Inner-Directed Therapy
Health professionals “should have a client-centered orientation and should have done sufficient inner work themselves so they are comfortable following and supporting whatever course the [client’s] own emotional process takes, rather than trying to impose upon it a predetermined course or outcome. This relatively nondirective approach may require a challenging adjustment for some [health professionals] with training and experience in other methods. It is an inherent, ongoing challenge for any [health professional] undertaking this approach to strike a skillful balance between allowing the [client’s] process to take its unique course and offering guidance or direction when appropriate” (Mithoefer, 2015, p.10).
As we will learn later in the course, there will be moments of strategic interrupting when called for, whether from a trauma-informed or trauma-specific lens or otherwise, and the ability to discriminate appropriateness is something a health professional will develop over time with practice and through supervision.
Video: Transference and Countertransference
Importantly, what distinguishes inappropriateness is when it is driven by a health professional’s conscious or unconscious agenda for the client which may stem from unacknowledged countertransference, implicit biases, beliefs or ideologies, past training in other modalities, or any other influence other than those that are therapeutically appropriate. On the next page, watch the video to learn more about the role of transference and countertransference in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
References
Mithoefer, M. C. (2015). A Manual for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. MAPS. https://maps.org/research-archive/mdma/MDMA-Assisted-Psychotherapy-Treatment-Manual-Version7-19Aug15-FINAL.pdf