Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy - Supplemental Materials

Chapters 11 & 12: Active Express ion Tasks: Two Chair Work for Conflict Splits; Empty Chair Work for Unfinished Interpersonal Issues

11.1. Case Example: Michael: Transcript of Successful Two Chair Work

 


 

See Chapter 6 Supplemental Material for background on this client and a summary of the session in which this example two chair work occurs.  The Two chair work emerges out of a Focusing task (Turns T12 to T28)

 

Michael’s description of the most helpful event in session 5: 

While role playing, I discovered that I was my own worst critic.  I never realized how much I put myself down.  I was part of what was holding me back. 

 

Focusing and Emergence of Split Marker:

T12: It’s comfortable, okay.  It feels comfortable.  I want you to ask yourself which of these things seems to be the main thing that’s bothering me about tomorrow?  Which is the most important one?  See what comes to you, don’t force it. 

C12: People thinking I’m bad.

T13: People thinking I’m bad.  So can you pull that out, take it out of the corner where you put it and imagine it sitting in the middle of that space.  (mm-hm) Okay.  You kind of look at it, sitting there and you can almost talk to it, right?  So can you sort of imagine asking it what are you about?  This fear of people thinking that I’m bad.  See what comes.

C13: Just that people think, I’m just bad, like worthless.

T14: Worthless.  So check that, see if that fits the sense, the feeling.  So it’s about being afraid of people thinking you’re worthless.  Does that fit?  Does that seem accurate, worthless?

C14: Nope.

T15:  That’s not quite right.  What fits better, it’s not quite worthless, the sense of badness that you’re afraid people see in you, it’s not quite worthless, it’s something else.  Ask it, what are you then? 

C15: That I can’t follow through, and I can’t do anything right.

T16: That you can’t follow through, you can’t do anything right.  Does that fit it?  Can’t follow through can’t do anything right.  Is that what the badness is about?

C16: It’s like, I’m incapable, that I can’t do anything for myself.

T17: That I can’t do anything for myself. Is that what it feels like?  Does that fit the sense of it?  Just can’t do anything for yourself.  Your looking for a feeling, kind of resonating, the feeling that that’s what it’s about, the fitting, or not.

C17: That I’m a screw-up.

T18: That I’m a screw-up.  A screw-up, does that fit it?  The sense of badness, a sense you feel, the sense of that thing about tomorrow.  I’m a screw-up. 

C18: Yeah.

T19: Yeah, that fits. That fits, what does that fit feel like?

C19: Feels wrong because I’m not…

T20: Like there’s another part of you that fights back and says "no, that’s not right".  Is that right?  (mm-hm)  Is that what happens inside?  Okay, there’s another part of you that says, "no I’m not a screw up, that’s not me".  Do you, why don’t we tell the part of you that says that’s wrong, that we’ll come back to it.  Can you tell it that you’ll come back to it?  (mm-hm)  It’s important we’ll come back to it.  (mm-hm)  And just for now let’s stay with the sense of being a screw-up.  What’s that like?  Can you kind of, focus in on the sense of being a screw up.  What’s that like?  What does that feel like?  Being a screw-up.

C20: Not good.  Like privately things, I’m not quite getting it right.

T21: Just trying and trying, and just never quite getting it right.  Is that what it feels like?  (mm-hm)  Mm-hm.  What else?  What else is that like for you?

C21: It’s almost like being beat down.

T22: Being beat down.  Sort of like what this sense of being a screw-up is like.  Being beat down, does that fit?

C22: It feels like going back to being like worthless, like  (uh-huh)  you just can’t..

T23: It circles around to worthless again.  Are you aware of any other feelings, as you stay with this sense of being screwed-up, beaten down, worthless?  Any emotions come with that?

C23: But if that’s what you see, then you’re not seeing me.

T24: Okay, the other part is there again, okay, okay.  So we’ve got, do you have a clearer sense about, maybe you can come out of it now, we can process a little bit.  A clearer sense of what you’re afraid of for tomorrow, is that,  (Yeah) or not.  

C24: I think I’m able to see what’s happening, and not actually, like what led up to it… 

T25: What the context, and how it all came about.  Is that right?  Does that fit what your afraid of for tomorrow?

C25:  Sort of like judging a book by its cover.

