Psychotherapy

Depression

2009-11-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

Often it happens that clients come to us with a single request, and in the course of therapy turns out completely different. For example, depression. It also can be in different types: explicit, latent (hidden) - the most dangerous, when a person does not even suspect its existence. And she manages it, dictates how to live. Someone once said that depression - is a consequence of imperfect love. So it is, because depressive personality - is the result of neglect in childhood from parents, this lack of love. But the main thing - this feeling of loss or inaccessibility of what happened and the lack of acceptance of this. For example, a woman with age loses its beauty and power, and if she will not accept it, then fall into a deep depression throughout his life.
Working with such clients a therapist must understand what for the client needs his depression? What does it give him? Client can not be praised - it is very sensitive to others and dependent on their environment.
Depressive clients deny all the good in themselves, deny their right to exist, a negative image of themselves as overcritical of yourself. In relations with others depend on the requirements of others, they have no boundaries, there is a feeling that nobody understands, hence there is loneliness. It is a vicious circle.

Manifestations of depression:

mood - sadness, depressed mood, a feeling of apathy;
inhibition of thought;
motor retardation;
physical manifestations - insomnia at night and daytime sleepiness, increased or decreased appetite, body pains, stress, changes in vital tone.

Factors:

loss;
guilt;
потребность повернуть время вспять; need to turn back the time;
self-agression;
low self-esteem.

Actually therapy:

Therapy begins with the moment of arrival (after all, it is important to start something for themselves). First is the realization of his depression, and that the cause of suffering lies in the client, not the entire world around to blame. At this stage it is important to live together with the client of his feelings and depressive feelings. New and future are frightening. It may take as many as apply it to the client, then it is necessary to talk about the symptoms of the client in the context of his experiences. Resize these experiences (again together). And only after that could be approached to discuss the symptom with regard past experience, the significance of symptoms in his life (remember at the beginning of the question we set ourselves at the beginning of treatment - for what his client needs a symptom). And here is to sum up the client to his future - what next? And after all this can be approached for completion of therapy. But very carefully, because may occur anger, rage, may worsen symptoms. For the least painful goodbyes can together work out the ritual of completing.

A good psychologist and a bad psychologist or what is an ideal therapy

2009-11-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Everyone who comes to therapy, regardless of its direction, the client's request, the individual therapist, certainly expects a positive results. Naturally, everyone expects the same a therapist. And this is definitely a big plus for the process of therapy, which determines the expected result. It is important to pay attention to the process of therapy. The classic version of the process is divided into three phases: diagnostic (finding the client's request, the identification of hidden motives, the choice of method of therapy, etc.) directly to therapy and the end of therapy. But do not forget that successful therapy can also consist of one meeting. Therefore, each client brings their individuality in the process of therapy and influence its outcome.

So what is the ideal therapy? What are the criteria? In any case, the criteria for ideal (or success) for the client and the therapist are often different. One client comes with a desire to give up his responsibility in the capable hands of the therapist for his own safety, ask for the pill of happiness or a solution to his problems, but "do not touch me", or build their own rules, familiar in the real world and etc. But in reality, the process of therapy is based on the relationship between two people (the client-therapist), where liability is 50x50; client is ready to work, rather, to explore the problem, despite the possibility of painful experiences, because therapy is not always easy and enjoyable pastime.

Since the therapist can also select multiple criteria for success (ideal) therapy. To end the therapy can, for example, when the therapist sees that the client may decide similar or new problem situations, or, by the way, if you can not help.

But the most important of all the criteria - is no 100% certainty that the therapy is successful when there is no unequivocal confidence in the therapy.

Sand therapy with children

2009-11-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

Sandplay with children begins with the game.

Child can be offered: "Let's play in the smooth sand." Playing with sand is characterized by several parameters.

