by seeing what is going on in somebody physically as well as their current emotionality. here therapist alan cohen works th deb as well as their current what are you aware of in yr legsight now? it's kind of lik th're clutching. they're hoing their ground oknow, if you were to let youlegs speak, rather than "they," "i"... uh-huh. speak as your legs. all right. i'm not too sure about this. wait ainute. not one more inch. let's see where we're gog here. ok. eat. a tool called the empty chair technique helps clients find withithemselves the influee of key people who have contributed to theirersonality and experience. so, for example, if someone is lling me about their mother

and complaining to me about their mother, i might have them visualize this mother in the chair tting opsite them d complain to the mother and heighten the expience omplai. see you can pay atntion to what feeling goes along with that. the fear comes up again. fear? mm-hmm. ok. ou're going to squash me," is theling that comes along withhat. ok. who's the "y"? who's going to squash y? mom, you're ing to squash me. ok, so n we ha a dialogue with mom. mm-hmm. ok, not mom in tchair. yost right ere yoare. put moin that chair. before you speak to her, let urself s her. visualize her. ok. describe what you see.

in gestalt trapy, we srt with the present situation, and the present situation consists of what the pso presents as the patient and how they present themselves, so we're interested in the presenting of aroblem. foexample, i'm feeling depressed or i'm thiinabout changing my job or my marriage isn't working out or i'm lonely or whatever. but 're also ierested in how the person esenen themselves. someone who presents him or herse as lonely and in the process of doing that is avoiding eye contact, is showing us not only that they're lonely, but how they keep themselves lony by avoiding t. mommy,his hurts. you're squashinge. i dot like this.

hurts. does she hear you? no. noshe doesn't hear you. no. ok. now, come over here. now, could you be a mother who doesn't hear her daughter? mm-hmm. ok. spea that mother. what's your-- what's your experience ashis mother? honey, i'll beityo in a little while. i've got the turkey in the oven. i'm juggling fiv or six things right now. i have to get th done. i ve company comin it needs to get ne. ye. now, what's your reaction to this--to this little girl over here

who's kind of asking for yo attention when you're trying to do things? irritation and guilt. ok. we are looking to create new siations. were looki to provide for the person e possibility to become aware of h they mainta an old status quo and also to provide the opportunity to try out new experiences and behavior and therefore, to t out new ways of experieing themselves and the world. far thiprram has concentrated on the differences between forms ofsychotherapy-- so yealtsychodynamic, with it just byg gh tightening u and keeping it in? yeah. your father, i guess, would have approved that, did approve of it? the coitivbehavial, emphasizinchans in thinking d havior.

at ecould you haveolyourself, then, instd of sin "what a fo i am" well, i could just ary at m, which i usuallam anyway. e gestt,mphasing perienng t bod and its way of expresng emotions. what are you aware of in your legs right now? it's kind ofike they're clutching. theye holding their ground. now, if you were to let your legs speak, rather than "they," "i"... uh-huh. eak as your legs. in practice,owever, most present-day psychotherapists integrate their methos of doing therapy, often borrowing from orientations other than their own in order to meet the particular needs of their patients. so a behavior therapist who is focusing on action but sees that the patien really needs to experience more emotially n use methods of gestaltherapy.

the psychodynac therapist might choose to use coitive or behavioral techniqu to encourage patients to act in new ways in itsighest for i would think of it more-- as an integrive approa to different rmof therapy, to be able to select from other for of thery sothing seemingly dictated by the case at hand. often an indidual's relationship with soone el becomes central to the trapy, so sometes it makes sense to actually bring family memberor significant others in the thera session. here, two actorssing ca histoes of real people pl wanda and harry jakes. wandhas already had sessions with the therapt. now for e rstime, they are meeting with the therapists a couple. i'm reallylad that you wanted to join us. what's going on? i don't know.

you doha tlook at me like that. like w thisat don't kn you don't have to look at me li what? how d ok at you? the real reason harry agreed to be here is because the other nigh- we don't have to go into it it's foolish. tell me what happened. it's unbelble. because i didn make-- thisime was the rk chops the way your mother want them, d i told you the reason why, which i usually don't, so you must beoing something to me, soe be here what? [wan shs] what happenethe other night th t pork chops? very, very frequeny,

coups will come in for trent coing at they don't communicate to each other, and what they will then bring up e whee ter very trivi issues. the therapist in couplesork erates under the assumption that the disagement about this surface issue is really a reflection of an underlying theme or an underlying agenda that's hidden, so that there'a ne to get to this hidden agenda and recognize that the trivial argument is really about something totally different. and typically, the hidden agendas involve two major issues in the vast majority of cases where there's couple problems-- the issues of control and the issues of love. the issue control is, who's in charge? who's e active one? who's the passive one? who's telling who what to do?

