ISBN: 9798274473408

"Do you believe in reincarnation?” Dirk’s question takes me by surprise and that, instead of asking the obligatory question: ‘What makes you ask that?’, makes me answer his question in the affirmative. 

Be aware that I was trained with the assumption you are not to open up to your client ever - a trace of the tried and tested Freudian approach in which a therapist makes themselves completely invisible. I am convinced that that is proper behaviour in most cases, but that there are times when a direct (and honest!) answer to a direct question can be of invaluable therapeutic worth. Especially to people who do not quite ‘fit in’.

There are many trends in treatment, however none of them is the stand-alone miracle-product they are proclaimed to be. There is no such thing as a quick fix - because real people are involved. Therapy can be hard work, both for the clients and for the counsellors, but if you are willing to trust your observations and your intuitions; by investing in a therapeutic relationship with your client, small miracles may start to happen.

CONTENTS:

Introduction

1 -  Regular or orthodox treatments

1.1 - Important boundaries to be upheld both by and between the various health care professions

1.2 - Setting up a conventional counselling therapy

1.2.1 - Intake questions

1.2.2 - Childhood and growing up

1.3 - Holistic vision and functional analysis

1.3.1 - Holistic vision

1.3.2 - Functional analysis

1.3.3 - How to work out your holistic vision

1.3.4 - How to work out your functional analysis

1.3.5 - Recognizing irrational thoughts

2 - Possible integration of conventional and complementary ways of treatment

2.1 - Regular approaches

2.1 - Complementary approaches

2.2.1 - The homeopathic view

2.3 - The most important prerequisite

2.3.1 - The therapeutic environment

2.3.2 - My personal view on working with clients

2.3.3 - An instrument in counselling: the therapist

3 - Dirk’s frightening ways and how he came to resolve them

3.1 - Case study 1: The client called Dirk

3..1.1 - Observations

3.1.2 - Symptoms

3.1.3 - Life-history

3.1.4 - Childhood and growing up

3.2 - The therapy

3.2.1 - Therapeutic indication and motivation

3.2.2 - Stabilization

3.2.3 - Processing traumatic memories

3.2.4 - Dream intervention

3.2.5 - Further developments

3.2.6 - Belief intervention

3.2.7 - Ongoing self-reflection

3.3 - Consolidation and letting go phase

3.4 - Looking back at the therapy

4 - The concept of reincarnation

4.1 - Definition

4.1.1  - Eastern religions

4.1.2 - Western religions

4.1.3 - Personal curiosity

4.1.4 - Sidestep: Vitalism

4.1.5  - Sidestep: personal formative reading

5 - Iris’ many lives of servitude and how she came to understand their purpose

5.1 - Case study 2: The client called Iris

5.1.1 - Observations

5.1.2 - Symptoms

5.1.3 - Life-history

5.1.4 - Therapy goals

5.2 - The therapy

5.2.1  - Therapeutic indication and motivation

5.2.2 - Diagnostics

5.2.3 - Stabilization

5.2.4 - Second session, laying more groundwork for the therapeutic relationship

5.2.5 - Third session, re-evaluating relationships

5.2.6  - Fourth session, evaluation and first intervention

5.2.7  - Fifth session, the hypnosis

- Preparation

- Execution and results

5.2.8  - Sixth session, results of the regression

5.3 - Consolidation and letting go phase

6 - Hypnosis and its uses in counselling

6.1 - An incomplete history of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool

6.1.1 - Western culture

6.1.2 - Sigmund Freud

6.1.3 - Milton Erickson

6.2 - Hypnosis as a therapeutic technique in counselling

6.2.1 - Stage hypnotism

6.2.2 - Hypnosis in a clinical setting

6.2.3 - Hypnosis: deep relaxation and heightened awareness simultaneously

7 - The concept of regression and its possible use in counselling

7.1 - Definition of regression (re· gres· sion | ri-ˈgre-shən)

7.1.1 - Medical definition of regression

7.2 - Different states of regression

7.2.1 - Psychological regression under pressure

7.2.2 - Regression as a hypnotic technique

7.2.3 - Regression as an occurrence in daily life

8 - Beth’s secret, unexpectedly unveiled by a Tarot spread

8.1 - Case study 3: The client called Beth

8.1.1 - Observations

8.1.2 - Symptoms

8.1.3 - Life-history

8.2 - The therapy

8.2.1 - Therapeutic indication and motivation

8.2.2 - Stabilization

8.2.3 - Encountering the inner critic

8.2.4 - Realization of small changes

8.2.5 - Initial changes

8.2.6 - More changes

8.2.7 - Surprising turn of events and unexpected new insight

8.2.8 -  Ongoing change in behaviour: attaining more openness

8.3 - Tackling Beth’s alcohol problem

8.3.1 - Rounding off

8.4 - Dream intermezzo

8.4.1 - Unfolding Beth’s dream

8.5 - Ending the treatment and saying goodbye

8.6 - Looking back at the therapy

8.7 - The readings of Beth’s Tarot spreads

8.7.1 - Explanation/Clarification of Inanna’s Descent into the Underworld

The way I read the Inanna’s Descent spread for Beth

8.7.2 - Explanation/Clarification of The Way

The way I read The Way spread for Beth

8.7.3 - Explanation/Clarification of the Four Card spread

The way I read the Four Card spread for Beth

9 - Tarot cards and their possible use in counselling

9.1- Short history of the cards

9.1.1 - Different card readers and their influences over time

- Antoine Court de Gébelin (1725-1784)

- Etteilla (1738-1791)

- Eliphas Lévi (1810-1875)

- Dr. Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942)

9.1.2 - The various cards in the deck

9.1.3 - Reading the cards

9.2 - Tarot cards as a possible tool in therapy

10 - Dreaming and dreams and the valuable albeit subconscious information they give access to

10.1 - Dreams and dreamwork

10.1.1 - Definition of a dream

10.2 - An overview of the history of dreaming, dreams and dream interpretation

10.2.1 - The first known dreams in Western culture

10.2.2 - Dreams and dreaming in Antiquity

- Aristotle (384-322 BCE) 213

- Artemidorus of Daldis 214

10.2.3 - Dreams and dreaming in the Middle Ages

- The Old Testament

- The New Testament

- Dream manuals

10.2.4-  Dreams and dreaming according to some Christian theologians (a.k.a. patristic dreams)

- Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE)

- Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

- Thomas of Froidmont (12th Century CE)

10.2.5 - Dreaming in the Renaissance

- Differences in view between Medieval and Renaissance culture

- Dream theories

10.2.6 - 19th century dream-interpretation Sigmund Freud Carl Gustav Jung

10.2.7 - Conclusion

10.3 - How to work with dreams in counselling therapy

10.3.1 - An overview of types of dreams

10.3.2 - Getting started

10.3.3 - A practical approach

Rounding off

About me

Acknowledgements

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