    1. Capturing the game: 1-1,5 years. The game allows you to delve into themselves. Subjects in this age - it is the images that are associated with close friends. At this age, yet there is no concept of time, so it should be structured by parents. If a child learns to master the space (through the emotional experience), he learns to master the time. It is important to consider such a thing as "linear time" - an event can be emotionally charged (for example, dreams, feeding, walking). And in this regard, the child can say this: "It is time for a walk" (instead of "Let's go for a walk"). And if you walked and the child began to cry - "It's time to sleep." Thus, the child will learn to perceive time.
    2. The playing space - it is always the internal space. A child gathers objects and phenomena from real world, placing them in the game, and then in the inner world. And in the game all the dreams are realized! Adults can play their children as dolls (I did not become a dancer, so my daughter will need it). Children do play with themselves.
    3. Culture Games - a culture built on the principle that, as children play with themselves. It is important that the rules of the game coincided with his inner world.
    4. The game involves trust. Confidence in the game means: 1) the fear game. 2) the loss of his "I". As adults, this manifests itself in sports (especially professional). On the one hand - sports coach of our psyche, and on the other - if only the physical development takes place, with growing alarm. And when this feeling is too great, people are throwing sports.

Subjects working in sand therapy

2009-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

In Sand therapy work with clients based in the structure of a particular theme (or themes):

1. Nature Theme
2. Animals
3. Man
4. Product rights, work
5. Religion
6. Mythical
7. Abstract
8. Individual spontaneous

In accordance with these themes it is important to work with the client to consider such principles study of topics:

1. Confrontation - the principle of combating anxiety. Often, clients are running away from a confrontation with a variety of psychological defenses, there are customers who are angry - neurotic personality.

2. Transformation - the actual elaboration of the problem

3. Feeding - the ability to share both good and bad. The challenge is to learn to feed themselves well, so sometimes the therapist should be in the role of mother.

4. Reconciliation - the adoption of what can no longer change. It is important the process of experiencing loss (for example). There are clients who can not wait (frustration). They are characterized by the principle of expectations, which can be divided into a) wait b) reconciliation c) uncertainty. It is in a situation of uncertainty people in a state of frustration often provoke a situation that is causing the aggression (especially adolescents). Can be constantly in a state of uncertainty, which ultimately can lead to dystonia. For example, a client apparently shows one situation, and he - the spontaneity, this is his desire to confront with others. In fact, he is not trying on with himself, with his I-ideal.

5. The principle of the magic liquid - remember in the fairy tales used live and dead water (transformation). When cry for the dead - is a desire to revive it. Sometimes - it is the desire to regenerate something. An interesting theory proposed Melanie Klein on breast milk. Mothers can love and hate her child at a time (in the subconscious), which may be expressed outwardly in the coarseness and cruelty to a child. She also believes that alcoholics, drug addicts, schizophrenics - are people fed "poisoned" milk.

6. The principle of exhaustion and murder - when a client has itself can cope with difficult situations, to work, anyway, the therapist has to hold it, while also giving support. When there is no problem, but fears remain, we are talking about phantom fear - fear of the future. Then we have to use his future.

Toys in the sandbox

2009-11-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Subjects in the sandbox:

    1. People
    2. Terrestrial animals (feelings, instincts)
    3. Birds and animals that can fly (feelings)
    4. Water residents + shells (emotions)
    5. Building fences + people, churches, prisons, furniture, equipment (protection)
    6. Plants (vital energy)
    7. Dishes and products (knowledge, information)
    8. Objects of outer space (the authority, faith)
    9. Transportation (movement)
   10. Objects of the Human Environment: bridges, gates, arches, signs, scales, tools, musical instruments, religious instruments, mirrors, candles, matches, women's accessories, thread, pugvitsy, pieces of cloth and leather, jewelry, money, keys and door locks, minerals, feathers, bones, glass, coal (all of this - human resources).

In addition, it is important to take into account the material from which made objects. For example, plastic - modern, stylish, a desire to impress others; ceramics - is close to the stone: spent femininity, sometimes fear and doubt

Sandplay in work

2009-11-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

In working with Sand therapy is important to consider several points.
First, the timeline in the psyche. It is divided on the sensations in:

Past: Zone obsolete, the zone of regret, remorse zone.

