We’ve all been there. We make progress with traumatized clients and their families and then the forward momentum stops. Families get stuck.
Often the traditional therapy method to change a stuck system is to guide clients into thinking their way into a new way of acting by offering them new insights.
A less known way to change stuck systems is to coach families to act their way into a new way of thinking.
Most often, thoughts are in response to what we do and what we experience. When your clients start to change a stuck behavior by acting differently, you help them build a new frame of reference as a foundation for a new way of thinking.
Similar to actors who learn “live inside the character,” you can coach your clients to live inside their desired change by acting a new way. This intervention serves as an excellent tool for general coping skills, regulating emotions, and creating sustainable change.
With practice, your clients will notice how thinking changes in unexpected ways.
Listen to the clip below as Dr. Sells describes the groundbreaking process of helping clients act their way into a new way of thinking. He explains the importance of practice, dress rehearsals, timing, and voice cadence.
