AHP Perspective Feb Mar 2012.indd - California Institute of Integral ...

REVIEWS
WHY REGRESSION
THERAPY? The View of
the Inexperienced
Written and directed by Ulf
Parczyk
Produced by the European
Association for Regression Therapy
(EARTH), 2011, DVD €20.
Reviewed by David C. Lavra
Given the effects of our
life’s early experiences on
our ongoing experience
of our lives, regression
therapy represents an important
medium for addressing these
effects. We can re-explore events
and traumas to heal wounds.
In this DVD Why Regression
Therapy?, a vivid description
is provided of the process. The
presentation moves slowly
with soothing music in the
background. (Note: With the
volume at maximum, the volume
on my laptop was very low.)
The DVD begins with a
narration from a client who went
to the international convention of
EARTH (European Association
for Regression Therapy) that met
in Germany. At this 2010 Annual
Meeting, he had a chance to hear
many opinions from the experts
and leaders of Regression Therapy.
He had been a client in this style
of therapy and was motivated to
learn more about it. He conducts
interviews with the therapists, and
records actual therapy sessions that
took place at the convention. In
the interviews, several therapists
discuss their goals and methods of
their particular style of regression
therapy.
Therapists come from a range
of practices including Gestalt,
Voice dialogue, bodywork, but in
common they listen to their client,
stay with the client, but do not
interpret. At times the therapist
asks for thoughts and descriptions.
They make the intangible,
tangible. The DVD provides
demonstrations
and explanations of
various methods.
While it is
declared that
Regression Therapy
brings deep and
lasting relief and
is an efficient,
focused, and direct
therapy aimed at
resolving sources of
mental–emotional
issues, it is also true
that no one method always works.
However, the regression therapists
here declare that “people go to us
because other things do not work.”
The DVD addresses who the
appropriate client is. Specifically,
this method is “very effective with
phobias and physical problems.”
Among the inappropriate
clients are clinically determined
schizophrenics and borderlines,
people who will not listen to
their bodies, New Age types, and
people taking tranquilizers and
medications (that silence their
awareness). Also, the client needs
to be open to the methods used in
regression therapy.
I was particularly impressed
by the poetic description of the
client in therapy who “Like a
flower opens up petal by petal and
becomes who they are.” Another
therapist speaks of deep healing
in which deep pain is sought
in order to reach the core issue.
Another therapist guides the client
to “go back to the first time you
had this feeling,” go into memory
and relive it cathartically, reexperience
the trauma to re-react
and break up the energy, in order
to alleviate problems. Another
therapist describes providing
energy to hold a space where the
client works, while the therapist
guides and helps to clarify. Of
particular importance is the
clinical problem of
a core issue that can
be created from false
memory, to which
a clear distinction
was presented based
on the difference
between fantasy and
real memory.
It was pointed
out that Freudians
guide clients from
their childhood
experiences, so
this part of the therapy is not
necessarily new. However, going
back well before birth presents
a much greater challenge for
scientific verification. Many
associates of EARTH seem to
build on the reincarnation idea,
which is unique and may limit
the range of prospective clients.
One therapist describes a child
that came into life with sadness
and fear, which was attributed to
experiences from a past life. To
answer a major doubt presented,
this DVD addresses the issue of
false memories. The question of
false presentations (or memories)
and fantasies was addressed
from the position that the “body
remembers” those experiences
“from past lives.” One therapist
assures us that “the body does
not lie.” Further, the experts
share their positions about false
presentations based on their
clinical experience.
The viewer is provided with
information on many levels and
aspects of Regression Therapy, all
grouped into video chapters for
convenient review.
DAVID LAVRA is a member of AHP.
20
ahp PERSPECTIVE
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2012