Therapeutic Objectives for the Four Worlds Characters

THERAPEUTIC OBJECTIVES CATEGORIZED ACCORDING TO THE FOUR WORLDS AND THE NEEDS OF CHACTEROLOGICALLY DIFFERENTPEOPLE Adapted from Characterological Transformation: the Hard Work Miracle, and Humanizing the Narcissistic Style by Stephen Johnson. For the Assiya-tic (self-rejecting) Character: Assiya objectives (behavioral and social) for the Assiyatic Character 1. Initially establish or strengthen attachment and eventually resolve the symbiosis. 2. Strengthen the conscious and deliberate use of defenses such as social withdrawal. 3. Increase small group and community involvement. 4. Decrease perfectionism and specialness in performance and thereby affect procrastination and performance anxiety. 5. Help the client to discover current outlets for the denied aggressive impulses (I.e., the "game" patterns in social relationships, passive-aggressive or withdrawal patterns, aggressive fantasies, and so on). 6. Teach or arrange for the teaching of social skills (e.g., peronal effectiveness, assertiveness, eye contact, display of affect in social situations, etc.). 7. Increase appropriate aggressive and assertive behavior in the person's social world. Yetzira objectives (affective and body therapies) for the Assiyatic Character 1. Open the feeling of need and longing and assist the client in identifying with these feelings. 2. Work through the experienced numbness to the pain and deep despair at abandonment or chronic frustration. 3. Work through the rage at the rejection. 4. Work through the fear engendered by the release of all other feelings- the fear of rejection, abandonment and continued frustration. 5. Develop a greater sense of grounding, strength and clear energy flow in the feet ankles, knees and legs. 6. Strengthen the entire body and its overall musculature. 7. Strengthen assertive and aggressive expansion. 8. Open the chest, breathing and the energy flow through the neck and throat. 9. Release spasticity in the arms, abdomen, shoulder girdle, base of neck and jaw. 10. Open the real rage and love feelings, particularly for the central attachment figure & develop the expression of this raging-loving feeling. B'ria objectives, (cognitive, attitudinal and belief supports) for the Assiyatic Character 1. Identify, interpret, develop insight into, and change the ego ideal or false self (e.g., "I am all-accepting, understanding, and special. I am my ideas and accomplishments.") 2. Identify,interpret, develop insight into, and change the "script decision" (e.g., "Something is wrong with me. I don't belong. The world is frightening. Others can't be trusted."). 3. Strengthen identification of the self with the body and its natural life processes. 4. Strengthen identification of the self with the person's history and its resulting vulnerability. Eliminate the denial of what happened and its effects. 5. Strengthen identification of the self with natural aggression, assertiveness and power. B'ria 2: Ego Developmental objectives 1. Identify, strengthen and bring under voluntary control existing ego defenses. 2. Teach ego defenses not yet learned (e.g., suppression, dissociation). 3. Reinforce, repair or teach strategies for dealing with harsh or anxiety-provoking environ-ments. 4. Promote or teach self-soothing and self-nurturing. 5. Establish the ambivalent expression of the self, others, and the world and increase the tolerance for ambivalence. Discriminate & integrate self-&-object-representations with particular attention to the negative parental introject. 6. Assess & repair where appropriate: assimilation, accomodation, discrimination, integration, and generalization. Atzilut: Meditative and Being objectives for the Assiyatic character: Develop the ability to be with groups, to initiate a steady practice of meditation and self-soothing. Page 2 For the Yetzira-tic (overly dependent) Character: Assiya objectives (behavioral and social) for the Yetziratic Character 1. Strengthen and teach self-care and self-soothing strategies. 2. Strengthen reaching out and asking for help directly in social relationships. 3. Strengthen aggressive, assertive and instrumental behavior. 4. Increase reality relatedness to the demands of adult functioning: strengthen the constancy of commitment to work, relationships, individual projects, etc. Develop stick-to-it-iveness. 5. Strengthen mutuality, adult-adult contact and individuated arrangements (as opposed to symbiotic) in love relationships. 6. Increase tolerance for being alone. 7.Discourage overwork, exaggerated responses and nurturing, and other manic self-destructive behavior in the compensatory phase of the cycle. Yetzira objectives (affective and body therapies) for the Yetziratic Character 1. Open the feeling of need and longing and assist the client in identifying with these feelings. 2. Work through the experienced sadness to the pain and deep despair at abandonment or chronic frustration. 3. Work through the rage at the abandonment. 4. Work through the fear engendered by the release of all other feelings- the fear of rejection, abandonment and continued frustration. 5. Develop a greater sense of grounding, strength and clear energy flow in the feet ankles, knees and legs. 6. Strengthen the entire body and its overall musculature. 7. Strengthen assertive and aggressive expansion. 8. Open the chest, breathing and the energy flow through the neck and throat. 9. Release spasticity in the lower back, abdomen, shoulder girdle, base of neck and jaw. 10. Open the real love feelings, particularly for the central attachment figure & develop the expression of this loving feeling. B'ria objectives, (cognitive, attitudinal and belief supports) for the Yetziratic Character 1. Identify, interpret, develop insight into, and change the ego ideal or false self (e.g., "I am I am soft, sweet entirly giving and have no ego needs except to give to others.") 