The Art of Creating a Magical Session

Key Elements for Transformative Psychotherapy

Paul J. Leslie

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781138365636
• eBook ISBN: 9780429773587
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Mental Health in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Recent research has repeatedly confirmed that it is not the technique nor the theory, but the interaction between therapists and clients that creates change in clients. This practical guide outlines the ways in which psychotherapists can find new methods of moving their therapy sessions toward dynamic, healing interactions by shifting away from an overreliance on techniques and theories.

The Art of Creating a Magical Session discusses the key elements needed to create the interaction conditions for transformational therapeutic change to occur. Using a conceptual approach to client transformation, the book draws from a diverse range of sources including indigenous traditions and rituals, as well as the latest research on the common factors that contribute to success in the therapy room. Each chapter focuses on educating and inspiring mental health professionals to easily adapt and apply creative and resourceful approaches to help their own clients begin inner transformations.

With case studies and narratives woven throughout, this accessible guide will support mental health practitioners as they approach their practice in new ways and achieve deeper, and more magical, therapy sessions. It will be valuable reading for psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers and counselors.

Chapter 1

What Is a Magical Session?

The term ‘magic’ conjures up different images for people. Some may instantly think of the exciting illusionists’ stage shows where misdirection and sleight of hand thrill and delight audiences. Others may think of the fantasy tales of wizards and dragons that capture the imagination and provide readers with hours of escapist enjoyment. While others may think of occult practices where practitioners perform elaborate ceremonies to create mystical experiences.

The one factor that all these images of magic have in common is that there is a departure from the normality of everyday life. Having a ‘magical’ experience is out of the realm of the ordinary and allows a peek behind the veil of the mysterious. These experiences can be profound and even possibly life changing for individuals who are open to allowing this magic into their awareness.

It is the assertion of this book that for psychotherapy to be truly transforming, the therapeutic practitioner must make therapy sessions a ‘magical’ experience. To understand how the term, magical, will be used throughout this book, we turn to a definition found in the English Oxford Dictionary (‘Magical,’ 2018):

Magical [maj-i-kuh l]: ‘beautiful and delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life’

This definition sums up what therapists should aim to be for a client’s experience. I specifically want to emphasize being ‘removed from everyday life.’ It is crucial for our clients that they have an experience in their therapy session that is radically different from what they usually encounter in their daily living. Defining what a magical experience is can be difficult due to the limitations of our descriptive language, but it is embodied in the sense of wonder that something, somehow, has changed from the standard and the familiar into something that is enchanted and profound. It is beyond words or logical explanations.

I view magic in therapy as a metaphorical exploration for bringing forth the innate ingenuity that resides in both client and therapist. Working from this perspective, we value connection and inspiration over predictability and pathology. By opening a space for creativity and surprise, we set the conditions for magic to occur in our therapy sessions. A magical session is different with each client, each session, and each therapist. The loss of a magical session occurs when the therapist is locked into the use of rigid, habitual methods for conceptualizing cases combined with an excessive and unrelenting focus on client deficits.

I am not the first clinician to advocate for psychotherapy to be a magical experience (and I hope that I am not the last). I believe that the more magical a session can be, the more transforming it can be. A magical session encourages therapists to create out of the ordinary therapy applications that surprise both the clients and themselves. In this context of the extraordinary, we find ourselves taking actions and sharing ideas as we have never previously done. We move away from the safe and familiar. We move into the realm of the unknown. We find new, inventive, and unique ways to approach cases that are so out of character for us that we may wonder from where our ideas came.

Instead of structured, lifeless treatment methods, a magical session is a dynamic and energetic interaction in which spontaneity and creative action abound. Each therapeutic encounter is a unique experience that is co-created by all parties involved. It summons the presence of possibility, hope, and imagination. It pushes a therapist to move beyond the comfort of their training and to become open to what may occur in the present moment. A magical session includes a space for the unknown with freedom to explore the unfamiliar and to allow our creative genius to roam. I remember reading that William James, known as the Father of American Psychology, believed that a genius was really just someone who had an ability to perceive things in a non-habitual way.

Working in the field of psychotherapy is often routine. We find ourselves dealing with the same problems, using the same techniques, and perhaps even telling the same stories and using the same metaphors. When our goal is to have a magical session, we must move out of familiar patterns for performing therapy. When making the creation of a magical interaction with our clients a priority, we find that our useful clinical skills and techniques become supercharged, and we move effortlessly to facilitate changes and transformation in the lives of our clients.

In many hours spent watching videos and reading transcripts of the many great therapists in our field, I have come to the conclusion that these therapy giants weren’t effective only because they had the best theory or technique. They were great therapists because they created an out of the ordinary environment for their clients. Their active engagement with their clients are what set the conditions for their theories to spring to life. Unfortunately, our sterile mimicry of these giants’ theories appears only as hollow caricatures of truly dynamic therapy and magical engagement. The adventurous spirit of the many brilliant minds that helped to create and to develop the field of psychotherapy has taken a backseat to the new focus on regimentation and specialization, reductionist pharmacological processes, and high-cost certification programs that promise to be the missing link in eradicating client pathology.

