A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy

Mark D. Forman

Description

This book provides a practical introduction to Integral Psychotherapy, which positions itself as the most comprehensive approach to psychotherapy yet offered. Grounded in the work of theoretical psychologist and philosopher Ken Wilber, it organizes the key insights and interventions of pharmacological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, existential, feminist, multicultural, somatic, and transpersonal approaches to psychotherapy. Integral Psychotherapy does not attempt to unify these diverse models, but rather takes a metatheoretical perspective, giving general guidelines for which is most appropriate in a wide range of clinical situations. It also strongly emphasizes the therapist's own personal development, under the premise that the depth and complexity of the human psyche must be understood first within the self if it is to be understood fully in others. This essential text is for therapists and others drawn to holistic approaches to psychotherapy, and serves as a theoretical ground and precise guide for those interested in applying the Integral model in therapeutic practice.
List of Tables
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. Integral Theory and the Principles of Integral Psychotherapy

2. Psychotherapy as a Four-Quadrant Affair

3. Drives and the Unconscious from an Integral Perspective

4. Dynamic and Incorporative Development

5. Lines of Development in Practice: Cognition, Self-System, and Maturity

6. Prepersonal Identity Development

7. Early and Mid-Personal Identity Development

8. Late Personal and Transpersonal Identity Development

9. Interventions for the Prepersonal and Early Personal Stages

10. Interventions for the Mid-Personal, Late Personal, and Transpersonal Stages

11. Spirituality in Integral Psychotherapy

12. Gender and Typology in Integral Psychotherapy

13. Diversity in Practice

14. The Development of the Integral Psychotherapist

References
Index

Sujets

• System
• Behaviorism
• Humanistic psychology

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438430256
• Langue: English

Extrait

SUNY series in Integral Theory

Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, editor

A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy
Complexity, Integration, and Spirituality in Practice
MARK D. FORMAN


Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2010 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu
Production by Diane Ganeles Marketing by Anne M. Valentine
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Forman, Mark D., 1975–
A guide to integral psychotherapy : complexity, integration, and spirituality in practice / Mark D. Forman.
p. cm. — (SUNY series in integral theory)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-3023-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-3024-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Feeling therapy. 2. Psychotherapy. I. Title. II. Series: SUNY series in integral theory.
[DNLM: 1. Psychotherapy. 2. Delivery of Health Care, Integrated. 3. Spirituality. WM 420 F724g 2010]
RC489.F42F67 2010
616.89'14—dc22 2009021086
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Jenny and Jacob, with all my heart To Joe, with my eternal gratitude

Tables Table 1.1. Stages of Identity Development Important 20 Table 1.2. Lines of Development According to Wilber (2006) 24 Table 5.1. Stages of Cognition and Their Relationship to Stages of Identity Development 81 Table 5.2. Important Lines of Development According to Wilber (2006) 85 Table 6.1. Positive Psychological Attributes Correlated with Identity Development 94 Table 6.2. DSM Diagnoses According to Identity Level in Noam and Houlihan (1990) 96 Table 12.1. Common Mental Health Conditions in Which There is a Difference in Prevalence According to Sex; Adapted from Mash and Wolfe (2007) 237 Table 13.1. Cultural Communication Style Differences; Adapted from Sue and Sue (1999) 258

Figures Figure 1.1. Basic Overview of the Four-quadrant Model 13 Figure 1.2. Four-quadrant Model with Levels of Development 17 Figure 2.1. Four-quadrant Assessment of the Client 40 Figure 2.2. Four-quadrant Schools and Interventions 41 Figure 4.1. Labyrinth Image as Symbol for the Process of Growth 64 Figure 4.2. Wave-like Growth Versus Block-like Growth 66 Figure 4.3. Wave-like Growth Plus Encapsulated Identities 69 Figure 13.1. Four-quadrant Model of Control; Adapted from Shapiro and Astin (1998) 257

