Coherence Therapy

Coherence Therapy:Going Deep When You’ve Been

Taught to Be Brief

by Allison Anaïs Brunner

Temple University

April 1, 2009

Brief vs. Deep

“For therapy to be brief, depth must be sacrificed….”

“Coherence therapy is a complete, versatile modality in which theory and practice are completely aligned for achieving the new level of effectiveness that is needed if therapy is to be deep and brief.”

(Ecker & Hulley, 2002)

History

1960s: progressive, nonpathologizing brief therapies (emphasis on speed)

Backlash against longstanding Freudian/psycho-analytic monopoly on in-depth therapy

“The Unconscious”— only recently (1990s) liberated from the psychoanalytic school of thought

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are needed to see this picture.

History: DOBT

1980s & 1990s: Bruce Ecker and Laurel Hulley, “Why do certain sessions produce deep, lasting change and symptom cessation, while most do not?”

Transformative sessions = experiential + pro-symptom attitude + emotional truth

Swift occurrence = Depth-Oriented Brief Therapy (DOBT)

2005: Coherence Therapy



Depression Anxiety Panic Agoraphobia Low self-worth Attachment

problems

Sexual problems Rage Grief Attention deficit Codependency Procrastination Underachievement

Overview

Micro-level intervention Individuals and familiesSymptoms dispelled:



Symptom Coherence

The symptom is necessary.The symptom is cogent. Once understood, the symptom dissipates.



Experiential

Direct, felt experience Subjective Gestalt



Emotional Truth

Definition “the underlying, unconscious emotional schema

that compellingly requires the client’s symptom or problem, despite the suffering entailed in having it” (Ecker, 2008)

“specific, unconscious personal themes, knowings and purposes that, in one way or another, powerfully and passionately require having the presenting symptom, even though consciously the client wants so much not to have it.” (Ecker & Hully, 2002)

Emotional Truths: Example

“Adam” from video Symptom: yearly depression (end of August),

irritability at work ET #1: It was so awful for me [in Sweden] that,

to this day, I get very unhappy at the end of summer.

ET #2: “I’m really not what you [parents] think I am, and I dread that you’ll find out, be disappointed in me, give up on me and cut off from me. To keep that from happening, I’ll do anything, including faking it.

What Coherence Therapy Is Not

Other brief therapies attempt to prevent the client’s debilitating symptom with: Override Counteract More rational beliefs Insightful interpretations Better narratives Clever reframes



The Science of Depth Therapy

Depth therapies— engage the limbic system.

vs. Surface work—

engages the neocortex.



Current Brain Research

The old biology: Consolidation (Ecker, 2008) 1997–2000: Stimulation + implicit memory

triggered + synapses unlock + can be disrupted + erasure of implicit memory = old responses/BHs can’t be re-evoked.

(Cozolino, 2006; Lipton, 2005;

Siegel, 2007)

Cultural and Ethical Issues

“Everyone, from every cultural and economic group, has the native ability to place attention in those emotional truths and experience them. This makes CT applicable with diverse populations.”

(Coherence Psychology Institute, 2009)



Side Effects

Clients with trauma/PTSD: therapist must be prepared to deal with possible traumatic memories.

Client determination: Never push a client who is not ready or willing to go into the unconscious. Use of the unconscious can be a powerful tool, and therapists must remain sensitive to that.

Boundary Spanning

Littrell, 2008: Psychotherapy enhances the body’s

ability to combat disease. Stress suppresses a body’s ability to fight

illnesses of all sorts (i.e., cancer). Psychological distress slows a person’s

ability to heal physically. Vaccinations are less effective in

individuals dealing with mental distress.

Boundary Spanning (cont’d)

Health Work Relationships Spirituality Case Studies

Albert’s chronic tension (Ecker, 2003) Adrienne’s musculature, weight, optimism

(Ecker & Hulley, 2002)



How to Become a Coherence Therapist

Online short courses Training & certification

program Case consultation Graduate degrees highly

encouraged but not required

www.coherencetherapy.org



References Coherence Psychology Institute (2009). What Is Coherence

Therapy? Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://www.coherencetherapy.org/discover/what.htm

Cozolino, L. (2008). The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Brain. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co.

Ecker. B. (2008, Sep/Oct). Unlocking the Emotional Brain. Psychotherapy Networker, 32, 42–47.

Ecker, B. (2006, October). Teaming up with the brain’s hidden rules for change. Psychotherapy Networker Symposium West, San Franciso, CA.

Ecker, B. (2003, Nov/Dec). The hidden logic of anxiety: look for the emotional truth behind the symptom. Psychotherapy Networker, 27, 38–43.

http://www.coherencetherapy.org/discover/what.htm

Ecker, B., & Hulley, L. (2002, July/Aug). DOBT toolkit for in-depth effectiveness: methods & concepts of depth-oriented brief therapy. New Therapist, 20, 24–29.

Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (2002, Jan/Feb). Deep from the start: profound change in brief therapy is a real possibility. Psychotherapy Networker, 26, 46–51.

Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (2000). A new effectiveness for psychotherapy. New Therapist, 6, 31–33.

Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (1996). Depth Oriented Brief Therapy: How to Be Brief When You Were Trained to Be Deep, and Vice Versa. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ecker, B. & Toomey, B. (2008). Depotentiation of symptom-producing implicit memory in coherence therapy. Journal of Constructionist Psychology, 21, 87–150.

Lipton, B. (2005). The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles. Santa Rosa, CA: Mountain of Love / Elite Books.

Littrell, J. (2008). The mind-body connection: not just a theory anymore. Social Work in Health Care, 46, 17–30.

Siegel, D. J. (2007). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co. Toomey, B. & Ecker, B. (2009). Competing visions of the

implications of neuroscience in psychotherapy. Journal of Constructionist Psychology, 22, 95–140.

Toomey, B. & Ecker, B. (2007). Of neurons and knowings: Constructivism, coherence psychology, and their neurodynamic substrates. Journal of Constructionist Psychology, 20, 201–245.

Health & Medicine

Coherence Therapy