Process-oriented psychology and psychotherapy. ISPWR International Certification Program "Process Oriented Psychology"

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process therapy was born in Portland, USA in the 1970s. Its author is the quantum physicist and psychologist Arnold Mindell, who, in addition to his knowledge in the field of physics and classical psychology, added observations of Australian shamans and the study of Tibetan spiritual practices. This is how the direction of psychology came about, combining the discoveries of the science of the Universe, ancient ideas about man, play and imagination, sensations in the body and emotional experiences.

In Russia, they learned about the procedural approach in the 1990s. Since then, its adherents have created a website about the philosophy and practice of this trend.

The everyday reality around us is full of dualism: good-bad, happiness-grief, presence-absence, etc. However, this system of dual oppositions does not exist by itself, it is built by our mind. The human mind is critical, distrustful, strives for complete control, and for this it creates dual oppositions.

Mindell teaches that this is just the top layer of being. That the world is richer than our system of rational ideas about it. There is a deeper, irrational level of reality that manifests itself in Everyday life in dreams. And below it is the basis of existence, Tao, God, infinity, emptiness or absolute mind - something that is impossible or extremely difficult to describe.

According to process psychologists, our soul is closely connected with these deep levels. The body as the receptacle of the soul is also indirectly connected with them, therefore physical ailments, especially chronic ones (asthma, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders), are considered by process therapists as the same message of the essence, filled with vital meaning, like dreams.

The great one guessed that dreams refer to something more than personal experience. Mindell, after graduating from the Jung Institute in Zurich, after a long practice noticed that the body and dreams are talking about the same thing. He suggested not interpreting dreams and not getting rid of disturbing sensations, but re-experiencing them, feeling and realizing them as much as possible.

To do this, during a session of processual therapy, a person plunges into a state close to, in which the same images appear as in a dream, but at the same time, control over oneself and what is happening is maintained. In this state, a dream or bodily sensation that tormented us suddenly acquires an obvious meaning, a “voice” that helps us understand ourselves and the world around us very fully, clearly and deeply. Time after time this understanding can become deeper and deeper.

Since the soul is closely related to the irrational in a person, process therapy works with it directly. That is, unlike, this story is not about “talking”, but primarily about “feeling”.

In practice, it looks like this. Work (individually, in pairs or in a group) begins with sitting comfortably, closing your eyes and focusing on the most disturbing sensation or the most exciting part of the dream. Imagine how this feeling becomes more intense, completely captures you and turns into an image. Further, this image will lead you along. It is important to simultaneously participate in the process and be aware of this movement, succumb to the leading force in a trance and project its message onto your life situation. Turn on simultaneously, imagination, attention and consciousness. This work requires openness, fearlessness and inspiration. Only in this case will she bring fast results in the form of insights, new experiences, a new understanding of the world and oneself.

In this method, the features of other psychotherapeutic directions are clearly discerned. For example, from - role-playing the process, exchanging roles with the therapist, voicing internal characters. From - close attention to the body, its signals and symptoms. From - an appeal to the impersonal dimension. But only in the procedural approach there is a developed methodology for the conscious transfer of this experience into life. The therapist here is not someone who has some kind of super knowledge compared to the client, not a doctor or a teacher, but a companion. The process workers themselves prefer to call themselves a “facilitator” - one who facilitates the journey to oneself, a stalker, a guide. He does not advise the client. In the process, the person himself discovers the source of the problem that tormented him, as well as the resource for its solution, and not in the therapist, but in himself. Therefore, the problem of transference is irrelevant here and there is no “addiction” effect to therapy, as in some classical approaches, where you can go to sessions for years without visible changes.

Process therapy considers a person as a whole with a (divine) essence, on the one hand, and with the outside world, on the other. Everything that happens in the body and soul, in relationships with people and in space - these are ways of essence to draw our attention to key points and the purpose of our existence and indicate the personal path to harmony. You can turn to it throughout your life, because, as you know, there is no limit on the path to perfection.

"Process Mind"

International School of Process Work Certificate Program
International School of Processwork Russia (ISPWR), IAPOP standard.

