Emotion-Image Therapy. Analysis and Implementation

In general, the EIT method may be described in the formula: a negative feeling – an image of the feeling – the analysis – an emotional transformation of the image – a positive feeling. But this description is not sufficient. In a more precise way the therapeutic process in the EIT method may presented as succession consisting of ten steps.

The first five steps [or stages] may be defined as an analytical phase of the work, when the main psychological conflict becomes revealed. The following five phases are devoted to the transformation of the emotional state, which generates the existing problem, verifying and fixing the result achieved.

At times, certain transformational actions with an image may be just a stage in the analytical work. Or with the help of these actions some intermediate results are achieved, and they are steps to achieve the final liberation. A chain of images connected with the problem may be made and a whole series of actions may be performed. Everything depends on the “entanglement” of the problem and the sincerity of the client. But the final solution is always simple in meaning and in implementation, it always stops pathogenic fixation and at the same time constant production of pathogenic emotions. Only emotional in their content actions with images can lead to effective transformation of the image and solution of the initial problem. The goes on in real time that is here and now.

The EIT may be conducted both individually and in a group. What is typical of group work is that therapeutic work is conducted with one member of the group, on his request but in the presence of the group. Watching the therapeutic séance other members of the group often resolve their own problems by analogy with the case discussed. They learn to understand other people and themselves better. The EIT has the advantage of being visual, the whole structure of the client’s psychological problem becomes absolutely evident for the observers due to its image expression. This is a good way of teaching students and practicing psychologists.

1. General scheme of therapeutic work [10 steps]

1. Preliminary conversation

As in all therapy trends before you start changing the state of the client you get to know him, clear up the problem, gather information about his life history, conclude the contract. All these therapeutic work principles are well described on literature so will not specially dwell on them here. The result of the initial talk in the EIT must be clear identification of the important feeling or state which the client feels as undesirable, causing suffering and being the “center” of the problem discussed. You also discover the problem situation [critical situation] in which this symptom appears. In the course of further work you may come back to the initial conversation, if some circumstances of the client’s life or his intentions are not quite clear.

Even at this stage some hypothesis of the client’s problem structure must appear, the hypothesis about the main impulses requiring realization and about the barriers on its way. In every case the hypothesis must include the idea of the chronic emotional fixation on the basis of which the system of adaptations and corresponding functional disorders is based [see above].

2. The symptom’s manifestation in an imagined critical situation.

For further work the symptom must be clearly demonstrated here and now. That is why if the symptom doesn’t show itself at the moment the client is asked to imagine himself in the situation when he has this feeling. For example, if he suffers from claustrophobia he must imagine himself to be in a closed-up room. The situation in which the symptom reveals itself is called critical or problem. After the successful completion of the work the same situation helps to verify the result achieved. This point wasn’t included in the work scheme before, though practically it was always done that way. Now we correct this in accuracy.

In some cases, which are quite rare the critical situation may cause such a strong emotional response of the client that he will feel bad and the work will be impossible. If there is such a risk or strong emotions begin to reveal themselves, you may resort to the method of double dissociation. It is essentially analogous to the so called triple visual-kinesthetic dissociation in the NLP [41—43], but easier to perform. It means that we ask the client to imagine himself sitting right in front of him, and then imagine that this second is telling about his feelings and creating images. This method works well with children: “Tell me about the boy who is afraid, imagine that he is sitting on that chair… And how will that boy imagine his fear if this fear is on that chair?” Double dissociation lets the client view his feelings as if from the outside, not being involved in the emotional process with his “whole body”.

3. Clarifying psychosomatic manifestations of the problem

At this stage the symptom must be clearly revealed and its psychosomatic manifestations must be found. In this context, what we mean by psychosomatic manifestations is not psychosomatic diseases but certain feelings in the body, bodily expressions of emotions.

At first, if the feeling is not clearly realized by the client, the doctor tries to make it stronger, to reveal it here and now, to clarify all its nuances. Second, it is necessary to find out how this feeling or state is expressed bodily. To achieve it you ask such questions:

– How would you call this feeling?

– Where in your body do you feel it? [To those who are looking at the doctor in surprise: “It isn’t flying in the air, is it?]