T26: Uh-huh.  And they’ll just see you as a screw-up or something and, and someone who just keeps messing up.  Is that right?  That’s what it’s about, what you fear what tomorrow is about?  (yeah)  Yeah. And how does that feel to see that, that’s what I’m…

C26: It’s almost like saying that that thing with my brother was like I’m not a screw-up but it’s, it’s…

T27: Uh-huh, like we did, yeah right.  You just want to speak out and say, "no, it’s not true".  I think we should go to that.  But before we do, I had this sense that when you said that about being a screw-up, I felt the sense of sadness or heaviness.  Is that just me or did you have that also with that?

C27: Yeah.  Sort of, like how they say, get back on the horse, and every time you get back on you fall off again (mm-hm) and, being made to get back on the horse almost.

T28: Being forced to keep getting back on the horse even though you’re going to fall off again, and that’s painful.  I guess.  Is that (mm-hm)  And the painfulness is about, being made to, or continuing to fall?

C28: Being made to.

T29a: Being made to, like people are kind of forcing you into this position where you’re going to mess up?  (yeah)  But that’s what it feels like.  All right.

 

Two Chair Work:

T29b:  Can you come over here and be the part that says no to that, yeah.  Whoops, I’m sorry, it’s my fault I should have… these microphones.  I’m going to get some better ones.  I haven’t yet, so. Okay.  So this is the part that kept coming up that wants to say "no, I’m not, I’m not a screw-up", tell him that.  Tell the other part.

C29: I’m not a screw-up.  I can…I can do it.  I’m not worthless.  I’m not a nobody.  There’s more to me than you know.  Just give me a chance.

T30: What does this part feel inside?  Can you talk from…

C30: I feel …angry.

T31: Angry, okay.  Tell the other part I’m angry, at what angry at that part, angry at…

C31: Yeah.  I, I feel…so mad that I get passed over and not looked at like I can’t do it.

T32: Like this part is kind of doing that to you, or, somehow, or, who, is it angry at those who pass you over, or the part that says "I’m a screw-up".

C32: The part that says "I’m a screw-up" (okay) it’s…I just think differently..

T33: Tell him that, I don’t see it that way.

C33: I think differently that’s all, I just see things from a different perspective. 

T34: So I’m not a screw-up. 

C34: I’m not.  What’s important to you might not be important to me.

T35: And I’m angry that you…

C35: And I’m angry that you just past judgment on me and think that I can’t do it.  I’ll just need another way of doing it.

T36: Can you come over and be the part that judges you.  This is the part that says you’re a screw-up.  It judges…

C36: How many times are you going to try before you realize that, that you just can’t do it? Just forget about it.  Crawl in a hole.

T37: Crawl in a hole, right.  How do you feel about, how does this part feel about that part?

C37: He’s dreaming.

T38: Tell him he’s dreaming, okay.  And you’re making this movement, can you do more of that while you, with your hand, your kind of, what are you doing?

C38: You’re dreaming

T39: You’re dreaming.  And what are you doing with him, what are you doing?  (Dismiss him)  Dismiss him.  So dismiss him.  Can you say " I dismiss you, you’re just a dream, or you’re just…

C39: Yeah, forget you, your just dreaming.  Big dreamer.

T40: Big dreamer.  Okay.  What happens when you do that?

C40:  It…

T41: Do you have a response to that?  Does it bring up something inside, or…

C41: Not really. 

T42: No, okay. 

C42: I just laugh at it.

T43: Okay, laugh at it.  Make fun of him.

C43: Just forget about it.  You’ve been trying for how long?  Just, just forget about it.

T44: Okay, this part  kind of looks down on him, or (yeah) or kind of dismisses him?  (yeah just) Go away, go.  Tell him, go away.  Just crawl into the hole.

C44: Go away.  Get in your hole.

T45: Change, can you change.  We might do a lot of this today, okay?  (okay) So what comes up on the inside when you hear that?

C45: I may be in a hole, but you can’t stop me from dreaming in my hole.

T46: I like my hole.  Yeah.  Is that right?  Tell him that.

C46: I like it, and I just sit and wait and one day I’ll shine.

T47: One day you’ll shine. Okay, tell him that?

C47: I’m going to shine, you can’t keep me in the hole forever.

T48: What’s this part feel as it says that?  What do you feel?

C48: Umm, strong. 

T49: Strong, okay.  Where do you feel the strength?  Where is this part that feels the strength in you?

C49: On the top of my heart.

T50: Okay, in your upper chest, in your heart.  Okay, you feel strong there.

C50: Yeah, strong.  It’s just.  I rage against you.  That’s, that’s , you can’t keep me down.