Process work is following the path of nature

What is process work?

Process work or process-oriented psychology is an interdisciplinary direction in modern psychology. The main emphasis in process work is on the perception of the flow of life events - the “process”, as well as on the belief that even in the very difficult problem originally contained the seed of her permission.

What a person perceives as a problem (problems in relationships, chronic diseases, depression, addictions, nightmares, etc.) is in fact a manifestation of the unconscious, which seeks to explain that we live in something that is not our life and where We go against our deep Essence. For example, in a person chronic symptom- migraine. Living through this symptom, an understanding may come that headache arises at a time when a person feels depressed and cannot protect his interests. But in the migraine itself there are already resources that only need to be discovered and brought into life and relationships. But often some aspects of the personality (where strength, aggression, sexuality, love of freedom, etc. are manifested) are suppressed. We can say to ourselves "you can't be like that, it's not accepted." But the moment a person begins to behave differently, and if necessary shows that he can be strong and stand up for himself, the bodily symptom goes away. So, in repetitive situations in relationships, in nightmares, in bodily symptoms and other areas of life, our subconscious manifests itself, which points us to our inner strength and resources.

By doing process work, we learn to be different and flexible, depending on the situation. Lightness appears and anxieties go away, as previously rejected parts of ourselves are integrated.

The main thing in process work is to be in the flow of continuous multi-level practice of awareness, to notice the slightest changes in the surrounding space and in the body - all this can be the key to deploying a "process" that will lead a person to a more holistic and harmonious perception of himself and the world. Process workers try to follow their own process and those of the individual and the group.

Theories and methods of process work can be personally tested and verified by any person and convinced of their universality. Process work is used in individual therapy to independent work, as well as to resolve family conflicts, conflicts in various groups and organizations.

Arnie and Amy Mindell in Moscow, 04/29/13. The history of the emergence of a process-oriented approach, the basics of the theory and work with clients. Meeting with MIP students.

I. Zingerman, "Three levels of the state of consciousness in the process approach of Arnold Mindell when working with dreams"

Arnold Mindell and process psychology

The main ideas of process-oriented psychology were developed in the late 1970s by Arnold Mindell, Ph.D., psychotherapist, author of 20 books translated into 20 languages.

Arnold Mindell studied physics at the University of Technology Cambridge and then psychology at the Swiss Jung Institute in Zurich and became a Jungian psychoanalyst. Mindell added to his knowledge of physics and Western psychology by observing Australian shamans, healers, and studied ancient spiritual practices, including Taoism and Buddhism. Of these, it would seem different areas, process-oriented psychology emerged. She combined the discoveries of science, ancient ideas about man, dance and imagination, sensations in the body and dreams.

Arnold Mindell

Founder of the process approach

The process approach is interesting because you have to change your normal condition consciousness or, to put it metaphorically, you need to sit on the horse backwards. In one of the tribes of American aborigines there was a funny, somewhat strange buffoon figure. He was allowed to be in the tribe as long as he was "the other way around", that is, he did everything differently from everyone else. His horse moved forward, but he sat on it in reverse, facing the tail.

To ride a horse backwards is to say to life: "Yes, it's impossible" and at the same time: "How interesting this disease can be." You walk backwards. Usually you think that death is terrible, but if you think from the point of view of a heretic, death can teach you something. You might even like it! Say "no" to the pain, and if nothing else helps, try saying "yes" to it. When trouble turns into something interesting, you will just jump for joy. It's like a divine revelation or the ability to be completely different. In the procedural paradigm, the all-encompassing “yes” to the world is presented as a potentiality, as if the seed of that which seeks to express itself.

I used to have to think before I act. Now I trust the natural course of events and think much less. Instead, I follow my feelings. My path at present is to follow the unpredictable. I act now and think later. There are many things about the process that I don't understand. I can explain a few things, but there is still a lot that I would like to study. The business of helping human processes is a boundless field, as old as Taoism and as new as the theories of the holodinamics of the universe.

