{"id":14315,"date":"2024-01-23T09:32:45","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T09:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/?p=14315"},"modified":"2024-01-24T07:48:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T07:48:47","slug":"open-constructionist-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/psychotherapy\/open-constructionist-therapy","title":{"rendered":"Open Constructionist Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3>Open Constructionist Therapy (OCT, a new concept) is a scientifically valid way to combine constructed and fundamental \u2018realities\u2019 in psychotherapy\/coaching (P\/C).<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>In \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=14177\">constructionist therapy<\/a>,\u2019 the therapist\/coach is aware of the placebogenic nature (thus lacking inherent power and privileged knowledge) of the vastly different psychotherapeutic methodologies that he nevertheless uses in his practice. In OCT, he is also fully open about this to others, including the own patients\/clients.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>If not done yet, please first read <a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=4256\">Psychotherapy vs. Psychotherapies<\/a> as background to grasp this blog\u2019s implications.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Openness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Open\u2019 is to be understood in its two meanings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Horizontal \u2014 just being honestly open about it toward the client.<\/li><li>Vertical \u2014 taking into account deeper layers of mental-neuronal processing.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As in \u2018open-label placebo\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is, in medicine, about the use of a placebo (dummy pill) while being open abot it to the patient. \u201cIt works\u201d \u2014 or does it? As shown in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/347840859_From_Placebo_to_'Open-Label_Placebo'_to_Open_Altogether?_sg%5B0%5D=JnQjpRh8HRj0ByoBwkHCVLgnIFlNBEtaq-oXNkz7vsBx4EQ9JAN-8S0NgrqAowqCtgddZXd-e-Db-oJZQZfg065qTF_9VV5MNE7RCRol.ITK8pSz4Oynfjr2rtRCasAw_oG_3ocbDDm29AfEuQ7sIzoBAf79uyHyA-woxmywV8Jobqsh3oX3sAI4CbMODZg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">my perspective article<\/a>, this cannot cut the mustard. Dummy pill = dummy pill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One cannot transform lead into gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In P\/C, the setting is different.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, matter does not need to be transformed \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=5139\">no need for magical dummy meds<\/a>. Talking therapy uses words from beginning to end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In words, one can bring realities closer together more easily. There is more room to be open and definitely more occasion to be Open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, in P\/C, one may well be open\/Open and effective at the same time. The tools (methodologies) that one uses then become additional instruments of (auto)suggestion from the start. One can delve into how to make them more effective <em>as such tools<\/em> \u2015 not as magical wands. Moreover, this endeavor makes the setting scientifically valid. This way, we can use science (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=13817\">Lisa science<\/a>) for continual meaningful improvements of the domain as well as of the individual therapists through on-the-job learning. Both are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/284394201_Supershrinks_What's_the_secret_of_their_success\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">currently lacking <\/a>despite many claims and therapists\u2019 private intuitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With P\/C based on reality, we may also attain growth from the inside out \u2014 say, genuinely durable effects (which current science also increasingly clearly shows to be missing with purely concept-based methodologies).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Truth is what works?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the pragmatic viewpoint of \u2018truth is what works,\u2019 truth is reduced to something outside itself. A yardstick is used that is not necessarily truth-bound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In P\/C, \u201cit works\u201d may seem enough to some. It\u2019s the cornerstone of pragmatic philosophy. But <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23974507\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">what is \u2018it,\u2019 and toward what does it work?<\/a> Also, for how long? With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/347841061_Placebos_have_many_'side-effects'?_sg%5B0%5D=JnQjpRh8HRj0ByoBwkHCVLgnIFlNBEtaq-oXNkz7vsBx4EQ9JAN-8S0NgrqAowqCtgddZXd-e-Db-oJZQZfg065qTF_9VV5MNE7RCRol.ITK8pSz4Oynfjr2rtRCasAw_oG_3ocbDDm29AfEuQ7sIzoBAf79uyHyA-woxmywV8Jobqsh3oX3sAI4CbMODZg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">which side effects<\/a>? With which unrealized potentialities? In conceptual sciences, these questions may be of little to no relevance \u2015 not so in the humanities. In the latter, nothing is straightforward enough to discard these questions as simply extraneous. They may incorporate the crux of the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, I would turn this into <a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=4452\">Only truth works<\/a> \u2014 especially in healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This said, it\u2019s also more challenging to exert a placebogenic effect if one (client and\/or therapist) doesn\u2019t believe in it oneself. In my view, this wall should be lowered, not just accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nothing but the truth?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, yes. Truth \u2013 which is nothing but the continual striving for truth, of course \u2013 is essential. In truth, science and spirituality come together, making room for much beauty and human growth potential based on a radical new understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I see no other way, also in view of the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Patient\/client informed consent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If OCT works satisfactorily on a big scale, the issue of consent also becomes essential in P\/C. Even the more demanding aim of patient\/client <em><strong>choice<\/strong><\/em> is important enough in all matters of human depth. To be able to choose, of course, people need truthful instruments and backgrounds. It is the therapist\u2019s responsibility to provide these when asked and regularly point to the fact that they should indeed better be asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is undoubtedly more ethical than keeping the choice entirely at the therapist\u2019s side, irrespective of how well-meaning and \u2018client-centered\u2019 he otherwise may be. In the end, only the client knows best what he needs to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People must know what is scientific or not \u2014 certainly so if there is no pragmatic argument to proceed otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, OCT is not the end. I see it as a step\u00a0\u2013 if client and therapist are ready \u2013 toward a complete and profound Openness in which Compassion can be used at full throttle \u2014 say, <a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/category\/coaching\">AURELIS coaching<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This way, healthcare finds its true potential.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, \u201cfar&nbsp;more important than what the therapist is doing is who the therapist is.&#8221; [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wob.com\/en-ie\/books\/barry-l-duncan\/heart-and-soul-of-change\/9781433807091\/GOR003227989?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_content=Shopping&amp;cq_src=google_ads&amp;cq_cmp=20536333095&amp;cq_con=&amp;cq_med=pla&amp;cq_plac=&amp;cq_net=x&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA5L2tBhBTEiwAdSxJX7ojKsLCGpoqGxKpiSnpBrjjcWk8gmTHJRSWxvkcvr41QaLCNABgqRoCePEQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Heart and Soul of Change, Duncan et al., 2010<\/a>]<\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"14315\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"14315\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"14315\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-14315\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Open Constructionist Therapy (OCT, a new concept) is a scientifically valid way to combine constructed and fundamental \u2018realities\u2019 in psychotherapy\/coaching (P\/C). In \u2018constructionist therapy,\u2019 the therapist\/coach is aware of the placebogenic nature (thus lacking inherent power and privileged knowledge) of the vastly different psychotherapeutic methodologies that he nevertheless uses in his practice. In OCT, he <a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/psychotherapy\/open-constructionist-therapy\">Read the full article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"14315\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"14315\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"14315\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-14315\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2319-1.jpg?fit=960%2C561&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Fdiq-3IT","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14315"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14334,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\/revisions\/14334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}