hold our attention on another’s interior space, and also to support its unfolding movement and lived experience.
CONTAINMENT
THIS INVOLVES LEARNING HOW TO PROVIDE ‘A HOLDING CONTAINER’ FOR ANOTHER’S INTERIOR WORLD, IN THE WAY A RIVERBED PROVIDES A CONTAINER FOR THE RIVER TO FLOW.
A ‘HOLDING CONTAINER’, IN PSEN WORK, IS BOTH AN PASSIVE AND ACTIVE POSTURE. IT REQUIRES THE PRACTITIONER TO HAVE A FELT SENSE OF BEING EMBODIED AND AWARE OF THEIR OWN CONTAINED MIND, AS THEY ATTUNE TO THE BODY AND MIND OF THE CLIENT.
The Holding Container As A Psychological Function
SPACIOUSNESS
DEEPENING REQUIRES TIME, SPACE & PATIENCE. THE PRACTITIONER LEARNS TO MAKE ROOM FOR SOMETHING TO COME TO THE SURFACE, TO BE NAMED OR EXPRESSED – ESPECIALLY THOSE THINGS WHICH WOULD NOT TYPICALLY COME FORWARD, WITHOUT THE NECESSARY WAITING AND WITNESSING.
THE PRACTITIONER WORKS TO MAKE THIS SENSE OF SPACE POSSIBLE. HE OR SHE DOES NOT ALLOW THEMSELVES OR THE CLIENT TO FILL SPACE WITH TOO MANY WORDS OR THOUGHTS. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SKILL TO BE CULTIVATED FOR PROCESS FACILITATION.
BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS
THE ABILITY TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN BOUNDARIES, AND TO SET AND HONOR LIMITS, ARE ASPECTS OF A FUNCTIONING ‘HOLDING CONTAINER’. THEY ARE FUNDAMENTAL IN CREATING SAFETY FOR BOTH THE CLIENT AND THE PRACTITIONER.
AT TIMES, IT WILL ALSO ELICIT AN IMPORTANT DISAPPOINTMENT AND SENSE OF REJECTION FROM CLIENTS. YET WITHOUT PROPER LIMITS, NOTHING CAN REALISTICALLY GROW OR UNFOLD.
SLOWING DOWN
THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL SKILL FOR DEPTH WORK. WE MUST CONSTANTLY FIRST SLOW OURSELVES DOWN, AND THEN SLOW OUR CLIENTS DOWN, SO THAT WHAT IS THERE IN OUR DEPTHS CAN BEGIN TO FINALLY SURFACE.
THERE WILL BE AN INEVITABLE RESISTANCE TO THIS PROCESS. THIS RESISTANCE IS TO BE EXPECTED, AND IT IS BE WORKED WITH.
PRACTITIONERS, THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ENTRAINMENT, CAN SLOW THEIR CLIENTS DOWN WITH PATIENCE AND GRACE.
PARADOXICALLY, BY SLOWING THINGS DOWN IN A SESSION, IT ALLOWS FOR THINGS TO BEGIN MOVE MORE QUICKLY, IN THE END.
ATTUNEMENT
THIS IS THE PRACTICE OF BEING WITH ANOTHER RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE, WITHOUT NEEDING TO FIX, RESCUE, OR OTHERWISE DIRECT A CLIENT AWAY FROM PLACES OF DISCOMFORT WITHIN THE SELF. THE ABILITY TO ACCOMPANY ANOTHER RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE PERMEATES A PERVASIVE SENSE OF ALONENESS OR BADNESS IN THE CLIENT.
ATTUNEMENT IS A PART OF PROVIDING FUNDAMENTAL SUPPORT FOR CLIENTS, ALLOWING THEM TO FEEL MORE SEEN, MET, AND UNDERSTOOD BY US.
DIFFERENTIATION
THIS IS A IMPORTANT BALANCING FUNCTION TO ATTUNEMENT. IT IS ABILITY TO HOLD OUR OWN MINDS AS SEPARATE FROM THE MIND OF OUR CLIENT. WE HOLD A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, POINT OF VIEW, OR LEVEL OF AWARENESS FROM THAT WHICH THE CLIENT HAS.
THIS DIFFERENTNESS IS ALSO A CRITICAL FUNCTION IN ITSELF, AS IT CAN ALLOW FOR NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR CHANGE.
DIFFERENTIATION IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE OUR CLIENTS WITH USEFUL CHALLENGES TO GROW BEYOND THEIR PRESENT POSITION IN LIFE, AND BEYOND COMFORT LEVELS THAT CAN GRADUALLY BECOME DEADENING OR STIFLING.
TRACKING PROCESS VS CONTENT
THIS IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT PRACTITIONER SKILL THAT REQUIRES DIFFERENTIATION. IN ORDER NOT NOT GET TOO CLOSE TO THE CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE, WHICH OFTEN LEADS TO SAMENESS AND STUCK-NESS, ONE LEARNS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS HAPPENING BEYOND THE LITERAL CONTENT OF THEIR WORDS.
