Page 25 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 17
P. 25
Bart Gooijer
(Netherlands)
Psychologist in private group practice at Integro, Hardenberg and
Rijssen, the Netherlands. Secretary of the board of the Christian
Association for Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Psychotherapists
(CVPPP) in the Netherlands
Comments to Paul`s article
If I correctly understand Paul Loosemore’s The dialogue presented as first process, ex-
article Situating grief in redemptive hi- ploring personal dynamics, is a very nice ex-
story for the sake of joy, it discusses how ample of reflecting and exploring client de-
people coping with daily loss and frustra- fensive manoeuvres. The therapist exposes
tion tend to get stuck in disappointment, the defenses and starts to evoke feelings,
and can be helped to transform their shifting client attention towards them.
coping process so they find joy in living In the second process, focusing on emoti-
through life’s ups-and-downs with God. ons and responses, the therapist appears
The article consists of a theologically-in- to guide the client in exploring ambivalent
formed theoretical half (mainly a critique underlying emotions, touching on feelings
on our individualistic therapeutic culture) like frustration as well as sadness - and un-
followed by a more practical clinical ap- derlying longings for comfort and feeling
plication in the second half. Allow me to good.
comment backwards. I tend to do so, first Next comes the meaning making process.
of all because the clinical section is more Loosemore introduces this part by stating
clear to me than the theoretical section. that the therapist can assist the client in
But on a more personal level, my reverse criticizing distorted worldview aspects and
approach has to do with my inclination dismantling harmful understandings and
towards bottom-up reasoning in clinical internalizations of life experiences. The illu-
practice, starting with felt experience strative dialogue reveals the client starting
and then searching to support or validate to understand that feeling good has beco-
emotional processes through theoretical me a goal in itself in the client’s life, not
and/or theological understanding. having learned to integrate slightly more
difficult feelings like sadness.
Loosemore’s clinical section outlines In the fourth process, which Loosemore
four stages in his approach to the expe- calls utilizing prophetic imagination and
rience of coping with loss, all illustrated exploration, he doesn’t give an illustrative
by short examples of therapist-client dia- dialogue but lists several therapist inter-
logue. These stages are therapeutic pro- ventions and examples which can help the
cesses with a focus on: 1. exploring the client to imagine and experiment with new
client’s personal dynamics; 2. utilizing ways of living.
key emotions and responses; 3. assisting
in meaning making; and 4. utilizing pro- Reading through all this, I get the impres-
phetic imagination and exploration. sion that the approach will mainly effect
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