BT16 Workshop 41 - Informational Trance Induction in Couple Therapy: Partners in a Pose - Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT

Description:

This second of two workshops will demonstrate the use of informal trance in couple therapy. PACT therapists use of posing (partners holding stationary positions) as a major therapeutic tool for both the couple and therapist in managing arousal, attention, and for inducing trance states. Attendees will learn a common PACT approach to inducing informal trance states in partners using what’s been termed, The Lovers Pose. Partners go into a deeper state whereby the therapist can probe, prod, and investigate more implicit issues that plague the relationship. Attendees will view clinical video demonstrations as well as live demonstrations to further illustrate this technique.

Educational Objectives:

1. Apply the technique of lovers pose in their office.
2. Apply interventions using cross-questions, cross-interpretations, going down the middle, and bending metal.
3. Use at least two ways of getting the couple into a trance state using continuous eye contact, voice, and cross-questions.
4. Apply at least two psychodramatic skills that include casting and staging.
5. Analyze partner response by reading the face, eyes, voice, heart rate, and body movements.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*

Outline:

Introduction and Session Structure

• Workshop by Stan Tatkin on using informational trance induction in couple therapy.

• Emphasis on adapting therapy from long-form to short-form sessions.

• First sessions are critical—many couples “crash and burn” due to unrealistic expectations.

• Focus on epigenetic factors and ensuring safety, especially with psychiatric conditions.

Therapy Format and Structure

• Uses a family medicine model: intensive early sessions + long-term access.

• Therapist should never “fire themselves”—make it hard for couples to quit prematurely.

• Online scheduling supports flexible, broad patient access and minimizes no-shows.

• Longer sessions allow for deeper exploration and faster progress.

Systemic vs. Individual Therapy

• Avoids seeing individuals separately from couples (with rare exceptions).

• Therapy works best at the dyadic/system level, not individual.

• Individual work can fracture the couple system and fuel blame.

Movement and Observational Techniques

• Beckoning exercise: one partner silently invites the other—reveals attachment patterns.

• Observes micro-movements, eye contact, and body language.

• Structured exercises surface withdrawal, contact maintenance, and avoidant patterns.

The Lovers Pose and Trance Induction

• Couples sit in eye contact, close together—induces non-linear, emotional states.

• Used to access procedural memory and repair past attachment wounds.

• Therapist monitors safety, provides pre- and post-op guidance.

Cross-Questioning and Commentary

• Partners answer questions about each other, deepening insight and empathy.

• Maintains eye contact and emotional focus throughout.

• Couples use narrative to revisit and heal relational wounds.

Live Demonstration

• Therapist guides real couple through Lovers Pose and cross-questioning.

• Therapist adjusts based on facial expression, breath, and eye gaze.

• Demo shows the dynamic, improvisational nature of the method.

Therapist Role and Emotional Mapping

• Therapist acts as coach, facilitator, and director, guiding process fluidly.

• Observes pupil dilation, tension, posture to track emotional states.

• Uses couple's story and reactions to shape the session in real-time.

Trust, Vulnerability, and Emotional Expression

• Clients explore past attachment wounds—e.g., distant fathers, stoic mothers.

• Partners reflect on emotional withholding and mistrust in current dynamic.

• Builds trust by guiding honest emotional disclosure and real-time reactions.

Projection and Past Influences

• Therapists and participants note projection of past experiences onto partners.

• Exercises highlight how old patterns play out in present interactions.

• Therapist’s role includes staging emotionally resonant, healing moments.

King and Queen Exercise

• Used in betrayal or power imbalance situations.

• Betrayer kneels or takes low posture; betrayed assumes empowered position.

• Designed to rebalance power and facilitate repair.

Participant Reflections

• Attendees describe the emotional intensity and effectiveness of the work.

• Many report trance-like states from prolonged eye contact.

• Emphasis on therapist flexibility, creativity, and close tracking.

Closing Thoughts

• Key techniques: eye contact, narrative repair, physical positioning, non-verbal tracking.

• Secure functioning is the goal: mutual safety, repair, fairness.

• Participants express gratitude for hands-on methods and transformative tools.