T51: Can you express some of that, raging against him?  Can you…

C51: Umm.  I just, you can laugh now, but I ‘m just laying in wait (just you wait) --

T52: You said rage, is that right?  This part feels rage.  Can you feel that right now?

C52: Just sort of like, you turn your back and I’m going to…

T53: Oh , okay, all right.  Can you do that?  Push him over, right.

C53: Push you over and walk all over you.

T54: Walk over, okay.  All right.  And how would that feel to do that?

C54: It would feel… I’d laugh at you.  I’d do it too.

T55: Oh, I see, okay.  This part laughs also, right?

C55: Yeah.  Except it’s more…actually I’m going to stomp up and down as I walk across you.

T56: Okay, okay.  That would be okay with me do you want to try walking on that part? Imagining walking on it, and stomping on it.  Okay, I mean (walk across) okay, good, okay.  Oh, grind it into the ground that’s great, okay, okay. Sit here and , this is the part that’s getting stomped on and getting ground into the ground. What does this part, what’s that like to…

C56: It’s…almost as (it’s almost the same thing) No.  It’s (no) it has a tiny voice now.

T57: Okay, what’s that say now, you’re small now, this part is small.  The part that was saying you’re a screw-up.  And what’s this tiny voice saying?

C57: It’s just saying you can wait, I’ll get over it also.

T58: Okay, you can’t defeat me that easily, you can stomp on me but I won’t, I’m still here.  Is that?

C58: Actually smaller, like, you can stomp on me but…

T59: Oh, okay, that’s good.  Like you can stomp on me, you can stomp on me…

C59: Sort  of, but it’s no more than a speck of dirt.

T60: So it’s like you little speck of dirt.  What does this part feel about that?

C60: It feels like, he just might do it. 

T61: That part just might…what?

C61: Get rid of the part that’s saying "You can’t do it".

T62: This part here just might die? (yeah) Just might disappear entirely? (yeah) And what does that feel like to this part?

C62: Actually it feels like…I knew you could do it.

T63: Oh, you mean you’re kind of proud of him?  (yep)  Oh, tell him that, tell him that.  I knew you could do it.

C63: I knew you could do it.  You had it in you all the time.  I was just there to make you go on.

T64: Does that fit?  Does that feel accurate?

C64: Yeah, it’s sort of like…. I was pushing for you but I didn’t want to tell you just out right.

T65: So this part’s a coach that tries to get him to stand up for --- to stand up for himself, and to (yeah sort of like) to be strong

C65: Yeah, sort of like trying to teach someone to swim by getting them into the pool

T66: Uh huh, is that what you do right, okay.  Trying to get a reaction from, be happy, get strong, (to stand up for it) Tell him that, I just want you to…

C66: I want you to swim, I want you to fly actually

T67: Uh huh, can you go and respond to that, what did you think?

C67: Why didn’t you tell me.

T68: How does that feel?

C68: It feels like…you sent me to make sense of this, and I couldn’t do it.  But all the time you wanted it to.

T69: That I believed you, or a part of, I mean I believed you when you said I couldn’t do it in a way.  Yeah, some would say.

C69: That nobody is by my side.  And so…

T70: What do you feel right now?

C70: It’s like you idiot (you idiot right) you should have just told him.  Tell me I could do it, and push me that way, instead of telling me I couldn’t do it. (change) I just wanted some reaction out of here, I needed you to try your hardest.  And so I thought yelling at you would make you stronger. 

T71: I thought if I told you to do it, you wouldn’t do it, you’d do the opposite, you’d…is that going to far, is that…

C71: Yeah, I thought if I told you to do it, you wouldn’t try as hard as you could.  You wouldn’t have any reason to try.  Because I was there holding you up instead of pushing you down.

T72: Does that fit?

C72: I wanted you to turn around and, fight for what you wanted. (change)  I tried to fight but you were stronger than me, you kept holding me down.  And each time I got angrier and angrier.  But I thought I couldn’t beat you, and then there were days I thought I could.  And it seemed like every time I thought I was doing it, you’d trip me.  (you’d what?)  You’d trip me. (trip me, okay)  So I took a back seat and waited.

T73: What do you want from this part now?  What does this part want from you?  Talk to him.  How could he help this part, how could he help this part in a way that feels right for this part?  Does that make sense?

C73: Either, how about you challenge me, rather (stomp on me) yeah, than push me down.  I’d rather that you….gave me a quest, if you will (inspire me) yeah, make me think, make me, but don’t tell me I can’t do it.

