About Process Approach

I have developed Process Approach to allow me to do the practical work and group training that I envision in the city where I live and work. Throughout the development, I have been strongly influenced by the work of CG Jung and Arnold and Amy Mindell in psychology and the social and political philosophy of Jürgen Habermas.

I am indebted to Arnold Mindell for his concept of process as a response to causal, descriptive approaches, in that process for “Arny” is a relational, associative path through which the facilitator assists the subject in perceiving associations, which can be linear as well as non-linear, local as well as non-local. For example, anger as a symptom can lead to associations of frustration or conflict at home, at work, in love relationships locally as well as in other countries and time periods. Working on body symptoms can produce similar experiences; moreover, I have learned from Arny to work with body symptoms and associations together to go beyond the level of confrontation into a non-causal dreaming level. Dreams present symbolic and perceptual openings that both Jung and Mindell teach following. With Arny, we learn in addition, to use the innate movements of the client - meaning how the subject moves naturally - to focus attention non-verbally on previously unperceived openings to the limits that we all impose on ourselves. That provides a fluidity to the perception process that I feel is well worth presenting to the general public. It also leads to addressing larger issues of what Habermas terms the compartmentalization of modernity.

People often ask me where is the philosophy? I tell them that the desire to change, to heal, to feel empowered and to make the world a better place to live is the beginning of philosophy. Without authentic feelings, philosophy in all its variations is just a collection of words. 

Last but not least, as promised to Amy Mindell, I use with permission the term “Dreaming Source” from her book, The Dreaming Source of Creativity, that I reference in the Reading List. Honestly stated, I experience art differently after reading it. I use the term however, in another way than Amy does, in that I work with the fact that some experiences cannot be willed but must be dreamt and related to. That stated, I agree with her that dreaming is a source of creativity, not only in the arts, but in daily life. Many heartfelt thanks to Amy for countless lessons in human creativity.