We often forget that when people today seek help from a therapist, they are doing what our ancestors did when they turned to shamans, wisdom keepers, and prophets for thousands of years. The hope was, and still is, that someone will aid them in alleviating their emotional pain. Seeking relief from their pain has pushed many to look beyond the advice of friends and family members, and seek out someone who is wise and experienced in the art of ‘healing.’ As Yeh, Hunter, Madan-Bahal, Chiang, and Arora (2004) state:

For centuries, healers have been recognized as individuals who are acknowledged in their communities as possessing special insight and helping skills. These individuals are commonly recognized as healers and are believed to possess special skills that grow out of timeless wisdom. Healers are keepers of this wisdom and enlist it to help people solve problems and make decisions.

(p. 411)

Psychotherapy vs. Healing

Take a moment to ask yourself why did you become a therapist? Allow your mind to fully examine all the reasons that made you want to take the plunge into the world of psychotherapy. Be as clear and as honest with yourself as possible. Examine any motivation or experience that nudged you into entering the ‘helping profession.’ Capture all the ‘whys’ that propelled you through years of graduate school, internships, and direct practice.

If you are like the countless people whom I questioned over the last few years, you probably answered in one of three answers: (1) to help others; (2) to make the world a better place; or (3) to help myself heal (to paraphrase Erich Fromm, many therapists keep waiting to meet the client that will help them heal). No one has ever replied that they want to make more money or for celebrity status. It appears that the desire to heal motivates most of us as we enter a profession that generally often offers long hours, low pay, and is emotionally taxing.

Now, pause again and ask yourself how you envisioned a healing psychotherapy session before you became a therapist. Did you envision yourself being emotionally distant while sitting with someone in emotional distress? Did you envision yourself constantly scribbling notes down on a clipboard? Did you envision standardized treatment plans? Did you envision yourself giving a monotone delivery of the latest therapy homework assignment to your client?

I am guessing that your response to all those questions is ‘no.’ Most of us did not envision what we have grown to accept as ‘proper’ psychotherapy today. The emphasis on treatment planning, insurance billing, swift diagnosing, and the strict guidelines of ‘evidence-based’ therapies has replaced much energy and creativity in the therapy room. As one of my colleagues recently told me, ‘these days the way most therapy is performed is just plain dull.’

I can remember my early days as a new therapist working in a community mental health center. I was inspired to help people change their lives for the better. I voraciously read everything I could find about every form of psychotherapy. I attended training that I hoped would teach me how to create magical outcomes in my therapy work. Over time, though, I lost the passion for what I did. Many of the approaches I had been taught were devoid of inspiration or positive connotation. The more I learned about ‘therapy,’ the more I began to abandon my enthusiasm and creativity, and the more I began to view clients as dysfunctional units that needed to be adjusted so that they would function ‘properly.’ When I talked to experienced practitioners about my feelings, they privately counseled me to focus on what my gut told me to do rather than focusing on regimented techniques given to me by outside authorities.

Most clinicians yearn to be a catalyst for healing for their clients. Many also express frustration with their work due to the rigid limitations in how they believe they are supposed to conduct their therapy sessions. There appears to be a contrast between how therapists want to experience a session and how a session is actually conducted. It is a shame that many graduate training programs do not instill the freedom for their students to pursue innovative and imaginative ways of working. If the truth be told, most graduate supervisors would probably react in horror if they saw their students perform therapy in the manner in which such visionaries as Virginia Satir, Albert Ellis, Carl Whitaker, or Milton Erickson approached their cases.

I can remember attending a workshop conducted by my friend, Dr. Scott Miller, at the ‘Evolution of Psychotherapy’ conference. In front of thousands of seasoned psychotherapists from around the world, Scott, who is a respected researcher in the area of psychotherapeutic outcome factors, discussed the positive possibilities that the field of psychotherapy could harness by being more open to the traditional and indigenous belief systems of its clients. He advocated working within the belief system of individual clients and becoming comfortable using their ideas about healing combined with one’s training to create beneficial outcomes. His information was very well received by the audience.

After his talk, I waited to speak to Scott, who was surrounded by people eagerly sharing with him their use of arcane applications in the privacy of their therapy work. Several spoke in hushed tones as they detailed to Scott how they sometimes used tarot cards or other esoteric aides to help their clients. One woman, with tears in her eyes, told Scott how glad she was that someone as respected as he is in the field gave a voice to therapists who don’t want to be limited to the standard methods of interacting with clients. Several others echoed her comment. They were eager to find ways to become, not just a therapist, but a ‘healer.’