- "Jump Backward", Arnold Mindell

Key Ideas

The understanding of process work is built on several basic concepts: The main ideas that can help to understand what process work is is an understanding of what the three levels of consciousness are, the concepts of primary and secondary processes, the "edge", as well as the meta-skills of the facilitator (therapist).

Three levels of consciousness

Three levels of consciousness

In his observations, Arnold Mindell came to the conclusion that dreams and bodily symptoms "talk" about the same thing, that is, they reflect a certain life process of a person. He realized that if the message of the dream is correctly revealed, then it is possible to get around some unpleasant life situation, a tendency that is already “ripening” in everyday reality, for example, an illness or even an accident. And then Mindell began to investigate where dreams come from with the same tenacity with which he studied the origin of the universe as a student of physics. Turning to various sources Studying ancient texts, talking with the shamans of Australia, Mindell realized that people have always known about this source of dreams. Someone called it Tao (Taoism), someone called it the Supreme God, someone called it the Foundation of the Universe, etc.

This is how the theory of three levels of consciousness was formed.

Usually we are aware of ourselves in the so-called consensus reality. The reality of consensus (common reality) is a term denoting such a description of reality, in respect of which a common (conscious or unconscious) agreement has been reached between people. In the consensus reality there is a dual perception, here everything is divided into plus and minus, good and bad, good and evil, day and night, man and woman, subject and object. This is our usual level of perception of reality. What shapes it and creates a consensus reality? In order for something to happen in life, there must be a tendency - to get sick, you need to get your feet wet. For addiction to appear, there must be a great need for relaxation, and an inability to receive it. The question arises, where does the reality of consensus come from? You can get different answers to this question: psychologists will tell you that the source of the formation of our daily life is the unconscious, shamans will call it a dream, quantum physicists will call it a wave function ... In any case, they will describe a second, deeper level of perception of reality, which and forms scenarios and options for our lives. Arnold Mindell suggested calling this second level of consciousness Dream Land (English "dream land") - the land of dreams, or the land of dreams. There is a space in our mind that shapes dreams and the future. That is why prophetic dreams are possible, predictions are possible. And Dreaming is that state of mind from which our habitual consensus reality emerges later.

Dreams can be terrible, they can be beautiful. But their duality may not be clearly expressed. For example, in a dream you can kill others and this will not cause you horror or rejection, it is possible to walk on water, fly through the air or drink tea on the top of Everest in a swimsuit or slippers. In dreams it is possible to do the most unthinkable things in terms of the reality of consensus. The second and third levels of consciousness come from a non-dual state of consciousness that is beyond our usual, and even dreamlike, perception.

The country of dreams, the country of dreams (Dream Land) is not only night images. These include any other visions. At the Dreamland level, process work deals with dreams, deep feelings, unspoken truths, "double" or unintentional cues, "ghosts" (not represented figures), and ghostly roles in stories and myths of individuals and organizations. Great importance have history, myths, and events that affect more than one generation. Here you can also feel the impact of the future on the present.

The third level of consciousness is characterized by a non-dual state, where there is no interaction at the level of subject and object. It is from this source that the formation of the space of the second level occurs - the space of dreams.

At the deepest non-dual level, or the level of "essence," the Ground, the Tao, process work deals with the sense of tendencies. Their guiding influence on us can be felt, but not yet easily put into words. Here you notice deep experiences, feelings that you usually do not pay attention to, and sensations that have not yet been expressed in the form of meaningful images, sounds, etc.

primary process, edge, secondary process

"Primary Process", "Secondary Process" and "Edge"

Next key concept procedural approach - "primary process" and "secondary process". Primary processes are those that a person does not separate from his own person. The secondary process is usually somewhat opposite to the primary. It is perceived by a person as something alien.
Process psychology considers the secondary process as a manifestation of a person's identity, which he displaces in himself or does not allow into everyday life. It is for this reason that he encounters it in dreams, in the actions of others, and in bodily symptoms.

For example, a person may feel like a victim, but an aggressor lives inside him, with whom he is not very familiar.

Between the primary and secondary processes is the "edge", that is, the experience of experiencing the inability to do something, the experience of a limitation or obstacle. This edge can be represented by various "edge figures". Their judgments and actions in a rigid form prevent a person from accepting the secondary process as part of himself.