T74: Don’t tell me I can’t do it.  Going to change?  You can change whenever you like, I’m just making a guess as to when it might be useful.  This part says challenge me, I want a challenge, a quest.  Not to be, pushed down.

C74: I can do that.  I just want you to stand up.  (to stand up to) To stand up to what you’re like trying to see. (to be proud) Yeah, I want you to see how far your light can shine.

T75: How far.  Do you want to change? Do you, yeah, okay your going to stay there.  What are you experiencing right now?

C75: It’s sort of like, actually it’s hard to, to, it’s hard to break out of this.  Think about it and forcing you for so long.  I just think, you idiot, what are you trying for?

T76: Why does it take me doing this to you?

C76: Yeah, why can’t you just stand up.

T77: Is that part of an answer to that?  Okay, good.

C77: Because you never challenged me from the beginning.  You always just forced it on me tried to make me be what I wasn’t.  When I tried to be what I was you told me it was all wrong.

T78: Is this like another level of it or something, like another, these things are lighter is right.  These, call them splits.  Is that what it feels like that you’re going down to another level of it?

C78: Yeah, sort of.  You can challenge me for so long.  No excuse me, wrong word.(exactly the wrong word, yeah)  You’ve been yelling at me for so long, that I started to believe it myself.

T79: Do you want to change now?  Or whenever you’re ready.

C79: You just had to be tough the minute you left the gate.  I didn’t realize that I,  I had broke you down so far.  Because every once in a while you’d come and you’d fight back.  I thought you’d make it if you fell for one last trick, or the trick that I pulled before.

T80: What’s this part saying?  "I misjudged you, I", what?

C80: I, underestimated you.

T81: Underestimated.  So does this part see him as capable of doing more? (of lots more) Lots more, okay.  Tell him, "I now see you as capable of lots more."

C83: I’m sorry, I made a mistake, and I (T: Mm-hmm, Mm-hmm) know that you, can do more (.5)

T84: Mm-hmm.  How does this part feel about that part now?  How do you feel about him? (.5)

C84: Pain (3.5) Sad (.5)

T85: “Sad.” Tell him that: “I feel sa:d.” (1.0)

C85: I feel sad for the, (T: Mmm) for the (fraudulent) things I did (.5)

T86: Mm-hmm.  What, “I’m so:rry I-” (1.0)

C86: Yeah, I’m- (T: Mmm) I’m sorry (T: Mm-hmm) I didn’t look at you as (T: mm) (3.5) being ready. (4.0) Yeah (.5)

T87: Is that right?  That’s what it feels like.  Yeah (1.0) Yeah. This part feels sorry, it feels sa:d that (2.0)

C87: Mhh- Yeah. (T: /Mhm) Sort of-] (T: Mmm) Man, did I-, I- I screwed up.  (laughing gently:) I’m sorry.

T88: Can you come over and respond to that?  Does this part have a response to that?

C88: It’s a fine time to tell me now.

T89: Bugged? Is there a problem with that?  This part’s --- for all the shit that the other part’s putting it through (yeah this is mad)  You’re still mad, you’re not ready to forgive him.  You’re not ready to accept the apology. (no) That’s fine, that’s fine.  Tell him that, "I can’t forgive you yet"

C89: I can’t forgive anything you did, I’m just so mad at you. (okay) I’m just so mad.  I could rip your heart out.

T90: Your really furious at that part of you.  For putting you through all that shit.

C90: Yeah, you’re horrible.  You just (go ahead) you have no conscience.

T91: You really hurt me. (yeah)  Is that right?

C91: Yeah.  You almost broke me (almost broke me) but there’s just that little part of me that would let you get through.  Right now I just despise you.

T92: That’s the way you are, you despise him?  (I despise you)  Can you go over and be the….

C92: I know you despise me.

T93: How does that feel like to be despised, by him?

C93: Pretty bad.

T94: It feels pretty bad, all right.   Tell him that, it feels pretty bad. 

C94: I feel pretty bad for what I did, and I probably imagine I’d feel almost as bad when I would trip you up.  I really didn’t mean to.  And you can despise me but (that hurts to) that hurts.  I’ll try to help you now.  I’m really sorry.

T95: What do you feel?

C95: Just…just sad, 1. That I made a mistake and, 2. That….

T96: You made a mistake by being so hard on him, on yourself, all right.  And you’ve been really, really hard on yourself.  For what, a long time I guess?  (mm-hm)  Yeah, yeah. It feels bad doesn’t it to realize that, how hard you’ve been on yourself.

