Purpose of the Intervention
There is a simple and accessible technique that helps one to cope with many psychological problems. This technique aims to eliminate resentment, envy, self-criticism, feelings of guilt, and problems with parents. The “Empty Chair” technique can help with all of this. The essence of the technique is that a person has several sub-personalities. If they begin to contradict one another, if their interests do not coincide, there is an internal conflict. Strengthening starts to influence the person’s whole life, sense of psychological comfort, relationships with other people, and attitude toward oneself (Seppälä, 2020).
Anxiety, lowered self-esteem, insecurity, aggression, depression, and dissatisfaction with oneself and one’s life may appear. To change this, it is necessary to understand the conflict of sub-personalities. They are in constant dialogue, but it is challenging to resolve as long as this argument is within. It is inconsistent, illogical, and boils to mutual recriminations, demands, and accusations.
The technique is characteristic of some styles of Gestalt therapy. It is often effective in facilitating the integration of clients in different aspects or “disconnected parts” of their personality to further understand psychotherapy. It is one of the many interventions that help people move from talking about something to the fullness of immediate, present experience – feeling, affect, cognition, and movement. The less a client “touches” and “verbalizes,” or thinks abstractly, the more likely therapists will use this expressive technique (Sanderson, 2022). It is not used for patients with dramatic emotionality and may be subject to emotional “flooding.”
The Rationale for Selection of the Intervention
The vacant chair intervention is a powerful therapeutic technique that allows the client to externalize a problem and view it from numerous viewpoints at the same time. This method is especially beneficial for clients who suffer from chronic anxiety and lack socialization, as it enables them to examine their thoughts and feelings in a safe and supportive setting.
The therapist may urge the client to take on various roles and viewpoints during the session, such as speaking from the perspective of the problem or the perspective of a trustworthy friend or family member. This can assist the client in gaining new perspectives on their circumstance and developing greater sensitivity and understanding for themselves and others. Finally, the empty chair intervention can be a changing experience for clients, assisting them in moving past their present constraints and creating a more satisfying and purposeful life.
Critique of the Implementation of the Intervention
This technique is very effective because sometimes it is difficult for people to show real emotion in a one-on-one conversation. The person to whom the patient is talking may interrupt, change the subject abruptly, or shut down emotionally. Another problem is that the person may be judged for openly complaining, being angry, or crying. A little research has shown that exercise reduces a person’s guilt about himself or others (Grann, 2021).
The whole point is that in front of an empty chair, it is easier for a person to understand the reasons for what happened and to admit his mistakes. However, this technique is much more effective to perform with a therapist (Goren-Bar, 2021). Firstly, because they will be able to look at the problem from the outside and, with the help of leading questions, will not let it go away. Secondly, if, at some point, emotions peak and a person cannot calm down on their own, a specialist will help do this. Third, an unprepared person is unlikely to cope with psychological trauma alone.
Future Improvements with this Client
I plan to add creative techniques (art therapy, impro-theater), bodywork, visualization, and metaphors. Integrative Psychotherapy provides a wonderful toolkit. For example, inquiry (questioning) allows for consideration of the client’s history and experience at all stages of therapy, the transcendental perspective allows for a change of focus, and the involvement of intuition allows for a quicker connection to the underlying processes (Goren-Bar, 2021).
In addition, I usually add relaxation techniques and recommend auto-training. Also, in psychotherapy and counseling, I will use the concept of a person’s mental individuality, which includes a set of psychophysiological, psychological, and socio-psychological properties of a person: temperament (the biological component of mental individuality); character (the psychological component of mental individuality); personality (the social component of mental individuality).
Growth Ideas for This Approach
Growth ideas for this approach could be more in-depth applications. The patient can discharge emotions at the end of the day if an unpleasant event occurs. This will help him stop accumulating stress and work with his anxiety. Since stress usually contributes to the breakdown of the body’s most weakened systems, this therapy is necessary. Hypertension, coronary heart disease, bronchial asthma, peptic ulcer disease – not a complete list of diseases, the development of which can be accelerated by intense or prolonged stress (Goren-Bar, 2021). The patient can also use this technique to learn to spend time alone. Since the patient has moved to another place, and his usual surroundings are no longer a part of his life, he needs to be able to be alone.
References
Goren-Bar, A. (2021). An Introduction to Jungian Coaching. Routledge.
Grann, L. (2021). Transcendent Play: An Empirical Exploration into How Character Creation and Imaginative Role-Play in Online and Offline Video Games Can Facilitate Self-Discovery (Doctoral dissertation, University of West Georgia).
Sanderson, A. (2022). Psychiatry and the Spirit World: True Stories on the Survival of Consciousness after Death. Simon and Schuster.
Seppälä, K. M. (2020). A Thematic Analysis: How Dramatic Techniques Can Be Applied in Therapy to Facilitate Clients in Regaining an Integrated Sense-Of-Self After Experiencing Interpersonal Trauma (Doctoral dissertation, Universidade Fernando Pessoa (Portugal).