THE PROCESS IS ABOUT EVERYTHING HAPPENING THAT IS UNFOLDING IN THE CLIENT, AND BETWEEN THE CLIENT AND THE PRACTITIONER.
THE PRACTITION BECOMES CURIOUS AND ATTENTIVE TO WHAT IS BEYOND THE CLIENT’S WORDS, AND TO WHAT IS NOT SPOKEN, AND NOT HAPPENING, AS WELL.
SUSPENDING JUDGMENT
MUCH OF WHAT INTERRUPTS A PERSON’S DEEPENING OR OPENING IS THE FEAR OR EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT, FROM SELF OR OTHER. THE ACTIVE PRACTICE OF SETTING ASIDE THIS IMPULSE, RATHER THAN TRYING TO MAKE IT GO AWAY, ALLOWS FOR A MORE VULNERABLE ASPECT OF SELF TO EMERGE.
MAKING PROCESS OBSERVATIONS
THIS IS ANOTHER WAY OF HOLDING A CLIENT TO BEING RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE. MAKING AN OBSERVATION ABOUT THEIR PROCESS DOES NOT REQUIRE A RESPONSE FROM THE CLIENT, BUT INSTEAD ALLOWS FOR A NEW ORIENTATION TO TAKE PLACE WITHIN THEM, IN A WAY THAT COULD NOT HAPPEN FOR THE CLIENT ON THEIR OWN.
PRACTITIONERS ACTIVELY THINK ABOUT THEIR CLIENT’S UNFOLDING PROCESS, BOTH DURING THE SESSION AND AFTERWARDS.
THEY LEARN TO NAME THE PROCESSES THEY EXPERIENCE, AS THEY ARE HAPPENING.
THE ABILITY TO FORM AND OFFER OBSERVATIONS HELPS REDUCE THE PRACTITIONER’S TENDENCY TO HOLD JUDGMENTS ABOUT THE CLIENT IN THEIR MIND. IT ALSO HELPS TO DEEPEN INSIGHT FOR THE CLIENT BY ALLOWING THEM TO LOOK AT THEMSELVES FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW.
WITH EXPERIENCE, PRACTITIONERS LEARN TO DISCRIMINATE WHEN TO HOLD BACK A PROCESS OBSERVATION AND WAIT TO SPEAK IT, AND WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT TO OFFER IT.
USING QUESTIONS AS INQUIRIES
A GOOD QUESTION DOES NOT LEAD TO AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER, AS THIS FORECLOSES A PROCESS. AN INQUIRY BORN OUT OF GENUINE INTEREST AND CURIOSITY, CREATES AN OPENING THAT LEADS TO AN EXPLORATION, OR A ‘QUEST’, TOWARDS SOMETHING ‘AS-YET-UNKNOWN’.
KEEPING THE TROUBLE IN THE ROOM
PROVIDES BOTH THE CLIENT AND THE PRACTITIONER A SENSE OF IMMEDIACY, WHICH HAS A QUALITY OF ALIVENESS TO IT, AND WHICH CAN ALSO BUILD A SENSE OF MOMENTUM IN PROCESS SESSIONS. REAL CHANGE CAN ONLY HAPPEN IN THE MOMENT WHERE BOTH THE PRACTITIONER AND CLIENT ARE THERE TO OBSERVE IT TAKING PLACE.
PUSHING FOR SPECIFICITY
IN ADDITION TO STAYING ON THE SURFACE, CLIENTS HAVE A TENDENCY TO SPEAK ABOUT THEMSELVES IN VAGUE AND GENERALIZED WAYS. THEY OFTEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE REFERRING TO, BUT DON’T REALIZE THE OTHER CANNOT DO THE SAME. A CONSISTENT INTERVENTION NEEDED TO TO REQUIRE THE CLIENT TO SPEAK CONCRETELY ABOUT THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES, VS TALKING GENERALLY ABOUT ABSTRACT KNOWLEDGE.
TRACKING PECULIARITIES
ONE OF THE MORE INTERESTING PROCESSES TO EMERGE IN DEPTH WORK IS THE PRACTITIONER’S ABILITY TO NOTICE SMALL OR SUBTLE IDIOSYNCRASIES, THOSE UNIQUELY DEFINING FEATURES THAT GRAB OUR ATTENTION, BUT ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CLIENT’S OWN AWARENESS. WE PRACTICE BRINGING THESE FORWARD FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION, AND NOT FOR CORRECTION.
BECOMING A USEFUL DISTURBING FORCE
THE ACTIVE INTEREST AND ALIVENESS OF THE PRACTITIONER, DIFFERENTIATED FROM THE CLIENT, IS KEY TO INITIATING NEW ENCOUNTERS AND POSSIBILITIES THAT INEVITABLY DISTURB THE SAMENESS OF THE CLIENT”S CHRONIC HABITS AND WAYS OF BEING. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION THAT BOTH SUPPORTS AND CHALLENGES OUR CLIENTS TO CHANGE AND GROW.