2. Identify,interpret, develop insight into, and change the "script decision" (e.g., "Something is wrong with me. I am not valued. My needs are not real. The world doesn't need me. I am here only for the sake of others"). 3. Strengthen identification of the self with the body and its natural life processes. 4. Strengthen identification of the self with the person's history and its resulting vulnerability. Eliminate the denial of what happened and its effects. 5. Strengthen identification of the self with natural aggression, assertiveness and power. B'ria 2: Ego Developmental objectives 1. Identify, strengthen and bring under voluntary control existing ego defenses. 2. Teach ego defenses not yet learned (e.g., reaching out, insisiting on needs gratification where appropriate). 3. Reinforce, repair or teach strategies for dealing with discounting or anxiety-provoking environments. 4. Promote or teach self-soothing and self-nurturing. 5. Establish the ambivalent expression of the self, others, and the world and increase the tolerance for ambivalence. Discriminate & integrate self-&-object-representations with particular attention to the negative parental introject. 6. Assess & repair where appropriate: assimilation, accomodation, discrimination, integration, and generalization. Atzilut: Meditative and Being objectives for the Yetziratic character: Develop the ability to be alone and establish a meditation/Davvenen practice. Common objectives for the overly dependent (Yetziratic) and overly self-rejecting (assiyatic) characters 1. Promote or teach self-soothing and self-nurturing. 2. Establish an ambivalent experience of the self and others and discrimination between the self and others. 3. Assess and repair construct formation: assmiliation, accomodation, discrimination, integration, and exteralization. 4. Strengthen the voluntary use of existing defenses to the extent that these are productive and useful. 5. Teach ego defenses not yet learned. 6. Reinforce, repair or teach strategies for dealing with harsh or anxiety provoking environments. Page 3 for the the B'ria-tic type (overly magnanimous) Character Assiya objectives (behavioral and social) for the B'riatic Character 1. Support or teach those ego-organizational abilities which will counteract fragmentation of the self in response to the therapeutic process. 2. Support realistic acheivement and assertiveness in the client's life. 3. Support the client's social resources and assist him in using them as fully as possible. 4. Directly instruct the client in social behaviors that communicate empathy, regard, and understanding of others. Teach him to "let in" the warmth and human caring that others can provide. 6. Assist the client in the development of a self-discovering and self-sustaining support system which incorporates others for merger, mirroring, twinship, and idealization. The goal of such a system is to provide internalization of resources resulting in greater autonomy in the context of greater support. Yetzira objectives (affective and body therapies) for the B'riatic Character 1. Access the injuries caused by empathic failures in response to the needs of merger, twinship, and mirroring. 2. Access the injuries of disappointment at the failures of idealized others. 3. Access the fear of re-injury-the suspicion, distrust, and paranoia. 4. Access the narcissistic rage in response to injury and disappointment. 5. Access the continuing need for merger, idealization, twinship, and mirroring and assist in the differentiation and maturation of these needs. 6. Access all affective elements of the grandiose compensatory self-grandiosity, entitlement, pride, etc. 7. Access the feelings of emptiness, void, fragmentation, and discontinuity of the self. 8. Nurture, support and effect internalization of empathy and love for others. 9. Establish trust in the real self and trust for others. 10. Transform the grandiose false self into the "normal narcissism" of true self-love. 11. Transform the injury to vulnerability and the accepted limitations of the self, others, and life itself. B'ria objectives, (cognitive, attitudinal and belief supports) for the B'riyatic Character 1. Access self-statements of worthlessness, distrust, self-criticism, inertia, depression, loneliness, etc. 2. Access the self-statements of reliance on acheivement, grandiosity, pride, entitlement, manipulation, and the rationalization of such qualities. 3. Access the defensive functions of the false and symptomatic selves. 4. Assist the client in developing a historical and dynamic understanding of himself with regard to his feelings of emptiness, void, fragmentation of the self, his archaic demands of others and life itself, and his feelings of rage and deep hurt. 5. Assist the client in establishing an understanding of the process of discovery and development of the real self through the expression of his innate capacities, ambitions, and ideals. 6. Assist the client toward an integrated and ambivalent experience of the self and others. 7. Support a realistic assessment of the client's abilities, resources and acheivements. 8. Support a realistic assessment of the client's limitations, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. 9. Assist the client in an integration and acceptance of all the above qualities of self. Atzilut: Meditative and Being objectives for the B'riatic character: Establish relationship with the psychic self and the Inner Guide. Develop an ongoing dialogue with archetypal aspect of the self.