In general, all process work skills are awareness skills.

Metaskills of the therapist

In process work, the concept of a “facilitator” (together a therapist) is used - a specialist who observes and reveals the client’s work in such a way that makes the results of this observation directly available to the one being observed so that they become part of the world he is aware of. The facilitator needs to have some key skills that will help him lead the process of a group or one person.

One of the first tasks facilitator during the process work - to be aware of the primary and secondary processes of the client (group), separating their edges and edge figures.

This kind of work reveals a deeper level of consciousness, in which a non-dual perception of the world manifests itself, where a problem can become a source of strength and resources.

Second skill- “following” oneself and the feeling of Tao, that is, events that are observable and / or intuitively comprehended. The mystical aspect of process work attempts to follow what is not quite expressible, while its concrete and realistic part deals with observable signals and their unfolding, allowing these signals to tell us what they mean.

Third skill- "transparency". The facilitator strives to remain "transparent" without bringing anything of himself into the process. A more multifaceted, three-dimensional perception of oneself and reality, which is achieved as a result, leads to the solution of personal problems, the resolution of interpersonal contradictions and the cure of physical diseases.

Fourth Habit- awareness of oneself at three levels of reality. First, to be aware and feel at the level of conditioned reality; secondly, to live at the level of a dream: when talking with a person, fall into a light trance. This helps to expand the process even deeper. And, thirdly, we can simultaneously have a sense of ourselves and this person in a single, primordial space. From this state, we are able to make any problem our Teacher, and learn by living the source where this message comes from, where the essence of this problem of consensus reality is. Thus, we find ourselves whole.

We invite you to take part in a unique PROCESSIONAL THERAPY CURRICULUM - for the first time in Russia, the program takes place in full, with the possibility of further obtaining an international diploma* of a process therapist.

At our institute, the program is carried out exclusively certified* Specialists in Process Oriented Psychology (from Switzerland, USA) who have the right to teach and fully comply with the requirements Research Society for Process Oriented Psychology(Zurich, Switzerland).

The founders of Process Therapy - Arnold Mindell and Amy Mindell

What is Process Therapy?Certificate Program in Process Therapy

Process-oriented psychology, process work(English) process oriented psychology) - theoretical and practical direction in psychology, uniting wide range areas including psychotherapy, personal growth and group processes.

process therapy was founded in the 70s by Dr. Arnold Mindell , a specialist in Jungian analysis from Zurich. Process Oriented Psychotherapy- this is an interdisciplinary approach that harmoniously combines Western psychology and Eastern philosophy. Psychotherapy students often receive a set standard procedures, disparate skills and are tormented, trying to determine - when, what technique needs to be applied in their therapy. “Typically, therapists are much more aware of their theoretical positions than they are of their actual behavior with clients.” Process-oriented psychology provides answers to these questions in the process of therapy itself.

Its origins lie in the observation that nocturnal dreams are reflected in the somatic experiences of Mindell's clients, especially physical symptoms. Mindell expanded the term "dream" to include any aspect of experience that - although probably different from conventional views of reality - is consistent both with dreams, fantasies and somatic experiences of a person, as well as with unintentional but meaningful signals that form background of interpersonal relationships.

This is a multicultural multilevel practice of awareness. Process work focuses on the awareness of "real" and "fictitious" psychological processes that reveal and, probably, resolve issues of an intrapersonal, interpersonal, group and global nature. Thanks to his physical education Mindell formed his own view of the unconscious from both phenomenological and symbolic positions, which was expressed in the application of the concepts of information theory to the observation of the behavior of his clients. In this light, he expanded the concept of "unconscious" to include a whole range of non-intentional (unintentional) verbal and non-verbal signals, on the one hand, and perceptions, beliefs, and ideas with which the individual does not identify, on the other.

According to Mindell's observations, experience can be divided into two types: those with which we identify ourselves, and those that are defined as "alien" to us. The experiences with which we identify ourselves are called the "primary process" because it occurs at the level we are aware of. The experience we marginalize as "alien" is called a "secondary process" because it is not in the focus of awareness.

