Certified Master Practitioner, Rapid Resolution Therapy
While driving to the second annual Healer the Healer Retreat
from Tampa, Molly Sanford took the first exit off I-10 to Fort Walton Beach, FL, only
to find herself on a long deserted highway that runs through Eglin Air Force Base
reservation with her fuel tank quickly reaching empty. When she called I heard
distress in her voice as she described the fuel light was on, and she was
thinking her car would run out of gas before she reached civilization.
She had no conscious map or view of where she was relative to
the nearest gas station. She had temporarily
lost directional sense as the idea of running out of fuel activated her
primitive mind to make her body stronger and more alert. "I don't want to run out of gas"...inner mind
hears dominant thought- run out of gas- Yeeeeeks! She knows she can drive, but right now she
doesn't know where to go.
I reassured her that I was familiar with where she was, and
we'd take care of it. I then began to
develop a target. I saw Molly calm, at
ease, creative, and joyful at the retreat as she sat on the beach.
Step 1 - communicate you're not alone, you and I are
connected, we're collaborating and will get this done! I had to figure out where she was, and then
develop a plan for how to get her where I wanted her. She told me right away
that she wasn't an auditory person, so I stopped talking in directions and
started using visual landmarks to keep her with me. What I said was there, was
there. I saw the steps--"You're here
Molly, keep going, you'll see this, then that."
I saw a coffee cup, no time to develop an activator, but I
knew that Molly's mind was wonderfully responsive to coffee. "You're going to
see a Tom Thumb store on the corner. They have coffee and Gas." After you fill up, start moving again, more
visual directions to our meeting place, and then follow me to the retreat. Whenever you get or give directions to
someone, you rely on your own ability to go inside and mentally represent
through a movie how to get wherever it is you want to go. Yes think about it. Even directions involve
creating imagery of what it will look like!
Step by step my mind showed me what to do, and then I showed
Molly in a way that her mind got it. She had worry thoughts of "What if I run
out of gas?" She felt stressed and lost (yes these were certain responses that
came up along the way), but she kept calm, moving and we were soon at
target.
I started thinking this experience of getting her to the
retreat was not unlike a RRT session. What's the problem, where are they now, and where do we want them? Dr. Jon Connelly tells us to be intentional. Begin
with the end in mind. See the
target. Demonstrate understanding,
connect, create experiences that change is underway, lead the way with commands
(directions) for where we want them until they arrive, and then celebrate.
If you'd like to chuckle a bit, can you just imagine for a
minute what some of the other more popular therapy approaches might have done?
Validate her, draw attention to her need for fuel, poison with sympathy,
analyze why, was it something about her relationship with her mother, father;
did she ever dream of getting lost and running out of gas, what does this
really represent, was the problem irrational thinking, should we give her
skills to cope and tolerate emotional distress, would it help if she was more
mindful and accepted where she was so she would not struggle or try to control
it, would they look at her readiness, desire or motivation for change? Sounds
pretty ridiculous compared to RRT, huh?
I thought it's totally okay with her to not be running out
of fuel and looking for the quickest way out of the woods! Only a RRT therapist
would set the clear intention from the start - seeing her calm, at ease,
creative, joyful, her mind showing her what has benefit, and possibility. In
the end Molly delivered a creative, moving, and effective Heal the Healer Retreat.
For more information about upcoming Heal the Healer Retreats, please visit www.thehealerretreat.com.
Since 1991, Dr. Elizabeth Michas has been in private
practice with Michas, Valentine and
Gill, Psychiatric Associates in Fort Walton Beach,
Florida. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety,
and trauma and also
has an interest in the application of mind-body medicine, neuroscience and
integrative therapy approaches. In addition to psychotherapy, her practice
includes psychological and neuropsychological assessment. Dr. Michas is
licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in the state of Florida (PY4751)
and is board certified in Rapid Trauma Resolution and Advanced Clinical Hypnosis. You can reach her through her website at www.drelizabethmichas.com or email her directly at drelizabeth@cox.net.
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