Met grote fierheid delen we mee dat in de International Journal of Psychotherapy een wetenschappelijk artikel van de hand van I.V.-grondleggers en EA-oprichters Bruno Van den Bosch en Hilde Vleugels is verschenen met als titel: “Connection in a Torn World: An Integrative Approach in Psychotherapy”.

De International Journal of Psychotherapy is een initiatief van de European Association for Psychotherapy of EAP en wijdt een speciaal dossier aan integratieve therapie. Het bouwt hiermee voort op het 11de Internationaal Congres van de European Association for Integrative Psychotherapy of EAIP van vorig jaar.

Als EA zijn we hier als actief lid van zowel EAP als EAIP uiteraard heel blij mee. Ook al omdat het op deze manier onze weternschappelijke pijler in de kijker zet. De visie van EA stoelt immers op vier pijlers, nl. de integratieve, de creatieve, de transpersoonlijke en de wetenschappelijke pijler.

In het artikel schuiven Bruno en Hilde integratie en integratieve psychotherapie naar voor als tegengif voor de chaos en verdeeldheid die in onze maatschappij heersen. Ze bouwen hierbij vooral voort op de experiëntele benadering van Gendlins en de interpersoonlijke neurobiologie van Siegel.

Wie het Engelstalige artikel van Bruno en Hilde wenst te lezen, kan dat op verschillende manieren:

• Hieronder hernemen we de introductie van het artikel. Onderaan deze introductie vind je een link die je toelaat het hele artikel te lezen.
• Wens je meteen het hele dossier over integratieve psychotherapie te lezen? Dan vind je daaronder een andere link die naar de website van de International Journal of Psychotherapy leidt.

Veel leesplezier!

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Connection in a Torn World: An Integrative Approach in Psychotherapy

In early October 2023, EAIP’s 11th Integrative Psychotherapy Congress was held in Georgia at the interface of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The main themes discussed during the congress were that, ‘Human Rights, Connections and Diversities’, are essential in our present world and also for mental health. In his opening speech, the association’s president spoke about the vital role of integration and the connection in diversity as core values and challenges to be cherished. (Van den Bosch, 6-102023). One day later, war broke out in Israel.

You want it darker
Hineni, hineni
I’m ready, my Lord”
(Leonard Cohen)

In the interplay between the push for integration at the EAIP Congress and the reality of crisis and war, the need for integrative approaches is stressed all the more. ‘Hineni, Hineni’ (1) – Here we are, ready to go deep into one of the essential foundations of mental health amid disintegration and destruction.

Clarifying the concept of integration: Distinguishing and connecting

The term ‘integration’ is often linked with migrants or refugees, which seems to imply assimilation. However, what is actually unilateral adaptation is not integration. Just as in a choir, when distinctive voices are singing, they come together in harmony without losing their individuality. The process of being included in a larger whole also requires mutual alignment and connection between different elements. In other words, differentiation and integration go hand-in-hand, and the connected whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as is illustrated by the example of a choir.

Nevertheless, what do we mean when we talk about Integrative Psychotherapy? What does the concept of integration mean in the context of mental health care? What distinguishable elements call for connection?

Let us begin with the central figure: the client. When a person is integrated, this is reflected in a natural vitality, a healthy adaptation and coherence – like a smooth singing of different aspects of life. However, seeking psychological help often implies a degree of disintegration. There is a restlessness or emptiness where thoughts and feelings do not merge seamlessly; desires, wills and actions do not merge vividly. Relationships with others, with the world around, or with life itself, are complicated. Body, mind and environment are not well aligned. Integration, in this context, means seeking renewed alignment, connection, and balance with the inner self, others, and the flow of life; it is a pursuit of wholeness, meaningfulness, and connection.

Neuroscientist and psychotherapist, Daniel Siegel, uses the metaphor of the ‘River of Integration’ – a flow on the ‘edge of chaos’. The stream moves between rigid order and chaotic randomness, blending the familiar and unfamiliar in an ever-evolving stream of differentiation and connection (Siegel, 2022, p. 130). Examples of states beyond the ‘River of Integration’ include outbursts of anger or fear and being overpowered by a sense of paralysis or emptiness (Siegel, 2010, p. 263).

On a global scale, events such as floods, pandemics, and wars, reflect the chaos of disintegration. On the opposite side, increasing hardening, rigidity, and apathy, manifest themselves. These events reflect a world fluctuating between the extremes of chaos and rigidity, where striving for integration and a renewed balance is crucial for global well-being. We are in an existential crisis.

Emmy van Deurzen, philosopher and existential therapist, spoke about it at the EAIP Congress (see next article in the Journal). The turmoil and disasters in the world affect all our lives and potentially endanger them. Connections and meaning are simultaneously destroyed at many levels. It comes down to finding new connections and new actions to survive and feel of value in this world, argues van Deurzen. We need a total transformation, new resilience, and a broader human horizon (Van Deurzen, 07-10-2023).

We need a broad perspective. This brings us to yet another context in which we use the word integration in psychotherapy: the therapeutic approach. Depending on the school that the therapist belongs to, the person coming into counselling is helped according to a particular method: analytical, behavioural, cognitive, experiential, existential, contextual, systemic, etc. However, integrative therapists combine these different views and utilise methods from several therapeutic perspectives. This allows them to apply a ‘flexible’ therapy, tailored to the client’s world. This integrative nature promotes a holistic approach, and offers a treasure chest of opportunities, so as to effectively respond to the complexity of human experiences and challenges.

In conclusion, whether addressing the intrapsychic, relational, or transpersonal wholeness of an individual, the healing of the world, or the interaction of various therapeutic approaches, integration involves the alignment, interplay, and connection of different parts, nurturing diversity and coherence. In essence, integration is shaped through interaction, where the harmonious flow of the ‘River of Integration’ can serve as a metaphor for both personal growth and global well-being. In a world undergoing existential crisis, and oscillating between chaos and rigidity, the pursuit of integration and the discovery of new meaningful connections remain crucial – a necessity for survival and for the restoration of a healthy balance and well-being. Integrative Psychotherapy may play a crucial role in this transformative process.

How the lens we look through influences the creation of our world

Now that we have explored the concept of integration, we can turn our gaze to the different lenses through which we view the world. We can explore how the lens that we look through shapes our  perception and how Integrative Psychotherapy can be a valuable tool for embracing diverse perspectives in this complex world.

A worldview acts as a lens through which we see everything, often without being fully aware of it, argues author and integrator Jeremy Lent in his book, ‘The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe’ (2021). A worldview affects the way we act. When we believe that all living things are family, we will treat them differently than when the natural world is a resource to be exploited. We often do not realise that we observe the world around us a lens or window, and it is through dialogue with others that we can broaden our viewpoint. In encounters with others, we become more aware of the invisible window through which we look, allowing us to take a different perspective. Watching through a particular lens adjusts our perception, which can change the meaning that we assign to events and to what we desire, want, and do. A different perspective can then bring movement to a stalled story, or calm to too much chaos. It affects how we ‘shape our reality in interaction’ and influences a person’s integration with self in relation to others and the present world. As integrative thinkers, we have brought together the interaction between perceiving, wanting and acting, in the ‘I.V. Triangle’, in total, the Triangle of Conceptual Interaction (Vleugels & van den Bosch, 2008).

Lees hier het volledige artikel van Bruno en Hilde.

Klik hier naar de website van de International Journal of Psychotherapy. Je ontdekt er deze editie en alle vorige edities en speciale nummers.