EP95 Conversation Hour 12 - Paul Watzlawick, PhD

Description:

Educational Objectives:

1. To learn philosophies of various practitioners and theorists.

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

Outline:

Evolution of Psychotherapy and Meta Rules

• Question about meta rules and meta metaphors in psychotherapy

• Use of metaphors, stories, and analogies explained as tools for comprehension

Third Wave in Family Therapy

• Inquiry about the third wave in family therapy, postmodern school, and narrative practices

• Clarification requested on the meaning of “postmodern” and “narrative”

• Question about sustaining joy, optimism, and humor as one ages

• Belief expressed that joy and optimism have remained steady over time

Effective Intervention for Weight Loss

• Intervention described involving a medical doctor with weight issues

• Therapist admitted ineffectiveness, prompting client to successfully take initiative

• Intervention identified as a positive connotation technique

• Presenter shares personal experience with eating disorders

• Question raised about nonlinear time and causality in therapy

Nonlinear Time and Causality in Therapy

• Explanation of nonlinear and circular causality

• Reference to cybernetics in understanding systems and interactions

• Example of a vicious cycle in a marriage and how therapy can interrupt it

• Emphasis on understanding the full context of a case for effective intervention

Postmodernism and Constructivism

• Request for resources on postmodernism and constructivist thought

• "Postmodern" described as meaning "more modern than modern"

• Question raised about radical constructivism versus social constructivism

• Radical constructivism defined as a deeper level of reality construction

Radical Constructivism and Second Order Reality

• Reality described as a construction, not an objective given

• First-order reality: perception; second-order reality: meaning and significance

• Behavior prescriptions offered as tools to shift second-order reality

• Emphasis on understanding how clients assign meaning to their experiences

Handling Religious Convictions in Therapy

• Question about integrating theology and psychology

• Religious beliefs framed as one of many useful belief systems

• Christian worldview respected for its construction of meaning

• Advises speaking the client’s language, including religious terms when relevant

Self-Disclosure and Therapeutic Techniques

• Question about the appropriateness of self-disclosure in therapy

• Self-disclosure said to depend on individual and context

• Importance of learning and using the client’s language highlighted

• Discussion of indirect suggestions and constructivist framing in therapy

Strategic Therapy and Client Compliance

• Question on how to present strategic therapy to clients

• Emphasis on rapport and speaking the client’s language

• Examples of reframing and symptom prescription provided

• Maintaining strong alliance seen as key to client cooperation

Reframing Fear of Death

• Question on working with terminally ill patients fearing death

• Emphasis on addressing the client’s specific second-order reality

• Importance of identifying and reframing attempted solutions

• Every case requires a tailored, individualized approach

Cultural Relativity and Language Learning

• Question on how multilingualism affects perception of reality

• Encouragement for young people to live in different cultures and learn languages

• Reflections on personal learning in India and encounters with Swamis

• Emphasis on avoiding rigid worldviews and embracing reality as relative