July/August 2003 Alternative Health
Applied Metapsychology for Personal Growth
by Aerial Long
You, the person, are perfect and whole. You are not a thing. You are
not your house, your car, your body, your emotions or your thoughts!
These things are a part of your environment and you can change your
environment. This is the foundation of a powerful, non-judgmental, directive
method for self-realization called metapsychology.
Metapsychology is different from psychology in that psychology deals
with mental diagnosis and disorders, follows the medical guidelines,
and views the mind as the source of human consciousness. Psychology
is defined by the Oxford English dictionary as "the scientific
study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting
behavior in a given context."
Metapsychology, on the other hand, views the mind as external to consciousness,
or spirit, and therefore a part of the person’s environment, not
the person him- or herself. The purpose of metapsychology is to assist
with personal growth issues, and considers the client to be the authority
of their world. Although it does not deal with mental disorders, quite
often some symptoms simply disappear during the metapsychology sessions.
The principal developer of metapsychology is Dr. Frank Gerbode, psychiatrist,
philosopher, and author of the book Beyond Psychology, An Introduction
to Metapsychology. In the 1980s, he founded the Institute for Research
in Metapsychology, at which I was fortunate enough to have done my internship.
I participated in the research and development of the powerful, person-centered
procedures for personal growth called the "curriculum," which
later became known as Applied Metapsychology.
The Curriculum is divided into the General Curriculum and the Core
Curriculum, both of which allow the client to progress at a comfortable
and systematic pace. Each is divided into Sections.
General Curriculum Sections
Stress Reduction: clears away any pressing issues on the surface
that are taking over the client’s focus and causing stress, and
it often ignites a renewed interest in life.
Help And Control: increases the client’s ability to give
and receive help, willingly accept control from others and to gain better
control over their lives.
Recall Enhancement: focuses on the client’s ability to
recall pleasant experiences from the past, while helping them gain an
awareness of their perceptions, and build a tolerance for seeing unpleasant
experiences.
Communication: clears any emotional issues around communication
with others. It increases the client's ability to be at ease while communicating
with anyone on any subject.
Resolution: When an individual tries to make problems go away
without confronting them head on, the problem is never truly resolved.
This section helps the client understand the difference between a solution
and a resolution. It provides the key to breaking this vicious cycle
and the ability to recognize the source of problems and to resolve them.
Reconciliation: increases the client's ability to forgive and
to be at peace. It restores their integrity and sense of personal power
that were inhibited by guilt, justification, blame, or fear of harming
others.
Resilience: increases the client's ability to be resilient when
there is an unexpected or unwanted departure from their expectations
about life. They are no longer at the mercy of upsetting changes and
experience a quick recovery from the effects of these changes.
Traumatic Incident Reduction: The goal of this section is to
discover and dissolve the root of any traumas, or hidden influences
that have strongly affected their lives.. When these traumas are triggered
by certain situations, the client automatically reacts emotionally,
mentally, and physically. They have no choice. This section, therefore,
dissolves the symptoms associated with these traumas, while increasing
awareness, rehabilitating their power of choice, and creating a sense
of well-being and happiness.
Rightness: One would assume that a when a client experiences
health and happiness, they have completed their journey of personal
growth. However, at this point, their ability and awareness have increased
to the degree that they are capable of recognizing any sabotage in the
form of "fixed ideas" that block them from progressing in
any area of their life. Therefore, this new awareness allows them even
more power and choices in shaping their future.
Core Curriculum
If the issues in the General Curriculum were not resolved, it becomes
difficult to proceed within the Core Curriculum.
Here, issues are addressed that have traditionally remained within
the confines of spiritual disciplines. The Core Curriculum provides
the opportunity for the client to separate from their mental constructs
and realize their full potential. This is accomplished by resolving
internal conflicts of high-level goals while addressing other universes
or identities mistakenly thought of as one’s own.
The purpose of the Metapsychology Curriculum is to bring about an increased
awareness while creating an overall sense of personal freedom, power,
peace, and joy. Whether perceived as the attainment of sanity, enlightenment,
happiness, wisdom, or salvation, Applied Metapsychology is ultimately
about one goal: Discovering the True Self.
Aerial Long, MS, CT, CMF is a certified personal growth and trauma
counselor in private practice. She teaches life skills classes and gives
free presentations on the Applied Metapsychology Curriculum. For more
information call 503-531-7916, email her at Aerial.Long@verizon.net,
or visit her web sit at www.AerialLong.com.