personal resonance - Peter F. Schmid

Dave MearnsPeter F. Schmid________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________BEING-WITHAND BEING-COUNTERA person-centered viewon in-depth interactionin the therapeutic relationshipPCE 2006

Working at Relational Depthin Counselling and PsychotherapyMearns, D. & Cooper, M. 2005London, Sage.Mearns & Schmid 2

Dave MearnsPeter F. Schmid________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________BEING-WITHAND BEING-COUNTERA person-centered viewon in-depth interactionin the therapeutic relationshipPCE 2006

Souveränität und Engagement(Sovereignty and Commitment). Mainz, 1991.Autonomie und Solidarität(Autonomy and Solidarity). Köln, 1994.Die Kunst der Begegnung(The Art of Encounter). Paderborn, 1996.Im Anfang ist Gemeinschaft(In the Beginning there is Community). Stuttgart, 1998.Anspruch und Antwort(Demand and Response). Wien, 2002.Schmid, P. F.Mearns & Schmid 4

elationship .....Mearns & Schmid 5

BEING-WITH AND BEING-COUNTERA person-centered view on in-depthinteraction in the therapeutic relationshipI. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalizationII. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe clientMearns & Schmid 6

I. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalization• PCT – a co-created relationship therapy• More than the working alliance• Company and confrontationMearns & Schmid 7

II. The challenge of meeting the clientat relational depth• Challenges for the therapist• Criteria for working at relational depth• The developmental agenda for the therapistMearns & Schmid 8

I. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalization• PCT – a co-created relationship therapy• More than the working alliance• Company and confrontationMearns & Schmid 9

PCT – a co-created relationship therapy• PERSONautonomous & relational• ENCOUNTERthe Other• THOU-I-RELATIONSHIPintersubjective,co-creativefundamentally dialogicalMearns & Schmid 10

Bipolar model of psychotherapyD. Mearns: ‘working at relational depth’;1996; 1997; 1999; 2002a; 2002b; 2003; Mearns &Thorne, 2000; Mearns & Cooper, 2005.P. F. Schmid: ‘therapy as the art ofnot-knowing and the art of encounter’1989; 1991; 1994; 1998a; 1998b; 2002b; 2002c; 2002d;2002e; 2003; 2006.Mearns & Schmid 11

Bipolar model of psychotherapyW. Pfeiffer ‘relationship as the central effective factor in PCT’L. Holdstock ‘interdependent, not individuocentric nature of self’U. Binder ‘empathy versus cognitive social perspective taking’B. Thorne ‘intimacy’G. Barrett-Lennard ‘client-centered relational psychotherapy’A. Bohart ‘the client as active self healer’G. Prouty ‘pre-symbolic experiencing, contact & pre-therapy’M. Warner ‘contact & fragile and dissociated process’M. Cooper ‘relationally-orientated approach to therapy’M. Behr ‘interactive resonance’Mearns & Schmid 12

I. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalization• PCT – a co-created relationship therapy• More than the working alliance• Company and confrontationMearns & Schmid 13

More than the ‘working alliance’• The ‘presentational level’ of self• The level of existential self-experiencingMearns & Schmid 14

More than the ‘working alliance’‘SOBER DOMINIC’and‘DOMINIC THE DRUNK’Mearns & Schmid 15

More than the ‘working alliance’‘BOBBY’Mearns & Schmid 16

Relationship challenges for the therapistworking with Bobby• Not to be ‘put off’ by his well developed,self-protective, anti-relationshipmechanisms• Not to be frightened by Bobby• Relating at depth with both parts (fearand sadness) of his existential dialogueMearns & Schmid 17

I. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalization• PCT – a co-created relationship therapy• More than the working alliance• Company and confrontationMearns & Schmid 18

Company and confrontation• Being with the client.• Being counter the client.Mearns & Schmid 19

Company and confrontation• The therapist is not only an alter ego.• But truly another person.• The therapist is the Other for the client.Mearns & Schmid 20

Company and confrontationWhat are the criteriafor a person-centered confrontation?What does ‘counter’in the therapeutic en-countermean?Mearns & Schmid 21

Company and confrontationself awarenessexperiencing self resonance empathic resonance personal resonanceconcordantcomplementaryMearns & Schmid 22

self resonanceCl: Shall I love or hate him? I don’tknow, I am confused …Th (thinking of his own partner):Good question! You never know.Mearns & Schmid 23

Company and confrontationself awarenessexperiencing self resonance empathic resonance personal resonancebracket offor ‘build bridges‘Mearns & Schmid 24

Company and confrontationself awarenessexperiencing self resonance empathic resonance personal resonanceconcordantbracket offor ‘build bridges‘symbolizeMearns & Schmid 25

concordant empathic resonanceCl: Shall I love or hate him? I don’tknow, I am confused …Th (primarily sensing the client’sconfusion):There is mixed feelings in you.Part of you experiencesaffection, part of you dislike andthis is in you at one and thesame time.Mearns & Schmid 26

