Case #1 - Trevor and doubt

Trevor was in a relationship with a woman, and had even proposed marriage to her. But he was still not completely certain that she was the ‘right one’. He felt more comfortable with his decision as we went through the therapy, but some doubt remained. He felt that their values were aligned, that they loved each other, and that they could have a good life together. But his doubt kept undermining him - was there someone out there who might in fact be an even better match?

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Case #2 - What are your limits?

A young man came with issues about his girlfriend. He was keen on continuing the relationship, but she wanted distance, and though she said that she loved him, it seemed she was losing interest and wanted a less involved connection.

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Case #3 - Joan the upset client

Joan was a client in her mid 50’s. She had plenty of money and two grown daughters, to different husbands. She was divorced, and travelled a great deal.

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Case #4 - Sexy and celibate

Tracey had been married for 12 years, and had a child. She was not unhappy in her marriage. She got on very well with her partner. But they rarely had sex.

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Case #5 - The angry rash

Lian came to me because she had a skin rash on her face which she couldn't get rid of. I asked about some contextual information - her life, her stress levels, her healthy, diet, exercise, and family. She was young - early 20’s, and already meditated. She had tried many health treatments, but nothing had got rid of it. She was a quiet person, and said people often didn't notice her, except for her rash.

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Case #6 - Mark: Discipline and freedom

Mark was 33. He grew up in India with his mother; his father was not in the picture at all. He was sent to an alternative school, where there was plenty of freedom for students, but not a lot of guidance.

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Case #7 - The giver and the marbles

Changchang was in her 50’s. She was a very kind person. In fact, she was very caring about everyone around her. But she revealed that she was unhappy in her marriage. She didn't fell fulfilled, she felt lonely.

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Case #8 - Distrust towards men

Gabriella had a 4 year old boy, and was 5 months pregnant to another partner, Jose, who liked to be referred to as her boyfriend. They had been together for 2 years.

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Case #9 - The solution is not to give a solution

Jane has an adolescent son. She is having trouble motivating him, and is conflicted about whether to pressure him about doing well at school, or give him space to find his own level. He spends a lot of time on the internet.

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Case #10 - Fear, aggression, pleasure

Bridget was a very sensitive person. She had previously had very bad allergies, and was both physically sensitive to the environment, as well as easily scared.

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Case #11 Father, mother, girlfriend

John was having difficulties in feeling solidly committed to his girlfriend. He wasn’t sure about the relationship. He had a dream. He and his girlfriend were making love. His father and mother were behind him. His father was a young man, confident, strong.

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Case #12 - Dream: twins, water, mother

Dreams, daydreams and stories are all similar: they provide us with access to the whole person. Jesse had composed a story about two twin boys. They were both playing at the side of a dam. The main character, lets call him Tony, was afraid of the water. The other twin, Jack, wasn't. Jack was in the water, playing, and ribbing Tony, telling him to come in. Tony held back. Their mother had died some time ago, and they were in the care of a step mother. Tony had a stone in his pocket, a keepsake of his mother. Jack grabbed the stone out of his pocket, and threw it into the water. Tony rushed in after it, and then found he was ok in the water. He forgot about the stone.

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Case #13 - Dream of blood

Liz had a dream that recurred. I asked her to tell in, in Gestalt style, in the present tense - that is how we get clients into the here and now with a dream. Here is how she related it:

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Case #14 - Sleep: holding on and letting go

Julee remarks that, sitting in the group she felt very relaxed, and sleeply. She has has had insomnia for 20 years. I asked what happened at that time, and she replies that she there were many things... she was very busy, and she didnt have much time for sleep. Rather than explore the context, I decided to focus on her immediate experience, and create a Gestalt experiment.

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Case #15 - Colour blindness, blinking and emotional sensitivity

The case of Wang, weak perception, and the blink. Wang was a bright young man. I wanted to demonstrate the phenomenologial approach. So I started by noticing his tshirt - a very boring looking brown.

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Case #16 - Smiling eyes, scary eyes

Ingrid looked at me and said - you have smiling eyes. I said, better than scary eyes. I wanted to bring out the polarity - its great she felt safe with me, but thats only because she didnt see my scary part. And what about her scary part. My interest is moving towards a more full relationshiop, rather than just staying with the assumption of safety.

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Case #17 - The stale story

Jake had mental problems. He had experienced a lot of suffering in his life; he had been in and out of clinics, been through a gammut of medication, and was doing therapy to try to deal with what felt to him like an impossible burden. His self esteem was low, and he did not have much confidence with people; he was very shy.

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Case #18 - The mini holiday

Trudy lived with her aunt and uncle. The uncle considered her interest in psychology to be frivolous, pressured her about getting a job, criticised the money she spent on workshops like this one, and told her she needed to marry soon, being 26.

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Case #19 - Attraction and boundaries

Dee was a young woman who spoke of her fear. I said, what are you afraid of? She said, men. I asked her to clarify. She explained that she wanted male attention, but she was also afraid of it.

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Case #20 - The frozen lid

Jane was provoked by the sharing in the group. She came up and was shaking. She did not want to talk about the content, which was fine. We just worked with the energy. I asked her to describe her experience. She talked about being frozen. I asked her for a metaphor to describe what she felt. She said, a frozen lid. I asked her to show me where in the body this was- lower stomach.

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Case #21 - Wild woman

Cynthia had recently seperated from her 3rd husband. They had been together 20 years. She wanted to work with a dream. I instructed her to tell it in the present, as if it was happening, blow by blow.

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Case # 22 - A Wolf At The Door

Matt was a successful entrepeneur. He had spent much of his adult life learning about himself, doing courses, reading self help books, and building his positive momentum.

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Case # 23 - The alcoholic father

Mary has ‘issues with her father’. I firstly spend some time making a connection with her. I tell her what I experience of her already - enthusiastic, open, and of my response to her, which is warmth.

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Case #24 - The Abandoned Infant

I spent some time connecting with Jane at the start of the session. I noticed the yellow/gold top she was wearing. She said she liked fire colours, they brought warmth, and that helped deal with feeling sad. Jane explained how she liked being around people who were enthusiastic and bright; if they werent, she had no interest in them.

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Case #25 - 10,000 arrows

Mary had been divorced twice, and was now living again with her previous husband, father to her son. I enquired about the journey. They both ran a business together, but disagreed on the approach. Over time he had started becoming violent towards her. This continued over a period of years.

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Case #26 - Giving and receiving

Tracy loved traveling, by herself. She liked being an independent woman. She went home every few weeks for a few days, and that suited her. She had her own flat in town. She said it suited her husband, because she had high standards, and there would inevitably be arguments.

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Case #27 - Moral rectitude

ohn ran a small company. His concern was that he was a very morally upright man. In a marketplace in which ‘anything goes’, he had strong principles, and he stuck to them. He was the same with his family - taking his duties seriously, respecting his parents, and following traditions.

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