REPRESSION OF AFFECT

Some patients are unable to access the negative emotion unless they are in the real life situation They may be represse! or !issociate! from their feelings "hen merely thin#ing about the circumstance An e$ample "oul! be patients "ho are fearful of flying but cannot feel any fear "hen merely thin#ing about flying In such instances% they may state that they cannot feel the fear because they #no" that thin#ing about flying is not the same thing as actually flying They may report that they #no" that they are not in an unsafe situation as they sit comfortably in the office !iscussing the &fear ' Some of these people have learne! this process as a "ay of generally coping "ith !istressing life situations This situation nee! not pose a problem from the stan!point of attunement or therapeutic effectiveness In many instances% simply as#ing the client to thin# about the situation "ill be enough to ensure a!e(uate attunement of an! successful treatment of the problem or perturbe! thought fiel! Often% the presence of the thought fiel! can be assesse! by manual muscle testing) testing the strength in the isolate! muscle "hile having the patient thin# about the &!istressing' situation Once the problem has been a!e(uately treate! by "hatever means% testing the muscle again "hile the patient thin#s about the &problem' area shoul! result in a !ifferent muscular response *hen the problem has been resolve!% !isruption "ithin the bo!y+s energy system "ill no longer be evi!ent% as the in!icator muscle "ill no" test &strong' ,see the manual muscle testing section later in this chapter.o"ever% "hen this approach !oes not "or# to alleviate the psychological problem% meaning that the problem fiel! or biofiel! has not been a!e(uately engage!% sometimes it "ill be !esirable to treat the patient in the conte$t in "hich the problem presents itself In such an event% this shoul! be !one in a gentle an! gra!ual manner% similar to in vivo systematic !esensiti/ation% albeit utili/ing the appropriate algorithm or other proce!ure% rather than employing progressive rela$ation or relate! rela$ation an! !esensiti/ation processes Alternatively% one might attempt other proce!ures !esigne! to pro!uce the affect A number of patients have been assiste! in accessing the affect relate! to the phobia% trauma% etc by having them thin# about the problem se(uentially an! in as much !etail as possible For e$ample% a patient "ho has !ifficulty getting in touch "ith the !iscomfort associate! "ith nee!les can be as#e! to recall a specific event in "hich he or she receive! an in0ection from beginning to en! silently an! then to report it alou! One or a fe" go1roun!s of this process "ill fre(uently pro!uce sufficient sub0ective units of !istress to be able to be certain of attunement an! to assess the effects of one+s treatment proce!ures