– Describe in detail how you are feeling it? What is the quality of this feeling? [For those who do not understand: “Do you feel some pressure or pain, maybe you are worried or shaking and so on…”]

This stage is based on the theoretical concept that every feeling exists in the body not just in space, that psychosomatic expression of the feeling reflects its meaning better than verbal description. For example, a person may say that he has the feeling of fear, and the psychosomatic expression may reveal that in actual fact it is anger, because it is felt in the area of diaphragm and is felt as strong tension. From this point of view it is useful to know Wilhelm Reich’s concept of feelings location [see above].

The need to find psychosomatic correlation of feelings has some more reasons. When a client describes where in his body and in what way he experiences some feeling, he himself realizes it better. He begins to understand that the feeling is rooted in him only. To explain feelings he uses figures of speech: “temples are pressed”” “as if a red-hot nail got stuck”, “being cut with a sharp knife”, “a lump doesn’t let breathe”, “fog is before my eyes”, “I feel so nauseous as if I was heap of dire”, “there is an insurmountable wall in front of me” and so on. In fact, he creates images, which you can use at once:” Very well. Would you describe how this wall looks?”

4. Creating an image.

At this stage the client is asked to present a feeling or a symptom in the form of some image, situated in front of him on a chair [it is preferable], in his own body or in space. This method creates initial dissociation between the client and his problem feeling. Then you can work with the feeling as a separate object, to examine it and to study it from all sides. In some cases, the image can be situated in the body or around the body, it depends on the specific character of the problem, and on particular features of the client.

It may be good to begin this way: “Imagine that by some miracle the feelings that you have just described appeared here on this chair. You are sure to see how they look… Think of any image that can express your feelings… whatever comes into your mind will do… Speak, even if the image seems to you absurd… Say the first thing that crosses your mind…”

As a rule, a visual image is used, but you can add an audial and a kinesthetical channels too. It is difficult for some clients to create an image of their state. This testifies either about the resistance to realize their problems, or about initial tension and a lack of trust to the doctor, or about the conviction that we can think only in a formally logical way [see above].

With such clients, you may have a relaxation training beforehand, you may ask them to draw their feeling, sometimes, it is easier than to imagine it. With some clients, it us worth discussing their worry or their mistrust to the doctor, to others it is necessary to clearly describe their resistance, as in psychoanalysis.

It is useful to repeat to the client: “Don’t try. The first thing that occurred to you will do”. It is desirable that an image appeared spontaneously, the very first image is the most correct, though it may seem absurd to the client. If a client is thinking too long, you may suspect that he suppresses the image that appeared initially and tries to think of something “better”. Then the image may be fake and express the resistance of the client to the therapy. But can also be used to establish the truth. For example, you can ask the client to tell that “forced” image to reveal its true potential. You can ask the client what he tries to hide with the help of this image.

If a client assures you that “he is not able to see anything”, a simple means practically always helps. Ask him to stretch his hands in front of him to imagine that the image is on the chair and to tell what it is like to the touch: big or small, hot or cold, soft or hard and so on. Then a visual image emerges easily. If a client definitely prefers audial system you may ask him at the beginning to hear the sound of his feeling.

I am often asked: “Do you get the client into the trance to make him see images?” No, we deliberately don’t get the client into the trance, do not hypnotize him, we even don’t tune to his representative system as they do in the NLP. We don’t want a person to lose his self-control, to plunge into some unknown depths of the psyche, to submit to us, to refuse his own will… On the contrary, we want the client to be able to reason sensibly, to take decisions, to understand logical conclusions, and to interact with images created by himself independently.

If a client starts to pay attention to his inner state, turns his eyes, so to speak, “with pupils looking into his soul”, creates spontaneous images, he himself involuntarily enters the necessary for him trance or remains in his usual state. The state of trance [or the changed state] is the state when the client is extremely attentive to his inner world, to his own emotions, thoughts and feelings. You should be careful about the client’s trust to the doctor and to himself, you should make sure that the client act spontaneously, I mean sincerely and be to some extent relaxed. Even after the first few successful therapeutic methods the trust will increase, spontaneity and the degree of relaxation will grow.

However, a student of mine brings her clients into a meditative state with the help of a special device of audio-visual stimulation. It is not prohibited. It helps to create images even to those clients who are very distant from the subject of emotions and images and are incapable of spontaneity.

5.Image study and problem analysis

Further on an image is studied from the view-point of its sensory characteristics [size, form color and so on], functions [what it does for the subject], attitude [what the subject’s attitude to the image is and what attitude to himself he feels from the image]. For example, the client says: “Well, it is a stone.” I ask: “What kind of stone? Stones are different. Describe in detail.” Then: “And what this stone is doing for you? How it influences you? For what?”