State-Control

States are deceptively simple in description yet, infinitely complex when it comes to application. States are simply the way of being that an individual currently inhabits. State-control refers to the intentional manipulation of different states of being such as emotions, physiology, memories, sensory processing, thought patterns, behaviors and more. Manipulation meaning guiding, influencing, and working with.

This is experiential work at its core—experiential precisely because it creates shifts which lead to deep healing just by way of allowing room for what already exists but is unused or hidden. That’s a cryptic way to say people have so much unused potential hidden away in large part due to placing limitations on themselves. All people are always in a certain state and all states change.

Shifting states creates deep healing by gently guiding individuals and systems through experiences in real time which allows for new patterns to emerge naturally. Naturally because it utilizes what is capable within an individual or system. State-control focuses on tapping completely normal processes that people hardly notice.

As an example I worked with a client who struggled with handling emotions, especially anger and frustration. As such, I purposely provoked his anger (in a safe and ethical manner) and then invited him to notice what was taking place by turning his attention inward. I then guided him back towards a state of relaxation and confidence, asking him to notice the physiological markers that were taking place—such as slower breathing, a release of muscle tension in his shoulders, and a change in voice tone. The client readily identified that he was feeling frustrated and then relaxed and that he could notice the shift take place. I pointed out that this emotional shift was something that took place inside of him and that he could recreate this himself. This is a prime example of state-control in action that demonstrates the experiential nature inherent in this approach.

Once state-work and state-control can be experientially conceptualized it provides the basis to cut through all therapeutic work and get at the heart of what all therapists are attempting to do–affect meaningful change. Once it is realized that no technique, no way of communicating, no words are effective if applied to an individual or system in the wrong state, it becomes clear just how important of an idea this is. By implication, techniques are of little consequence. Words are not quite as necessary as is commonly thought. The greatest way to effect change is learning how to work within the specific state-dependent context.

Another interesting aspect to consider is that people can become stuck in unhelpful, patterned states. But the keys to freedom lie just within reach. Shifting states enables people to experience novel ways of being. One of the greatest aspects of state-control is that it can primarily be unconscious and implicit, leading people to have phenomenal change without having to have some crippling intellectual understanding of why or how it happened. They just know they feel different.

As an exercise, allow a shift now, consider the different aspects of your own being as you read this. How fast or slow is your heart beat? What is your breathing like in this moment? What are you aware of in your environment? Is there some kind of emotion you are experiencing? When is the last time you ate? Are you now remembering? Narrow your focus inward on any of these aspects. Magnify the feelings, memories, or bodily sensations and notice what happens. You get the gist.

You are in a certain state right now and that can change from moment to moment, minute to minute, hour to hour, etc. Becoming aware of your own internal landscape is the symbolic playground in which you can learn how to experience states. A subtle shift from anger and aggression to calmer and less tense…how does this happen? What exactly occurs which allows one person to do this, yet, not another?

Recognizing your own states and then learning how to notice and change them in others is fertile therapeutic ground. A conceptual leap and openness to experience is required to give credence to the necessary mindset and confidence to integrate these concepts. Once state-control is grasped and then used in practice it revolutionizes therapeutic progress and skill, allowing for therapy to truly take on its rightful characteristic of being an artform.