There have been many researchers who have observed the similarities between traditional healers and psychotherapists. Parallels between the work of healers and therapists have been studied and appear to include similar necessary ingredients for change to occur. These parallels include: the personal qualities of the healer/therapist; the importance of the atmosphere in which the interaction takes place; a shared worldview between client and healer/therapist; and a confiding relationship between client and healer/therapist. There must also be the offering of new information about the client’s problem along with alternative approaches in dealing with the problem (Adler & Mukherji, 1995; Cheetham & Griffiths, 1992; Frank & Frank, 1993; Moodley, Sutherland, & Oulanova, 2008; Torrey, 1986).

Healers generally have been viewed as those who treat ‘the patient’s subjective experience of illness instead of a disease as recognized by biomedicine’ (Castillo, 2001, p. 84). These individuals help relieve emotional distress by supplying their clients with a sense of order and understanding about their illness. As a result, clients gain a feeling of control over their illness and have a sense of purpose and meaning that aids in reducing symptoms (Castillo, 2001). Healers create a shift in their clients’ self-perception from one of illness and limitation to one of health and possibility. As Hinton and Kirmayer (2017) state:

healing in the broad sense entails the sense of transformation to a new state and that, in the healing context, whatever promotes change to a new way of being-in-the-world can also function as a flexibility promoter insofar as it increases the ability to shift modes—as well as the awareness of and tendency to make use of this capacity.

(p. 5)

I truly believe that most people who become therapists do so because they feel a calling to be healers. They feel a kindred connection with those shamans and wisdom keepers of the past who helped those in need of emotional healing. These healers feel drawn to create transformative experiences, which they believe will help their clients change their lives for the better. They feel a part of the psychotherapy tradition, while only 100 years old, that is profound and offers much to those who suffer. It is similar to that of the physician-healer, whose role is ‘to establish connexional relationships with his or her patients and guide them in a reworking of their life narratives to create meaning in and transcend their suffering’ (Egnew, 2005, p. 259).

Unfortunately, modern psychotherapy, with the best of its intentions, has failed to be seen by the general public as a transformative healing tradition. In spite of hundreds of thousands of peer-reviewed empirical studies conducted over the past 50 years showing its effectiveness, many people who would benefit from psychotherapy still do not seek it out. It also appears that fewer people are consulting therapists over the last decade. Miller and Hubble (2017) state:

Epidemiological studies consistently show, for example, most people who could benefit from seeing a therapist don’t go to one. And nowadays, fewer people are turning to psychotherapy: 33 percent fewer than did 20 years ago, with most never returning after the first appointment. Not surprisingly, research gathered by the American Psychological Association documents that practitioner incomes have been in marked decline over the same period.

(p. 30)

What is worse is that research shows that many people who enter therapy drop out before any therapy goals have been met. There are a number of reasons for client drop: (1) a lack of experience on the part of therapists; (2) a lack of emotional support; (3) a lack of a therapeutic alliance; and (4) a lack of pre-therapy preparation (Ross & Werbert, 2013). I also believe that another reason for lack of client success is that psychotherapy has ceased to be a ‘magical’ experience.

Were we to observe the amazing therapists who inspired us as they worked with clients, we would marvel at their skill and creativity. They would appear magical to us and we would hope to obtain that same magic by duplicating their methods. We would then try to learn everything we could about their theories and techniques and attempt to apply those ideas in the same skillful way. There is nothing wrong with this approach in the early stages of our learning to become psychotherapists. The problem is when we mistakenly believe that it is the technique or the theory employed by those masters of psychotherapy that creates the magic in a session.

In the modern era of psychotherapy, there has been an increased focus on technical interventions. This focus often overshadows the importance of the human connection and may even undervalue the need for its presence. Often, therapists identify themselves more with their particular type of therapeutic intervention rather than their role as a facilitator of healing. The recent emphasis on therapies that are deemed ‘evidence-based’ illustrate the priority that the psychotherapy field has placed on the use of specific technical applications for specific psychological disorders. This rigid emphasis may cause well-intentioned practitioners to overlook the importance of a holistic approach when working with clients. When so much attention is given to specific techniques, it is easy to forget that the crucial aspects to successful outcomes in therapy are connection, caring, and compassion.

The Psychotherapy Marketplace

Lately, there has been an increasing trend in the psychotherapy field in which the marketplace of ideas has become more and more crowded. Every day a new theory, therapy style, or technique is marketed as the latest and the greatest breakthrough. Therapists flock to training programs for these...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 What Is a Magical Session?
• 2 The Magic of the Unknown
• 3 The Magic of Alliance
• 4 The Magic of an Experience
• 5 The Magic of Frames
• 6 The Magic of Nonlinear Thinking
• 7 The Magic of Ritual
• Epilogue
• References
• Index