C96: Pretty much.  It’s hard to tell how much was coming from the outside or the inside.

T97: Understand, right.  So somehow, he, you were also getting a lot of shit from outside.  And it was almost like this part passed that along, or something.  Does that fit? (yeah)  Just passed the shit along that you were getting, along to him.

C97: The other thing is that, I never really realized I was being hard on myself.

T98: Yeah.  You didn’t even know you were doing it somehow.  (no)  Maybe tell him that, "I didn’t know how hard I was being on you.  Or is this speaking for a different part of you now?  (no, I’m still)  Still that part, the coach.

C98: I really didn’t know.  I’m really sorry I should have let you be you and not what others thought you should be.  I’m really sorry.

T99: Can you talk about what this part was trying to do in doing that?  What you were trying to do.

C99: I was trying to toughen you up.

T100: Is that right, does that fit?  I was trying to toughen you up, trying to make you stronger.  So you wouldn’t get hurt anymore.

C100: Yeah, I’ve seen myself a couple of times, and I thought that you couldn’t do it.  I tried to make you fight against that, I tried to make you angry enough to fight back. (but)  But it didn’t work out that way, and you kept shrinking down more and more.  And the more you shrank, the harder I had to stomp to reach you, so. (the harder you had to stomp to reach you, yeah)  And I see know that that was wrong.

T101: Can you change, is that okay?  It’s really hard isn’t it?

C101: Didn’t you hear me screaming for you to stop.  (yeah, right)  And it hurt, and when you were against me it felt like no one was on my side.

T102: What does this part feel now?

C102: I feel shocked.  (shocked, that)  That he was trying to help the whole time. (it’s a shocker right)  I don’t know what to think of you right now.(you’re still angry) yeah.

T103: Tell him that "I’m still angry with you, but…."

C103: I’m …I see you in a different light now, but I’m still pretty mad.

T104: Yeah, yeah, it’s going to take me a while I guess, take me a while to sort this (you’re going to have to show me that you’re not (?)) Yeah, your going to have to see something, (yeah)  Tell him what you need to see from him to make a difference.

C104: I’m going to need to see…some pats on the back and a lot more support, a lot more kind words.

T105: Do you want to respond to that with the other part?

C105: I can do that.  I can do that.  We can work together on that.

T106: Show me.  I think the other part, can you?  I was imagining being the other part of you, imagining that part saying "show me".  Does that fit? (um yeah)  Can you show him, how you want to support him, what you want to do for him?

C106: I can….can be your friend.  (okay)  I don’t know where to begin.  I’ll give you all the support that I can, until I learn how to (all the support I’m capable of) yeah.  I can show you what I’m capable of, and as I learn, as we learn from each other, I’ll be able to show you more. 

T107: What are you capable of at this moment?  What can you show him at this moment?

C107: Compassion.  Just (tell him) I can show you compassion, and I can ease up on my badgering.  I can’t tell you how much I’m sorry.

T108: Okay, and I understand the pain you’ve gone through and how hard it was for you.  How you screamed, is that right.

C108: I understand what you’ve been through.  Your not a soldier. (hmm)  You’re not a soldier.  (you’re not a soldier, this isn’t a war)  And I didn’t mean to be a drill sergeant.

T109: Can you come over, is that okay?

C109: I, I feel happy now, but you see me.  And I hope that we can depend on you because I need you.

T110: I don’t quite trust you yet, but I need you.  And I do feel happy in this moment.  Can you talk about where you feel the happiness?  What’s that like for you?

C110: The second half of my stomach you are.

T111: The second half of your stomach.  And what’s it feel like, the happiness? 

C111: It’s, it’s, the happiness feels like a release.

T112: Like a breath you’ve been holding out for (quite a long time) for a long time, okay.

C112: It feels good to know someone’s on my side.

T113: That there’s someone else out there that, or someone else in there that’s on my side.  Or kept me company or something.

C113: Pretty much.  It’s good to know that you’ll be there, you can’t leave (right you ain’t going no place, right) It’s just good to know that you’ll be there.  And I’m willing to trust you just that little bit. 

T114: We’ll take it in steps.

C114: M-hm.  One hour at a time.

T115a: Okay, okay, and for this hour you feel happy I guess.  (yeah) And hopeful.

 

Processing Two Chair Work:

T115b: Why don’t you go back over there and you can sort of process this for a few of minutes.  That was quite a journey, right?  We covered a lot of ground.

