{"id":1255,"date":"2017-06-16T15:44:20","date_gmt":"2017-06-16T07:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/darylchow.com\/Daryl_Chow\/Blog\/wordpress\/?p=1255"},"modified":"2018-11-13T16:22:28","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T08:22:28","slug":"stop-talking-and-start-performing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darylchow.com\/frontiers\/stop-talking-and-start-performing\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Talking, and Start Performing."},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/b>What if one of the ways of transforming our practice in psychotherapy is to stop calling it talk therapy, but to see it as a performance ritual?<\/span><\/p>\n

What if we stop talking, and start performing?1<\/sup>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Stop<\/p>\n

I suspect that if we step beyond therapy models,\u00a0 and see our work as a\u00a0therapeutic and healing endeavor, we can begin to embrace\u00a0it is a performance ritual.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In gist, here’s how most therapy goes: Once we create a space and a climate of safety, we dive into the sea\u00a0of one\u2019s human suffering, and hopefully, in the act of the two or more humans coming together weaving a \u201cbelievable myth\u201d2<\/sup> <\/span>(be it addressing cognitive distortions,\u00a0 self-critical markers, past traumas, etc.), growth and change can happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The act of two persons working as \u201cof one mind\u201d3<\/sup><\/span> , should not be relegated to a manual’s precription or one (or even two) dogmas. Neither should it be left to “make things up” as we go. Here\u2019s why:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The moment we start to see therapy as a performance, we can break it down into component parts.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are some examples:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. How do you prepare for a session?4<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. How do you begin a session\/subsequent session?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. How do you establish an effective focus with your client?<\/span><\/p>\n

4. How do you deepen the emotional experiencing?<\/span><\/p>\n

5. How do you close a session with an impact?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026Etc. (See a related post on Figure Out the “What” Before the “How”<\/a><\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

To those who see therapy as an art form, we can begin to learn to set the stage to enliven the possiblity of deep human interaction, and weave a structure to what seems un-structured to the naive eye. (Even music and theatre improvisers follow a set of rules in their seemingly free-form jams5<\/sup><\/span>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To those who see therapy as more of a science-based pursuit, we can afford to develop some hypothesis for fruitful and – God forbid – playful creation. We can learn to be more responsive6<\/sup> <\/span>and utilise7<\/sup><\/span> what each person bring of themselves into the therapy room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Afterall, there is a creative art form in science, and there is a methodical science in art.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once we see things in component parts, things get more complicated than they seem. Ask a person to rate how well they know about how a toilet flush works, and enquire again after you ask the same person to list out, in detailed step-by-step fashion of how the whole ceramic bowl and flushing systems work, their self-assessment ratings<\/a><\/span> are more than likely to dip.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, by breaking things down into its component parts, it allows a devoted practitioner to develop a focused deliberate practice<\/a><\/span> plan to improve at that particular area8<\/sup><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Question:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What\u00a0have your identified to work on, that has a leverage on improving your outcomes?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The moment we “stop talking, and start performing,” we invite a different way of seeing our work. We can then\u00a0invite a host of repetitore that can lit up a fire of engagement in this thing we can psychotherapy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As musician Frank Zappa says, “The mind is a like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Enjoy,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Daryl Chow, PhD<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Notes<\/b><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. I came around to this term by interviews with Michael Port and Amy Port on the Art of Charm podcasts. Michael Port elaborates further in his book, Steal the Show.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Jerome Frank’s (1993) book, Persuasion and Healing<\/b><\/a><\/span> is a seminal read.<\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Doug Flemons book is titled \u201cOf One Mind<\/b><\/a><\/span>.\u201d Though it is primarily about hypnosis, I think it\u2019s a highly relevant read for engaging with someone in therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 See a brilliant recent 2017 book by Daniel McGinn, Psyched Up<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. I highly recommend Patricia Madison\u2019s Improv Wisdom<\/b><\/a><\/span>. For those who are interested in the world of music improvisation, Derek Bailey\u2019s Improvisation<\/b><\/a><\/span> is a must-read)<\/span><\/p>\n

6. see Ben Stilles\u2019s work on Responsivity. E.g., Stiles, W. B., Honos-Webb, L., & Surko, M. (1998). Responsiveness in psychotherapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 5<\/i>(4), 439-458.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Utilisation is at the heart of Milton Erickson’s work.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Here’s a recent chapter I wrote for a recently released edited book. The practice and the practical: Pushing your clinical effectiveness to the next level<\/b><\/a>.<\/span> In D. Prescott, C. Maeschalck, & S. D. Miller (Eds.), Reaching for Excellence: Feedback-Informed Treatment in Practice<\/i>: APA. There a chalk full of diverse chapters in this book.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Please note that the links in the note section are amazon affliate links. That means I get a tiny\u00a0percentage\u00a0of the books’ sales.)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What if one of the ways of transforming our practice in psychotherapy is to stop calling it talk therapy, but to see it as a performance ritual? 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