Working
from the Outside-In
Working
from the
Inside-Out
The
tools I use:
EMDR
Guided
Imagery/Creative Visualization
Ego
State Work
Somatic/Body
Awareness – Mindfulness
Energy
Therapies |
Working
from the Outside-In
You
may have heard that it takes 21 days to change a bad habit
and create a new one. I have heard the expression “bring
the body, the mind will follow.” These are both ways
in which we work from the Outside-In…working to change
our behavior, often, though not always, without a lot of
focus on many other aspects of the behavior. Dieting is
a form of working this way…controlling what and how
much and when to eat. Quitting smoking or becoming abstinent
from alcohol or drugs is working from the Outside-In.
Where
patterns or behaviors are destructive or regularly disruptive,
it is important to get a handle on them and learn ways
to contain them. I will work with you to develop skills
and techniques and a plan of action to begin to reign in
these behaviors, to work towards improved daily functioning
or improved functioning in your relationships.
However,
depending the depth and extent of the pattern, it is doubtful
that solely a behavioral, or Outside-In approach will be
enough. How often have you tried any of these behavioral
interventions only to find yourself back in the cycle?
While it may take only 21 days to break a habit or create
a new one…. how many of you have been able to change
a habit for 21 days…especially the habit of thinking
and reacting?
You
may have heard about something called “switching
addictions.” This is when we are able to stop a behavior…say,
for instance, drinking abusively… and maybe you are
successful in stopping for a long time…but within
a relatively short time, and possibly in response to the
normal stresses of living or in reaction to a specific
and repetitive situation (for example, dealing with a spouse
or family)…you find yourself engaging in some other
behavior. You may find yourself overeating or chewing your
nails or working all the time or constantly keeping busy
in other ways or spending way too much time on the computer
or watching TV or finding some other creative way to not
deal with whatever it is that was under the original “addiction”.
One of the more subtle ways in which we switch addictions
is going into depression. This is a way to avoid the pain,
fear, sadness, anger, loneliness, guilt or shame…by
shutting them down and locking them away.
While
Outside-In is an important piece of therapy, it often is
not enough. Then it is essential to start working from
the Inside-Out. |