To help his clients integrate these forms of unconscious manifestation, Mindell extended Jungian techniques such as active imagination and dream interpretation to include methods for working directly with non-verbal, bodily experience. Based on patterns of awareness drawn from sources ranging from Taoism and shamanism to modern physics, Mindel has developed a system in which clients are encouraged to identify with unconscious experiences through a process he calls "unfolding." The unfolding process is a deconstruction of the client's experience, relying not only on verbal material and imagination, but also on movements, deep somatic experiences, interpersonal relationships and social context.

Process work emphasizes the importance of awareness, both on the part of the client and the therapist. The term “process” in process work is based on several sources. One is Jung's concept of the process of individuation, in which the client integrates the contents of the unconscious through dreams, fantasies, and synchronicities. Another source of the term can be found in physics and David Bohm's formulation of the flows that underlie all events. The process describes the communication and flow of signals between therapist and client.

Methods of process therapy are eclectic: it uses many of the different types psychotherapy: “At some point, the therapist just sits and, like a psychoanalyst, discusses the problems of his client; and in another case, he is more like a dance or art therapist who step by step goes beyond problem solving, merging with the creative elements of life.”

The range of problems that process psychology deals with is impressive - dream and movement work, relationships and coma, large groups and inner work, conflict resolution and work with psychotic states. This is not the “promiscuity” and self-confidence of a panacea. The point is in the methods of procedural work. Process therapy offers new ways to work with problematic and painful areas of life. Mindell argued that the solution to a problem lies within the problem itself. Thus, a correct and thorough study of the symptoms and processes of bodily manifestations, communication difficulties, social conflicts, as well as dreams and altered states of consciousness can contribute to new discoveries and personal and spiritual growth.

Let's try to briefly describe the philosophy process-oriented psychology. The basic concepts of process therapy are primary and secondary process. The primary process is what we are aware of, with what we identify ourselves, the secondary, respectively, is what we are in this moment we are not aware, what belongs to the unconscious, this secondary process carries a very important and useful information which we can access. When the client is encouraged to take into himself or identify with the experiences of a secondary process, he usually does so reluctantly or even incapable of such an act, as if some kind of boundary separated the primary processes from the secondary ones. Such a boundary in terms of process work is called a "edge" (eng. edge) human identity.

Personal: in a person, the line may lie touching his intellect, which can lead to projection high intelligence on others and perceiving oneself as stupid or ignorant. The origins of this facet may lie in the early experience of family or school society.

Family: The family system may have some kind of prejudice or rule regarding a certain type of experience, which, according to such a rule, a family member should diligently avoid. For example, a family that perceives itself as peaceful or friendly may punish or marginalize aggressive or competitive behavior in a family member. Such a subject may develop a line in relation to his aggressive and competitive tendencies, projecting them onto others and feeling uncomfortable from this.

Social: gender, religion, ethnic or other social affiliation often determine behavioral or experiential norms, leading to a complication for the subject of the ability to express contrasting experiences. For example, a person from another culture that emphasizes toughness and insensitivity as necessary masculine traits may experience serious discomfort due to their sensual traits. He can project these experiences onto other people whom he considers to be "weak" or, for example, homosexual. This is one of the mechanisms driving homophobia.

human: there is a certain spectrum of experience that is usually attributed to "human nature", while other experiences that do not fall within this spectrum are defined as "inhuman", "animal" or "out of this world". People who are prone to highly altered states of consciousness and spiritual experiences often have a line separating them from such experiences, which they consider to be inhuman. This view is also supported by the social reality of consensus, or generally accepted reality. Such experiences can give rise to extreme states of consciousness leading to psychiatric intervention.

The secondary process may manifest itself in dreams, bodily symptoms, or movements, gestures that we do not notice, and the role of the therapist is to monitor and help the client discover the secondary process, and, if necessary, expand the boundaries of his identity. It is the disclosure and awareness of those messages that the unconscious gives us through secondary processes that gives the key to solving problems and personal growth.

