Nick Kemp Blog

In talk therapy a certain amount of analysis can be useful but excessive analysis can be counterproductive and actually create all manner of problems.

Prior to agreeing to see any client, all clients are required to complete a full set of client notes so I have an insight into how they perceive the problem and a history of any previous treatment. Many individuals have already seen other therapists without success and in some cases the emphasis has been on analyzing past events. In recent times my views is that for some clients this has greatly exagerated the problem creating a belief in the client that “the solution” requires “understanding and getting to the root of the problem”. In cases where a client has severe anxiety, this analysis can be like throwing petrol on a fire creating more problems than it solves!

Focusing primarily on the past can tend to direct the client away from thinking about the future and paying attention to the here and now. Over 90% of all clients I see are for anxiety related conditions and of course anxiety requires the ability to anticipate which usually occurs by the client picturing what could be problematic ,or thinking unhelpful thoughts about what could be problematic, in the future. In some therapeutic modalities, where there is excessive analysis, there can also be the danger of the therapist “leading the client” into imagining all manner of unhelpful scenarios. One of the reasons I favour indirect hypnosis is that the therapist is working extensively with the client’s representations ,rather than introducing their own ideas which them biases the information fed back. I recently had a client told by a counsellor that they would never be able to fly again because in their sessions that had not managed to “get to the root of the problem.” They had spent countless hours analyzing what the problem could be and the many reasons why the client had the fear, rather than paying attention to what needed to be different to effect a new way of responding.

In Provocative Change Works™ the emphasis is on assisting the client in changing the way in which the client thinks, which in turn changes the way in which the client feels, which creates an opportunity to behave differently. This work is done conversationally and with humour, which produces really excellent results without the client having to delve into their past behaviours and relive “the problem” time and time again…