who's stepping on someby else's freedom? the issue of love is really the issue of the absence of lo. it's--you don't care about me. you don't pay enough attention to me. you're not concerned about my welfare. thpork chops may very we be, "you don't care about me. "hers something that i like, "a you don't care to do it, which means you don't love me." holong have we bmarr which means you don'w long me." have you known how they're supposed to be made? it was a littlehi, not a big th it's the same thing over a over again. and besides which-- i mean reall terms of how impoant is it with the pork chops, what it really comes down to is... evething. dsn't make any diffence. if it's not the pork chops, it's something els

think ially milyhepy is a situation in which u e dealing with different indivials a faly does go toue stag odevelopment, anyou have to understand what stage of lopment th famils at. you have to understand how they are eitr enmeshed, orre they in terms of being inttwined too much and they are not allowing the members st lhe family to be their th trson? nice smooth. i'r prsu at work don't need to be made to fe th i'm under e sameind of pressure at . and home ould be a place that is a good place to come to. emotion-free?

um... unstressful. ok. metimes emotions can be stressful. all right. so your wife has all these feelings inside of h, and she has emotions and you find it difficult to deal with them, and you feel sortf inadequate when she goes on cryg. noi don't feel inadequate. i don'ever reay feelnadequate abouanything. what i feel, as i said, is confused. the least little thing can set her off, and i frankly don't know what it is. ev today, as soon as i opened my mouth, the big sighing and the tears started, and we're off and running again, and this is wh happens at home. wandand harry aren't a very uommon couple.

wandand harry a combination ofn didual-- the rt of obsessive-compulsive type of personality th everything s to be so and with an awful lot of structure and who is actually very attracted to feelings, but ve scareof them at theame time. on the other hand, wanda has more hysrical features of the hysteca onalit d she'all emion and elings. wh w happening s probably what ara the two them each other wh w hapis now shing em apart. as d rivas-vazquez poin o, co t th perivas-vazquez try eto, whathealls their urotic needs met. as one individual goes to individual thery now and they work thugh their neurotic needs, they lose the need that they ve for the other person. the relaonship might break because retiships are a balance--

often a neurotic balance, but nevehele a balance. so one of the complicating faors in dng coupl work is that the focus is not solely on the communication orhe relationship, t there are personal issues at eh one s, and while the therapy is not trying to deal... terrib much with those pernal issues, it must recognize them. it must recognize that the litations of howny individual reacts with a spouse is a function ofheir own personal limitations, which might be the sject matter of individual therapy. that what dr. rivas-vazquez suggesd for harry. getshsees himings abt in aolo session. if perhaps could understand you better so i help r, the twof you could essentially understa wha ch oth iall about,

and what needs. she-hen pele are unhappy, we're talking about peop n hing otiol needs being met. an intangible g.t's... a lot ofes pele don't know wh wl make tm happy. yeah. she wasn't toolear about exactly whould yeah. make happy so that's something she has to figure t. perhaps ththree of us at a later date might be able to do that yb ok. at makes happy? order. when erything about me is in order, then i can think clearly. it's like before i'm about to do an operation, having everything laid out exactly the way it's supposed to be and having everybody in place and havi things done

becausit such a precise. ncon that... anthat shod be carried ov into everything. when my hous when everything i own, when the people in my life are... in order, then i can keep thinking clearly. it must be quite distressing to you, then, whenou see thist of etion that are really lackinorr. sort ouncomftable. well, suppose emotions can be in order, also. ishat what... although hryakes is begin to open up, the gap betweethe jakeses is apparently very gat. in addition to recomnding that they continue les therapy, dr. rivas-vazquez will probably suggest that each continue in individual therapy, as well.

if i trusted peoe, or you gs, eugh to talk through things while i'm working them o, it would probly make life sier. in the group setti, each person comes with their own ki of prlem, but group therapyi, offers oppornitys to discuss and worthrough common issues as well. also offers a safe atmospher to take risks in expressing in, toryutewehaviors, and to give antoeceive honest feedback. in individuatherapy, the relation between ent and therapis becomes impornt. in group thera, it's t cohesion of the group that is pallel to that thereutiretionsh. that the group in that nse becomes really an ideal livingabatory for people who are having problems idealing with others,

regardless of what these problems are. delores mccarthy, a social worker, leads this group session involving her actual clients, some of wh she alees individual. onthing about a p is you c sehoclienth she alees individual. willct wpele, indust repo sitti. it real life for a client they'll get a sense of sharing, not being alone. they d'tee ifnt. theyth get senf hopeof sharing, not being alone. fr hearing oer peopl goough sittion particularly people al issue with other pe, li relatnships. they canractice, maybt theicourag to talk about mething that's frightening. someone who'y can be more open also to get feedback om peers. those things work st in a group set. i have that inpendent streak. i don't want to risk giving up something to getel what would you risk here?

i don't-- i'm t sure. i mean, i-- i don't know exactly, but there is some fear of losing control. ... i-- i'm trying-- i esone of the big fears is that i'll become too ndent, that i have such a need to be dependent on people that if i start... giving you a concrete example, i've talked about jen in the pt, d 're sort ofinvolv again, but i feel like i'm afraid that because she's one outlet erms of beinop-- i can cry in front of he i can talk to her about anything. i can ll her what i'm feeling at any moment. i feel like i'm putting all my eggs in one bket. it's gng to beoo much for her to handle.