C115: A lot of times when I stop in the middle I think it’s sort of like, wait a minute and I just realize (so it’s going like today, right.  You’d stop and say wait a minute and you’d realize) Like well being two people, it was easier to see what’s going on.  And then saying it out loud. (Yeah)  And so I go on "Oh, two people". (what) It’s something "oh, two people".  (Oh, it’s like you’re going "Oh, there’s like two people in me", right?  That’s like, wow.) Just so, like hearing, why should you be free because the person on the outside doesn’t listen to the whole comment when I was on the outside.

T116: Also, right.  At the same time looking at yourself and seeing the front of the whole thing.  Yeah, I understand.

C116: And so, then I realize, this conversation’s coming from me.  And so it’s a shocker.

T117: It’s like you feel shocked by the whole thing, right?

C117: Yeah.  It makes, I hate to vague-arize, but for the longest time, I didn’t, I couldn’t like, like for science I couldn’t grasp like the E=MC 2. 

T118: Oh, right.  Okay it’s like it’s not getting a mathematical formula, or a basic principle of science. And then….

C118: And then I was talking to my brother about blackholes.  And he said that the gravity was so strong that even light couldn’t get out.  And so I thought do you mean light has, if gravity can affect light, then light must have sustenance.  And then all the pieces (oh, and that’s how that formula works, right, okay)  And you don’t think of light because it’s not strong enough to attach, but when he said that, it was sort of like "pop". (Pop, okay.  And you had one of these pops today, or a couple of them?)  Quite a few. (quite a few)  And it was sort of like, oh. (oh, what?)  Just oh I (wow) I didn’t (didn’t see myself) why didn’t I tell myself this before? 

T119: That feels exciting?

C119: It’s sort of, it opened that other door.  Because if I had thought…I had read about self-talk and (okay, right, right) and I thought, I didn’t know it went this way, but I mean I thought that "Oh, I won’t tell myself that".

T120: Right, yes.  Until you actually do it and see.  Of course the stuff on self-talk leaves out  the fact that the parts that are talking to each other are angry.  Or have feelings that sort of leave out the emotional part.  (yeah)  Of the self-talk that’s central to it.  And we can do that here, you saw what that’s about, right?

C120: And they usually, like vaguely, like they say, it’s general stuff, "what do you hear in your head".  But it wasn’t separated because if you just hear it in your head you go "hmm do I call myself that?"

T121: Because it’s not just a voice in your head, it’s also this, it’s also what you do to the other part.  Is that right, does that (yeah)  It’s not just talking, it’s doing to yourself.  Neat, huh?  (yeah) Yeah.  That’s why I like this kind of therapy.  I actually feel privileged to have gone through this with you today, because you covered an enormous amount of ground.  That normally a person doesn’t do in one session, and so it’s wonderful and exciting.  And of course you’ll probably want to go, I’m sure you want to go and chew on it and think about it for a while, and turn it over, and see where it leads next.  Yeah, is that right?  Does that fit?  (yeah) Yeah.  So we might want to stop here, pretty soon, does that feel okay?  (yeah) Yeah, and then tomorrow, I don’t know how this fits with tomorrow, it’s in there someplace, but a sense of strength and…

C121: Hopefully will carry over with me (yeah) because I don’t, it all feels better now, so.

T122: Okay, all right.  And you’ll just go into it and see what it’s like. (yeah)  And see if, right what these two parts, because I believe, we believe in this therapy that the real drama is in the self , is inside.  And you were pretty badly treated as a kid, but then this part picked that up and started doing it to yourself.  And, you know that we can go back and work with what happened to you as a kid, where the stuff, where this part passed along to that part.  Where it came from, and that may need it’s own work.  But at least you can stop doing that to yourself. (yeah) Yeah, right, that’s important.  That’s exciting.  So good luck tomorrow. (okay) Yeah, and see what that’s like.  Then next week’s the second.  So is this time okay for you next week?  (mm-hm)  Okay, then I’m going to tell you about the following Monday I will be out of town.  So I’m just going to give you a warning on that, the ninth.  We can either not meet or reschedule. But we can talk about that next week, okay?  All right? 

 


 

Materials designed to accompany the book Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy: The Process-Experiential Approach to Change from APA Books.

©2003 Robert Elliott, Jeanne Watson, Rhonda Goldman, and Leslie Greenberg

http://www.process-experiential.org/learning