Process oriented psychology
Process Oriented Psychology
Process oriented psychology is a holistic psychotherapeutic approach that suggests unconscious material can be experienced physically, interpersonally, or environmentally, it is also known as process work. This method assists people in the development of personal awareness and identify with repressed thoughts, emotions, and deal effectively with their negative experiences.
What to expect?
Process oriented psychology aims at promoting the awareness. The proponents of the process oriented approach claims that awareness of unconscious emotions and cognition can be enhanced by examining somatic cues.
Process oriented psychology proposes there are two kinds of experiences:
- Primary process: This includes the experiences that the individual can assimilate and identify with, this forms the foreground of awareness and a part of conscious thought.
- Secondary process: This includes the experiences that the individual can not relate to and that appear foreign, these stay at the background, striving to come into the foreground of awareness.
How does it work?
Process work is considered to be a positive approach. Presenting symptoms are not viewed as pathologies that must be eliminated but as opportunities to become aware of what is necessary for increasing wisdom, happiness, and personal growth. There are various cases of process work techniques which are used to establish two-way communication within comatose individuals and other people through vocalizations and eyelid or finger movements.
It works predominantly through four types of edges:
- Personal: An individual with an edge to their intelligence can be considered brilliant by other people but perceive themselves as stupid. The primary process, “I am stupid,” is readily accepted, but it appears difficult for the person to accept the secondary process, “Other people think I am brilliant.”
- Family: If the family unit encourages peaceful, noncompetitive behavior, a family member with a competitive spirit might develop an edge to their aggression and drive. The individual soon identifies with the primary process, the family's peaceful approach, and discovers it hard to accept the secondary process, their own competitive nature.
- Social: This boundary is made clear by social experiences. A sensitive man who is brought up in an environment where toughness is considered a stereotypical manly trait might develop an edge to his personality. Though he identifies with the primary process that men are tough, he rejects the secondary process that he is sensitive.
- Human: This primary process is inclusive of behaviors or experiences that are considered part of human nature. These are behaviors a person find himself comfortable with and a realm in which experiences are appropriate and acceptable. The secondary process can include any experiences that reside beyond the realm or reach of human nature. These experiences are considered inhuman, animal, supernatural, or alien.
When is it used?
Presently, process oriented psychology is employed to treat issues including: Depression, Anxiety, Food and eating issues, Dementia, Relationship conflicts, Family issues, Addiction, Grief and loss, Anger management, Posttraumatic stress (PTSD), Sexual concerns and Spiritual concerns.
Role of practitioner:
Practitioners of process oriented psychology are of the believe that repressed experiences and traits are beneficial to people in treatment when the unconscious material is gradually invited into consciousness and better understood. For instance, an individual who identifies himself or herself as peaceful and cooperative could come to realize it is advantageous to exhibit appropriate levels of anger or resilience in certain situations. By thoroughly negotiating the edge, individuals can experience personal growth which will result in well being.
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