Thank you for asking about my work. If you’ve visited my website you know that I’m not a licensed therapist and do not have the support network required to contain emotionally unstable people. Therefore, I only work with people who can manage their own lives, are able to hold down jobs and relationships, do not require social services, etc. No drug/alcohol addictions. Most of us fall into this category. And, yet, many of us have suffered trauma, whose lasting effects interfere with self-fulfillment and enduring relationships. We’re easily angered, withdrawn, and have “anxiety disorders”. And we don’t know why. We talk to the experts about our problems and it seems to get us nowhere. We are given medications that relieve our symptoms, but we feel that they flatten our emotional lives.
I’ve never had anyone “get lost” in the primal process. There is a saying in men’s work: “never let yourself get out of sight of your tracker”. I understand this to mean that we must be conscious of the process work we are doing. Indeed, primals require this. Unconscious primal work is re-traumatizing and Janov warned against it. I track this in different ways. And, when someone begins to get lost, there are ways of gently re-grounding that person.
I also require that a person genuinely understand that it is HE/SHE who is creating their own pain, not someone else. Neurotics are constantly saying: “you made me angry, you made me hit you”, etc. We mindlessly assume that those around us are causing our discomfort. As long as there is this lack of consciousness, no growth can be achieved.
Skewed behavior is caused by lost traumatic information. This is unconscious information, which constantly pushes toward consciousness...but can’t get there. This creates our anxiety and suffering. The nervous system actively keeps blocking it. The self-soothing behaviors we learn also keep this information blocked . This effort is experienced as depression. The idea is to present the opportunity to overcome this active blockage… to become conscious of this information … for the first time. That’s the definition of a primal. A primal is achieved whenever someone can be present with the painful sensations that were experienced during the trauma. Sometimes these sensations result in strongly expressed emotions and physical reactions. This is a good thing. If we were not severely damaged, our nervous system only allows so much of this information to move into consciousness at any one time. This represents an innate personal wisdom. And it must be respected. That's why the process shouldn't be forced. That’s why sessions are self-limiting and unique to each person. This is why emotional healing takes time.
When we imagine the trauma imprint as being a complex set of body sensations and reactions that were experienced, then recorded and trapped in minute detail within our nervous system, we understand why it takes time to process enough of this information so that we start to feel more comfortable in our own skins.
I love and respect primal work. Those who engage in it are doing sacred work. And it should be approached in this way. Having said this, I look for people who are committed to doing the work. There are so many "dabblers". And I don’t want to waste my time on them.
This work is very much a vision quest. You want to discover the roots of your unhappiness. You make a conscious decision to take a journey of discovery. You find someone trustworthy who will maintain the safety of your healing circle. And you begin your work. You keep journals of your daily thoughts and dreams. You review your notes prior to sessions, taking care to highlight the words that have energy in them. You use those energetic words and phrases to get the traumatic information moving. Then you become a witness to whatever comes up…you let your body tell its story. I call this work sensori-motor meditation. It requires a strong intention and a sustained effort. Those who make the journey experience permanent healing. I am here, if you’re that person.
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