Company and confrontationself awarenessexperiencing self resonance empathic resonance personal resonanceconcordantcomplementarybracket offor ‘build bridges‘symbolizeconfrontMearns & Schmid 27

complementary empathic resonanceCl: Shall I love or hate him? I don’tknow, I am confused …Th (sensing primarily that the clientgradually has been growing tiredof the person he talks about):… or even forget about him?Mearns & Schmid 28

complementary empathic resonanceCl (hesitantly, tentatively):I feel somewhat sorry for him,poor guy …Th: You regret what happened, butyou also seem to think it serveshim right … ?Mearns & Schmid 29

Company and confrontationself awarenessexperiencing self resonance empathic resonance personal resonanceconcordantcomplementarybracket offor ‘build bridges‘symbolizeconfrontdialogueMearns & Schmid 31

personal resonanceCl: Shall I love or hate him? I don’tknow, I am confused …Th (personally touched by theclient’s bewilderment):… which makes me aware howmuch I truly hope you come tothe right decision this time.Mearns & Schmid 32

Rogers with ‚Mr. Vac‘personal resonanceTh: Do you want to see me next Tuesday ateleven?Cl: Don’t know.Th: ‘I just don’t know.’(Silence of 49 seconds)Th: Right at this point you just don’t know …whether you want to say ‘yes’ to that or not,huh? … I guess you feel so down and soawful that you just don’t know whether youcan … see that far ahead. Huh?(Silence of 1 minute 20 seconds)Th: I’m going to give you an appointment at thattime because I’d sure like to see you then.(Writing an appointment slip.)Mearns & Schmid 33

Mearns with ‚Dominic‘personal resonanceCl (avoiding to respond to a toughquestion, the client has askedhimself):Big question – maybe I need anothervodka before I can answer that.Th: Dom – be here – be here drunk –but don’t play fucking games with me.Neither I nor you deserve that.Cl (after a silence): You’re really seriousabout this, aren’t you?Mearns & Schmid 34

Company and confrontationself awarenessexperiencing self resonance empathic resonance personal resonanceconcordantcomplementarybracket offor ‘build bridges‘symbolizeconfrontdialogueMearns & Schmid 35

BEING-WITH AND BEING-COUNTERA person-centered view on in-depthinteraction in the therapeutic relationshipI. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalizationII. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe clientMearns & Schmid 36

II. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe client• Challenges for the therapist• Criteria for working at relational depth• The developmental agenda for thetherapistMearns & Schmid 37

II. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe client• Challenges for the therapist• Criteria for working at relational depth• The developmental agenda for thetherapistMearns & Schmid 38

Challenges for the therapist• Not to be relationally negated bythe self-protective processes of the client• Struggling to meet the different parts ofthe client that may have come topersonify different facets of the conflictand offer relational depth to allMearns & Schmid 39

Challenges for the pc therapist• Fragile process (Warner, 2000)• Dissociative process (Warner, 2000)Mearns & Schmid 40

Challenges for the pc therapistCLIENT’S CLIENT’S CLIENT’S‘PROBLEMS’ ‘PROCESSES’ ‘EXISTENTIAL‘PROCESS’Mearns & Schmid 41

Challenges for the pc therapist• Not to be relationally negated bythe self-protective processes of the client• Struggling to meet the different parts ofthe client that may have come topersonify different facets of the conflictand offer relational depth to allMearns & Schmid 42

Models for describing change dynamics• Rogers: Conflict between ‘the Self as it hasactualized to this point’ and the‘continuing promptings of theactualizing tendency’.• Festinger: ‘Dissonance’ model.Mearns & Schmid 43

II. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe client• Challenges for the therapist• Criteria for working at relational depth• The developmental agenda for thetherapistMearns & Schmid 44

What confrontation & dialogue are not Expert behavior Process direction Satisfaction of the therapist’s needs Diagnosis Blaming, insinuating Attacking resistance ‘Self disclosure’Mearns & Schmid 45

Criteria for working at relational depthThe overall criterion:The therapist is devoting their wholeawareness to the service of the Other.Mearns & Schmid 46

Criteria for working at relational depth Existentiality Freedom of choice Immediacy Relationship-centeredness Mutuality Openness to riskMearns & Schmid 47

Criteria for working at relational depth Spontaneity Addressing all parts of the Self Co-reflectiveness Quality Contextuality Awareness of powerMearns & Schmid 48

II. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe client• Challenges for the therapist• Criteria for working at relational depth• The developmental agenda for thetherapistMearns & Schmid 49

The developmental agenda for thetherapistBroadening the self that is available in thetherapy room – ‘configurations’.Turning self-experiences into ‘existentialtouchstones’.Mearns & Schmid 50

BEING-WITH AND BEING-COUNTERA person-centered view on in-depthinteraction in the therapeutic relationshipI. From presence to dialogue:Therapy as co-creative processof personalizationII. Relational depth:The challenge of fully meetingthe clientMearns & Schmid 51

Person-Centered andExperiential PsychotherapiesJournal of theWorld Association forPerson-Centered andExperiential Psychotherapy(WAPCEPC)