Present: the rise, plateau, slope;

Future: near (the zone of expectations and activities), medium (up to 5 years, hope), remote (up to 15 years, the zone of "prayer").

In the depressed state plan to several months in advance.

Secondly, the size of the sandbox. At present, there are two parameter dimensions: European and American. Height = 7cm, width = 49.5 cm, length = 72,5 cm (Kalf, the European model) and height = 7cm, width = 52cm, length = 75cm (Levinfeyt, the American model).
Dimensions sandbox for a long time had been studied experimentally, it was proved that a certain angle helps to speed up the process of therapy.

Thirdly, the scheme (map) sandbox. It is divided into 9 squares (in the form of a matrix), where the top number - of fantasy, middle - the emotions, and the bottom - action. Accordingly, the left column - the past, the average - now, right - the future. Central square - the central problem of the client.

In the process of therapy can observe the dynamics of the client's problems in a clockwise direction. More important to consider the angles in the sandbox: Left - Women's, Right - male.

And also keep in mind: to not built on sand client, always thinking about someone sent to the object (figure), and for whom the client does.

Communication in adolescents

2009-11-01T23:38:00.000-08:00

In analysing many developmental variations in adolescents it was realised that the principal novel formation in early adolescence - the feeling of personal aduthood as well as the feeling of social adulthood is due to:

A different, adult-like pattern of the adolescent's relationships with grow-adolescents.
The changing of comradeship into a sphere of special subjective significance.
The information of a new type of activity, aimed toward another person, a friend.

Adulthood and the feeling of adulthood in adolescents take shape in the context of their relationships with the people around them, based on the adult-like communication pattern, in the course of and due to the adoption of certain moral requirements, standarts and rules of behaviour attributable to adult conduct. The adolescent is prepared to adopt the adult morality and to reject that of children, which was previously characteristic for him. Conflicts in adolescent's relationships with grown-ups are a manifestation of both a destructive process in the adolescent's earlier pattern based of communication and the formation of a new pattern based on his relative equality in certain spheres of life.

The process of the development of personality and adulthood in adolescence can be guided on the principle that moral responsibilities, standarts and ideals do not take the form of very general requirements of the adolescent's behaviour, but form instead the foundation for his relationships with grown-ups and fellow-adolescents.

Sandplay is a therapy of love

2009-11-01T23:16:00.001-08:00

'Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain'

Carl Jung

A man in a sandplay is a creator of his world. When you put your hand down the sand you can look into your internal world. And when you create a picture on sand, you line up your life.

Sand therapy – one of the most interesting psychoanalytic methods quickly proved its effectiveness in work with children and adults, pregnant women. In addition, Sandplay works with psychosomatic disorders in individual or group forms.

What happens in the sand therapy?

The client comes to therapy room and talking about his situation. He can come for personal growth, due to depression or other emotional problems, or just get a new experience in this field.

In therapeutic room you can see a lot of shelves with lots of figures and two miniature sandbox: one box with wet sand, and another one with the dry.

After a short conversation with the therapist, the client goes to the shelves, selects a few figures and creates a picture in the sand. Sometimes the client may use only sand without toys. There are no rules and guidance. You can do whatever you want.

The basic idea of sand therapy is that the client can express more clearly in symbolic form what is really going on in his unconscious. The more the client will allow himself to "play in the sandbox", relax and feel at least free, the better.

Therapist also can take some photos of created pictures for better understanding the internal world of client. Therapist looks at photos from time to time to see the psychotherapy process dynamics

The process of psychotherapy is usually built at the once a week meetings as long as the client felt that therapy may already be completed. Sometimes clients, who successfully completed the therapy, decide to continue it on for personal growth and experience.

Sand therapy, like any other method of therapy, deals with organizational matters. In the Bonn model therapy consists of 10-20 sessions (meetings) lasting 50 minutes for adults and 30 minutes for children.

The main method of «story» in Sand Therapy of their problems for the client becomes symbols (toys). Symbolic level is the boundary between the conscious and the unconscious.