Acknowledgements
There are a number of people who deserve acknowledgment, and without whom this text would not have been possible. First and foremost, I would like to thank my family. My wife Jenny—herself a practicing psychologist— has provided patient, loving support as well as sound feedback throughout the 3 years it took to complete the book. My son Jacob has been a wonderful source of fun and respite from heavy pondering. And my debt to my mother, Lesley Fishelman, MD, is beyond repayment as well; no one could ask for a more devoted and committed parent, or for a better role model as a clinician and professional.
There have been many outstanding scholars who have contributed over the last 10 years to my thinking on the topic of Integral Psychotherapy. My indebtedness to Ken Wilber—whose work has affected me profoundly, and with whom I have had the pleasure of connecting with periodically— goes without saying. It also is imperative that I thank Bert Parlee, PhD, who has been an influential mentor and was my instructor for multiple courses in graduate school; John Astin, PhD, who chaired my dissertation on this topic with kindness and keen intelligence; and Jeff Soulen, MD, who is one of the most astute thinkers on the topic of Integral Psychotherapy I know, and who offered constructive feedback during the time I was initially forming my ideas. More recently, Deborah Easley and Robin Weisberg performed skillful edits of this text, and Elliott Ingersoll, PhD provided insightful commentary as well; their feedback has greatly improved what you see here.
On a more personal note, I would like to thank several of my closest friends—David Butlein, PhD, Robert Mitchell, PhD, Sonny Mishra, and Drew Krafcik. Each has a significant commitment to personal development as well as to being of service to those around them. It is my honor to count them among my friends, and our many discussions, both personal and professional, deeply inform the book.
Finally, I would like to offer two additional, special acknowledgments. This first is to Arthur Hastings, PhD, who began as my graduate instructor, and later become a mentor, role model, and co-instructor. His lightness of being, openness of mind, and knowledge of the literature have inspired me continually. The second is Joe Sousa, MFT, who, more than any other therapist I have met, embodies the full breadth and depth of the Integral approach. He has come to mind countless times while writing this text.
It is my hope that everyone named here—and all those unnamed who have contributed as well—find this book a useful contribution.

Introduction
Psychotherapists, perhaps more than any other group of professionals, are confronted with the full complexity of the human condition. So many factors—biographical, genetic, cultural, and social—come into play in the life of the client, mixing and interacting with largely unpredictable results. Even if we just consider the most basic of client variables, we can see how daunting the work of the therapist can be. Those who come to therapy may be 4 or 75 years old; male, female, or transgender; heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual; Euro-American, Asian American, Hispanic American, African American, Native American, or some mixture of two or more of these identities; wealthy, middle class, or homeless; mildly depressed, severely schizophrenic, or dually diagnosed; on medication, unwilling to try medication, or not able to afford medication at all; politically liberal, politically conservative, or apolitical; strongly religious or atheistic; psychologically minded and introspective or concrete and externally orientated; or skillful at entering a relaxed, meditative state or unable to sit still and close their eyes for even a few minutes without feeling highly anxious. It is likely that every therapist occasionally struggles with trying to grasp such an enormous range of humanity. And yet we are called to confront this complexity, make workable meaning out of it, and respond to it with empathy.
As therapists, one thing we do to help ourselves is to adopt a therapeutic orientation. An orientation provides us with a way to try and understand the nature of psychological problems, as well as how clients might achieve increased well-being. Having a plausible explanation for why people are the way they are—and having confidence in that explanation—reduces therapist anxiety and creates an atmosphere in which a strong relationship can flourish, and sound therapeutic work can occur. An orientation, when skillfully applied, also can aid us in identifying the central or underlying therapeutic issue in the life of the client—what Jung (1989) called the client's “secret story” (p. 117).
And yet there are many situations where our own orientation does not offer us a convincing explanation of the client's psychology or the problems that have brought him or her to therapy. Although one can learn to function in this situation, most would agree it is not optimal, nor can the lack of clarity always be chalked up to the idiosyncrasies of the client or the presenting issue. Often, if we are honest, it is precisely our theory of therapy itself that limits our ability to understand the client.
Pioneering therapists often did not address this reality, filtered out exceptions, and essentially worked to force-fit their orientation into cases where it didn't always have the strongest explanatory value. But few present-day therapists attempt this; most recognize that single therapeutic approaches—such as psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic—are limited in their range and applicability. It is this realization that has probably been most responsible for the push toward eclecticism in psychotherapy ( Kazdin, Siegal, & Bass, 1990 ; Lazarus, Beutler, & Norcross, 1992 ; Stricker, 2001 ).
Eclecticism, which involves borrowing from many therapeutic orientations, represents a significant step forward from making a single approach do all of the work. But it also leaves something to be desired. In particular, eclecticism holds techniques and ideas together in a patchwork fashion without truly aiming to reconcile them. In the process, many of the core issues and questions of the profession are swept aside. These unanswered questions go to the heart of what causes mental illness, what constitutes optimal human functioning, and how and when to apply different types of interventions. It is perhaps for this reason that many therapists view eclecticism as something of a “stopgap,” or intermediate step in the development of the field. Surveys have shown, for example, that the majority of therapists believe the future of the field lies in more integrated approaches to therapy ( Garfield & Bergin, 1994 ).
Integral Psychotherapy represents this next, integ