what is solution focussed therapy?
Solution-focused therapy means focusing on one issue or problem at a time until we get to the root of how it started and how our unconscious mind has embedded an unhelpful belief or habit over time.
For example, you might fear public speaking (so many people have); in that case, we would work together to find out WHY, the profound reason that you truly believe that makes you so uncomfortable about standing up in front of others and performing.
This belief often started from an incident you had probably forgotten when you were young. Perhaps the other kids laughed at you when you had to stand in front of the class and solve a maths problem (I’m being simplistic here), or your parents made you and your siblings do a ‘turn’ to entertain their guests at Christmas, and you hated every minute of it.
It’s incredible what triggers fears that we carry through our lives.
After that first negative experience, which prompts a substantial physical and mental stress response in your developing identity, you will never be put in that position again.
That’s why you start to sweat, feel sick, and shake when you think of giving your Best Man’s speech at a wedding. The words dry up in your throat, and you stand there like an idiot with everyone staring at you.
It’s an automatic response deep in your unconscious to protect you.
Your mind won’t let you do it. And so adrenaline and cortisol are triggered by the brain to give you physical warning signals that prevent you from repeating what your brain thinks is an endangering task.
Our job is to experiment with therapeutic tools to undo this pattern and replace it with a more positive, realistic approach enabling you to speak normally and lose the fear.
What’s more, we will build on this foundation so that you have all the tools to calm yourself down, feel confident and never suffer from that fear again.
Sounds magic?
It is, but it’s a case of knowing how the brain and body trigger these things and showing your unconscious mind that you don’t need that ‘protective’ response any more.
That’s just one example of how Solution Focussed Therapy can work; it’s one of my favourite approaches because it happens quickly, and it is satisfying to help someone overcome a situation holding them back.
