Janina Fisher: Unlocking Therapeutic Stuckness - Academy of Therapy Wisdom

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Dive into the depths of therapeutic challenges with renowned therapist Janina Fisher (#freetraining webinar: vist.ly/xsj9)
In this thought-provoking segment from her talk, Fisher delves into the complexities of the therapist-client relationship, shedding light on the dynamics of helplessness, resistance, and stuckness.
With over four decades of experience, Fisher reflects on the profound drive within therapists to alleviate suffering and the accompanying struggles when faced with limitations in providing relief. Drawing from her rich clinical experience, she mentions the dual nature of this drive - a source of beauty in facilitating healing and a source of anguish when met with impasse.
Join Fisher as she explores the nuances of stuckness in therapy, likening it to the "Eeyore effect" from Winnie the Pooh, where both therapist and client find themselves repeatedly circling back to familiar struggles. She unpacks the intertwined dynamics of avoidance and fear, highlighting the roots of resistance in trauma survivors and the ensuing challenges for therapists.
Gain insight into the various forms of resistance encountered in therapy, from help-rejecting complainers to clients who oscillate between seeking help and resisting intervention. Fisher's astute observations offer valuable perspectives for therapists navigating the complexities of therapeutic impasse.
Video transcript:
Janina-
So being a therapist, having been a therapist for 43 years, I've had a lot of time to think, who are we? And I realized our commonality is a deep, deep, deep drive to help, to be of service, to relieve suffering. And that urgency to help is a plus and a minus because it's beautiful when we can help. But when we can't help, we feel frustrated, we feel inadequate, we suffer because the client is still suffering. Sometimes we question ourselves, sometimes we question the client, and there's an unconscious assumption that it took me years to recognize that I expected that clients would accept and benefit from therapy.
Yes, but not always. So I asked some of my closest colleagues, what does stuckness look like? And most importantly, when the client is stuck, we're stuck. And that's never a good feeling. I call it the Eeyore effect if you're a fan of Winnie the Pooh, right?
We keep trying to help the client take a different path. And week after week, the client keeps returning to that same dead end. Or the client makes progress and we think, okay, this is going well. And then suddenly hits a wall. Avoidance and fear. And notice I put the two together.
because when we talk about avoidance, we talk as if it's intentional, but really it comes from fear. And although the fear of trauma survivors is totally understandable, it leaves us feeling helpless to help. And we don't like that feeling. So here are some of the different types of resistance, quote unquote, that we see. We often see clients who are help rejecting complainers. Week after week, they plea for help and then turn down any suggestion, any intervention we offer them. Or the client comes to therapy.
And week after week says, I'm fine. I'm okay. Essentially, which means I'm fine means I don't want your help today. Where do we go with that? I've spent years saying I'm fine. As in, you wouldn't tell me if you weren't fine. Fine as in fucked up, insecure, nervous and emotional or fine as in I really had a very good week. And they always laugh, but that underlying message, I don't need help, always comes through.
Skepticism. How do you know this will work? Well, we haven't tried it yet. So I even had a client who said, do you use quality control measures? And then my favorite, the client who came week after week after week, and every week she said the same thing. I didn't want to come today and I have nothing to say.