Great importance in process psychology is given to the sensual skills of the therapist, the ability to track feedback, which can be positive, negative and “intermediate”, the so-called “marginal”, when a person hesitates, partly he wants to go further, partly resists. The “edge” can be not only for the client, but also for the therapist, so it is important for the therapist to be aware of their own feelings. “Without being aware of their changing feelings, the therapist may overwhelm the other person or act from a position of superiority.” Process work emphasizes the conscious use of the senses in practice. Actual feelings that from time to time take possession of the therapist - the task is to make them conscious and useful in the therapeutic situation. The ability to move easily, as it arises, from one feeling position to another gives the therapist access to the foundations of the various schools of psychotherapy. “We develop the ability to appreciate and accept our own feelings that we encounter in practice.”

The therapist may pay attention to various feelings and the states that arise during its operation. If he is able to consciously capture these “voices” and can voice them in his work, then he becomes a flexible practitioner who turns his feelings into use. Then he notices the customer's feedback and can tune in to it. He follows the process of the client and his own, using his feelings, states and techniques in his work.”

Process work seeks to define both the client's primary and secondary processes and the lines that separate them. It then facilitates the enrichment of the client's identity by amplifying and expanding secondary process experiences to the level of awareness (at the cognitive and somatic levels), so that they become part of the world conscious of the client.

Paying attention to barely noticeable movements, looks, nuances of relationships, a process psychotherapist helps to unfold an unconscious process that includes various physical symptoms, involuntary movements, dreams, which contains a lot of energy. To access this energy, you must follow this process.

In the process of learning process therapy techniques, you will:

get deep, unusual experiences and master the skills of deep and unconventional work work with them;

master the techniques of revealing messages and managing dreams;

learn to work with bodily symptoms and chronic diseases and also warn them;

learn techniques for working with personal and group conflicts, family and individual relationships;

various addictions and depressions;

learn how to productively plan for the future and use it in the present;

You will enrich your professional arsenal with a set of original techniques access to the deep and transpersonal processes of a person, which will allow you to work effectively with a variety of customer requests;

in practice, master new techniques for leading groups using process techniques.

You will learn about a new, original, productive way of personal and professional growth.

You will be able to work in the following areas:

– individual psychotherapy, counseling for couples, families, group PT;

– work with physical symptoms, including somatic diseases;

- pathological altered states of consciousness (including terminal, unconscious states), borderline states, addictions and diseases related to the field of psychiatry

– group and organizational counseling and conflict resolution

The Core Program covers the following topics:

The general structure and dynamics of the psyche in Process Therapy and its relationship to other theories of personality. Philosophy of process therapy. PT and Eastern practices: Taoism, Buddhism, shamanic practices.

Primary and secondary processes and identities. Edge, figure on the edge and methods of its formation. Double signals.

Channels in process therapy. Busy and idle channels, channel switching. Primary and secondary processes in channels. Deployment of secondary processes. edge behavior.

Working with secondary processes in psychotherapy. Signal amplification and unfolding techniques. Interaction of primary and secondary processes in the therapist-client contact. Messages. "The Body of Dreams"

Inner work. Work with the channel of the world, “flirting”. Extreme events, disasters, injuries. Recurring events.

Working with symptoms. Message of symptoms. "The Spirit of Symptom".

Dealing with various chronic and acute symptoms.

Work with extreme and altered states of consciousness (ASC), psychoses. Process-oriented interventions in psychiatry and ASC. Work with various types depressions.

Working with dependencies. Gaining access to the individual, deep root cause of addiction. Authenticity and addiction, relationship and addiction, peace and addiction.

Working with relationships. High and low relationship sleep. Three levels of relationship management. Myths in relationships The meaning of relationships. Relationships with "unbearable" people.

Conflicts, public attacks, criticism. Permission conflict situations. Three levels of work with public attacks and conflicts, connection with a person's personal history. Public performance.

Working with groups and a process approach to group dynamics. Linear and non-linear work with a group. Shadow processes in a group. Roles, role behavior in a group, types of roles.

Conducting group work in process therapy. The role and linear steps of the group process facilitator. Leadership in the group process.