Coherence Therapy

Question 1

The Juxtaposition Experience

Answer 1

You are cueing the client to subjectively feel two different knowings concurrently, and both feel real, yet both cannot possibly be true.

Question 2

Juxtaposition Template This template is often useful: “Let’s go over two things that seem to feel true for you. It would be good if you picture and feel these things as much as possible as we review them.

Answer 2

First, what you,learned in life very deeply is that ____[core belief/mental model that is the target of change]____ . And second, you’ve had experiences, such as _________, that have shown you that __[contradictory knowing]__.”

Question 3

Repetitions are created in a natural manner simply by empathetically reviewing what the client has recognized and experienced on both sides of the juxtaposition.

Answer 3

A juxtaposition experience is an oddly surprising, edgy experience for the client, so it is natural to dwell with it and review it a few times during the rest of the session.

Question 4

Very specifically name the disconfirmed and disconfirming knowings, in order to recue them. The client re-encounters the juxtaposition afresh.

Answer 4

“All along, it just seemed so true that ____________ . And now it’s something of a surprise to recognize that _______________ .” Then further discussion will afford additional opportunites to again refer specifically to both knowings, for more repetitions.

Question 5

Mismatch detection

Answer 5

This is always the first approach: Guide client to make declarative assertions of the discovered prosymptom schema. Such overt statements are part of the integration phase.

Question 6

Past opposite experiences When overt statements do not elicit juxtaposition in the manner described at left, and the target schema remains in force even though it is now fully revealed and well integrated move to past opposite experiences.

Answer 6

Ask the client whether she or he has ever had any past experiences in which life did not behave according to the specific expectations or beliefs of the target schema.

Question 7

Created opposite experiences The next option is the new creation of a contradictory experience.

Answer 7

1) Use of the client-therapist relationship to create a relational experience that contradicts the client’s relational (attachment) expectations 2) Guiding an empowered reenactment of a traumatic incident to create an experience that contradicts the client’s expectation of helpless vulnerability. 3) With pro-symptom schema well integrated, the client reports an experience in daily life that sharply contradicted the schema.

Question 8

As you cue the two knowings, you empathize equally with each, indicating no favoring or disfavoring of either. Guiding a juxtaposition experience takes only minutes after steps B and C are fulfilled.

Answer 8

Repetitions are created in a natural manner simply by empathetically reviewing what the client has recognized and experienced on both sides of the juxtaposition.

Question 9

Coherence Therapy Process

Answer 9

Discovery

Integration

Transformation

Question 10

Discovery

Integration

Transformation

Answer 10

Question 11

Discovery

of Pro Symptom Position PSP

Answer 11

First time
Exceptions

Overt statement
Sentence completion
Symptom deprivation
Two-step
Who else?
What’s under this?
Get to purpose

Question 12

Integration

of PSP

Answer 12

Stay there!
Overt statement
What’s the connection
Cycling
Pro/anti synthesis
Connecting up
Index card
Hindsight recognition
Real-time recognition

Question 13

Verification: psp re-evokable?

Answer 13

Verification: psp re-evokable?

Question 14

Transformation of psp
Not too soon!

Answer 14

Experiential disconfirmation:
Juxtaposition of psp and
any incompatible living knowledge (already held; newly received; newly created)

Verification: psp re-evokable?