Core process psychotherapy
Encyclopedia
Core process psychotherapy practises a Buddhist awareness
as the centre of a healing relationship between client and psychotherapist. It is taught at the Karuna Institute
which was founded in 1984 by Maura Sills and Franklyn Sills. The Karuna Institute, set in Devon
, England
teaches students to become core process psychotherapists through a four-year MA training validated by Middlesex University. Maura Sills is still teaching on the courses which take place there and other staff are also largely Karuna trained. After graduation students work towards accreditation with the UKCP.
Core Process Psychotherapy relies implicitly on the knowledge we have gained from depth psychology ie the work of Freud, Jung
and subsequent psychoanalytic research. It makes use of transference
and counter-transference as psychotherapeutic tools but it does not stop there. In practice it incorporates the tools of the Gestalt therapy
and the object relations model of W.R.D. Fairbairn and Donald Winnicott
into a transpersonal therapy which seeks to heal through awareness. The training is largely experiential and significant emphasis is placed on the perinatal theories of Frank Lake
and William R. Emerson. The breathwork of Stanislav Grof
is also implicated. The Core Process itself refers to the inherent health-seeking of the organism which the therapy is designed to catalyse.
This type of therapy is non-interpretative and allows the client to discover for him/her self, in relationship with the therapist, what s/he needs to know. The therapist and practitioner create, in Buddhist terms, an awareness field and it is a tenet of Core Process psychotherapy that awareness is of itself curative. In the experience of its exponents, then, matters brought into awareness in the consulting room are subject to unconscious healing processes as well as traditional cognitive insights. The client's awareness may also be directed during the work to the internal sensations of the body since the body is understood as a manifestation of consciousness.
Sadly there is very little written about Core Process Psychotherapy and it remains to some extent an unknown quantity even amongst professionals in the field, this is despite Maura's work for the UKCP. The training is so much an embodied, experiential approach that it has been possible to go on training students for many years without a handbook of the theory.
There are, however, some articles which Maura Sills has co-authored with Judy Lown. Licking Honey from the Razor's Edge" explains that "licking honey from the razor's edge is a very appropriate description of what is called for from the Buddhist-oriented practitioner in Core Process psychotherapy. It calls for a very personal challenge of being affected, of being involved, of being engaged, of being available."
Franklyn's book "Being and Becoming : Psychodynamics, Buddhism, and the Origins of Selfhood" does cover associated ground.
Awareness
Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
as the centre of a healing relationship between client and psychotherapist. It is taught at the Karuna Institute
Karuna Institute
The Karuna Institute is a non-profit organisation that runs training courses in core process psychotherapy and craniosacral therapy in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, England. It was founded by Maura Sills and Franklyn Sills...
which was founded in 1984 by Maura Sills and Franklyn Sills. The Karuna Institute, set in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
teaches students to become core process psychotherapists through a four-year MA training validated by Middlesex University. Maura Sills is still teaching on the courses which take place there and other staff are also largely Karuna trained. After graduation students work towards accreditation with the UKCP.
Core Process Psychotherapy relies implicitly on the knowledge we have gained from depth psychology ie the work of Freud, Jung
Jung
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology.Jung may also refer to:* Jung * JUNG, Java Universal Network/Graph Framework-See also:...
and subsequent psychoanalytic research. It makes use of transference
Transference
Transference is a phenomenon in psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another. One definition of transference is "the inappropriate repetition in the present of a relationship that was important in a person's childhood." Another definition is "the...
and counter-transference as psychotherapeutic tools but it does not stop there. In practice it incorporates the tools of the Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
and the object relations model of W.R.D. Fairbairn and Donald Winnicott
Donald Winnicott
Donald Woods Winnicott was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory. He was a leading member of the British Independent Group of the British Psychoanalytic Society, and a close associate of Marion Milner...
into a transpersonal therapy which seeks to heal through awareness. The training is largely experiential and significant emphasis is placed on the perinatal theories of Frank Lake
Frank Lake
Frank Lake was one of the pioneers of pastoral counselling in the United Kingdom. In 1962 he founded the Clinical Theology Association with the primary aim to make clergy more effective in understanding and accepting the psychological origins of their parishioners’ personal difficulties...
and William R. Emerson. The breathwork of Stanislav Grof
Stanislav Grof
Stanislav Grof is a psychiatrist, one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of analyzing, healing, and obtaining growth and insight into the human psyche...
is also implicated. The Core Process itself refers to the inherent health-seeking of the organism which the therapy is designed to catalyse.
This type of therapy is non-interpretative and allows the client to discover for him/her self, in relationship with the therapist, what s/he needs to know. The therapist and practitioner create, in Buddhist terms, an awareness field and it is a tenet of Core Process psychotherapy that awareness is of itself curative. In the experience of its exponents, then, matters brought into awareness in the consulting room are subject to unconscious healing processes as well as traditional cognitive insights. The client's awareness may also be directed during the work to the internal sensations of the body since the body is understood as a manifestation of consciousness.
Sadly there is very little written about Core Process Psychotherapy and it remains to some extent an unknown quantity even amongst professionals in the field, this is despite Maura's work for the UKCP. The training is so much an embodied, experiential approach that it has been possible to go on training students for many years without a handbook of the theory.
There are, however, some articles which Maura Sills has co-authored with Judy Lown. Licking Honey from the Razor's Edge" explains that "licking honey from the razor's edge is a very appropriate description of what is called for from the Buddhist-oriented practitioner in Core Process psychotherapy. It calls for a very personal challenge of being affected, of being involved, of being engaged, of being available."
Franklyn's book "Being and Becoming : Psychodynamics, Buddhism, and the Origins of Selfhood" does cover associated ground.
External links
- Karuna Institute website
- Core Process Psychotherapy - Jamie Aulda website
- ttp://www.psychotherapywithheart.com