First, one session is better than none. The rest is a bit more complex. Let’s take a closer look at this, given the specific modalities of therapeutic work.
Systemic and Family Constellations
An example of an approach where one session really matters. In most cases, even a single successful constellation work will give impetus to a new solution or, at least, change the client’s attitude to the problem.
In some cases, I leave the opportunity to perform minor constellation works sequentially – in this case, we are decomposing the problem situation with the client step by step.
This is especially relevant when we do not have much of emotional and energy resources available, which is often the result of a traumatic event or prolonged exposure to adverse factors. In this kind of treatment, it is important to avoid making the process ‘too much’ or ‘too fast’. The main focus here is on the stress response. Together with the client we develop a level of tolerance that allows us to approach the solution of the therapeutic problem without overloading the nervous system.
When working with Systemic Constellations, I pay attention to body signals, maintaining safety and having choice. Client may ask to pause or end the work at any time, take a break for cookies and a cup of tea, or postpone the continuation to our next meeting.
Body-Oriented Modalities
In the event of a recent adverse event such as:
- acute physical trauma (please check with your doctor before scheduling a session to make sure there is no immediate medical intervention required, bodywork does not replace medicine)
- emotional overload – an aggravated reaction to an event of a working nature, a stressful situation in the family, or other context, subjectively experienced as severe stress
a session of body-oriented therapy (CranioSacral Therapy, Integrative Bodywork) makes it possible to calm the stress reaction, to properly integrate excess energy. Even one session done on time can bring significant relief.
Lasting Issue: Prolonged Treatment
A long-term change of state, or continuous presence of an intense stress factor, usually requires medium or long-term work
Often we are dealing with symptoms that continue to be present for a relatively long time. Such difficulties require, as a rule, consistency and regularity in the approach. Weekly, biweekly, or at least once a month; The recovery process will most likely take some time. For chronic symptoms (persistent pain or tension, prolonged stress, etc.), it is unlikely that one session will completely resolve the problem.
There are some exceptions to this rule, though:
Sometimes significant efforts have already been made to solve the problem (client tries the techniques on his/her own or in other therapeutic modalities). The state of things indicates that everything is “almost ready” for changes, but something was missing to achieve a result. In such cases, a body-oriented therapy session may serve as the “missing link” to start a larger process. Such sessions sometimes have striking results, they are accompanied by states that are associated with transformational experiences. In some cases, after such a session the shift in therapy is so significant that the problem recedes.
Traumatic stress. Accompanying the Recovery Process After a Traumatic Experience
Traumatic experiences significantly affect our response to stress. Safe situations could be perceived as sources of severe threat, and sometimes the opposite happens: the nervous system does not respond adequately to threatening circumstances. Affected person “freezes” in a dangerous context or continues to act as if nothing happened, as if there is no threat at all. If there has been a long-term exposure to adverse, threatening circumstances, there are especially pronounced changes in the area of normal reaction to stress.
Accompanying recovery after a traumatic impact, body-oriented work makes it possible to normalize, optimize the stress response – small problems no longer cause an exacerbated reaction, also the pattern of ‘complete ignorance’ of possibly threatening situations fades. The work improves adaptability, flexibility in everyday contexts.
Judith Herman (1992) identified specific therapeutic goals for the different stages of recovery from trauma and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the first stage, therapeutic work is mainly dedicated to the restoration of safety. The second stage is devoted to the internal processing of what is connected with the trauma itself, the recognition and re-processing of what happened. Work at the third stage is related to safe and healthy reconnection with the outside world and other people.
Accompanying recovery with body-oriented work is possible at different stages of this extended process. Many experts point to the effectiveness of body-centered approaches for restoring access to internal resources, among the most famous, the importance of working with the body is emphasized by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk in his landmark text on trauma therapy “The Body Keeps the Score.” Meanwhile, it must be highlighted here that body-oriented work is not a substitute for psychiatric interventions or conventional psychotherapy.
Approaches that offer subtle body work, such as CranioSacral Therapy, help restore natural regulation of states, relieve tension associated with trauma-related reactions. Systemic and Family Constellations provide access to content related not only to personal experience, but also to transgenerational, inherited layers or contexts, which are often the initial sources of intense and painful stress reactions and symptoms.
Different stages of the recovery timeline require different interventions. For a client it means that this type of work in most cases will take time and demand certain regularity. However, within other therapeutic modalities, there is little evidence of universal “quick fix” solutions in this field, as well.