i'm pulling myself back and saying, "stop. don't call her. she doesn't need your burdens." group therapy can be of various therapeutc orientations. inhis oup, delores mchy u a combinatn of approaches. my training is what would be called psychodyna orchoanalyti theayhat i ink thugions, buveee influe l byntpeonal appreso ychology-- can ace bke someby'chood. onf somethinstk sh that be done. e puos thera o have n eeriences witheal pele i was thinking over t wnd i want to ask you all a queson. i felt liktwo ffent people most of e time-- st weei felte-- i was ying this emoonerson, this logical perso would any of you say

i act ke two different people? do i ever... i'm curious ift's something i keep inside, and i woy about itelf, or do do it t outside? sometimes i use peop's reactio as mirrors to how i feel abo myself, and i wonder. do you think you've shown those two ople he? i'm not sure if i oversimpfyt and make it two separate people or if it's sometng i've created in my head and it'sore -flowing thing. i don't know if you've been two separate people more tn two dierent laye, becausi thin thers a side of you that've-- is a ver good listener. re vy emthetic. thk yore very helpful logical,ndational anybody lking about mething that going on. then, i'll be honest with you, it surprises m

we tald about your apartment, your work situatio ur partner and your old boyfriend. i really tught, my god, you're going through so much. it surprised me that this was happening because you uld talk about yo family-- because we all do here-- and yo were so helpl and empathetic, and thenind of feel like i was surprised that youad all of these other kind of micrises ing on, because that's really what they are. they only seem to come out when they seem a little erwhelming to you. right. that's what my life has been like in theast uple of years. it's just slowly en to a point where-- eemed like was manageabl then it beme unmanageable. then be antic and crazed. 's when i ndered how i'acting-- if i'm just keeping all thisraziness inside.

that's what i wanted to know. ve been thinking about it. alof a sudden, wh i said at, it became re to me i see myself as two people. you coted, which one of you comes here? i started wondering, does one of me come here? do you think jean's description mas sense? it does make sense. yeah. on isical d thother in csi i felt like there one side that wanted to comt. it does most of the time. th'she s ve nevet out i don'really know how to do it. e impression i get is you chere, and you're always very rational and level. and though you talk about the problems you're suffering, it's like you've already put them at a distance. we're not experienci themith you.

sometimes i wonder if i'm exriencing them. most othe time. sometimes. what you bring here is a very calm, rational person. from what u're telling us, that's not how you are all the time. you're not letting us in on thother side. i can certainly entify with that. i think all of us have read more of what's really there than maybe you've-- not expressed, but shown. but it makes me realize how controlled yoreally are. that's what i'm afraid of. and because there are a lot of things going on-- i remember one time when you were describing your life, it reminded of a smp-- st lots of roots intertwing and twisting around. the fact tt you do handle all of this-- i have maybe more confinc your ability to control tm all

anou do. one thinyou get escily in a group is aransference troup, not exactly in the sense ofomody is like eir father, ther, brother, but a kind of trerence to the rld. thway they see the group is how they see the world. one o's shy fea wl beearful about being th way in the group. ul was saying, "i want tohare me" because we've been talking about whhe doesn't, how he keeps to himself and how that limits him. i feel like i've accomplished sething here and over the past year. but i'really--i'm real tentative about it. you're afraid the ideas the group gives you won't stick with y? ah, that it's so new. sometimes after a great deal of talk, there are moments when the group falls silent

and the thapist chooses not to iervene. there's differt themeanings of silee,n the group falls silent and one of my jobs is to read what the silence is. often whenheres a silence in gup, s roceg formatn ro nd time to lett sotig n somein s roceg formatn ro t to ofen nking, istance, wh afrd? it's op integng inrmatn, the tha make what'spening personal tohe it's op integng inrmwhenou werlk out ents anying about the issu of them understanding what you do, i s thkingbout myself and my parents

and whether they understand what i do and what i'm trying to do. i'm at a pnt ghnow where i don't know whethethey'll undersnd complely. there's one side of me trying to deal with that fact. there' another sidef me that's saying i may be going by them souickly th i may not be for themdent to uerstanme. i dot know i you are over inow, th i may not be youlldon' that to uerstanme. to whr your parentand ot. i ill care a lot. that's the part that's the mos- that ieally am workg on nowith delores, is sarating fromy mother, you know. ve done it phycally, and w i need to find a to put it a gooderspective emotional because i can't vite around it.

psycthapy is bary 1oo yes old. psycholosts and research are r eachy seching patient or clien therapy th eort to mch erapist and orientation and setting with individual needs ll doubtless continue. ptioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc. captions copyright 1991 alvin h.erlmutter

funding fothis pgram was provided b..