Process Oriented Psychology

Arnold Mindell, an American Jungian analyst, developed process work in the 1970s while conducting research on the concept of the unconscious. He observed that elements from a person's dreams manifested in somatic sensations and physical symptoms. Mindell referred to this connection as the dreambody.

Mindell believed that dreams reflect different bodily experiences. As a result, a therapist may address physical issues by working with dreams or address unconscious material in dreams by working with the body. Mindell eventually expanded his definition of the term "unconscious" to include dreams, daydreams, unintentional verbal and nonverbal signals, and beliefs, perceptions, and ideas an individual does not identify with. The term "process" refers to the flow of experience and how experience may change as information is accessed from different channels. These channels can involve feelings, visual data, auditory data, movement, relationships, and environmental feedback. 

Process oriented psychology is a transdisciplinary approach that integrates principles from Jungian psychology, physics, and information theory. It also incorporates awareness patterns from Buddhism, Taoism, and shamanism. In the 1980s, Mindell applied the conceptual framework he had been using with families, couples, and individuals to organizations, communities, and other large groups of people. 

The primary goal of process oriented psychology is to promote awareness. Supporters of the approach claim awareness of unconscious emotions and cognition may be increased by examining somatic cues. 

Process oriented psychology suggests there are two kinds of experiences:

Primary process: Experiences the individual can assimilate and identify with, they are in the foreground of awareness and a part of conscious thought.

Secondary process: Experiences the individual cannot relate to and that appear foreign, these are in the background, trying to come into the foreground of awareness.

It may be difficult or impossible for an individual to identify with secondary process experiences, almost as if a boundary or wall existed between them and primary process experiences. In process work, this boundary is called an "edge." Referring to the edge of an individual's identity, an edge is defined as a person's limit of awareness.

There are four types of edges:

Personal: An individual with an edge to their intelligence may be considered brilliant by other people but see themselves as stupid. The primary process, “I am stupid,” is accepted, but it is difficult for the person to accept the secondary process, “Other people think I am brilliant.”

Family:  If the family unit promotes peaceful, noncompetitive behavior, a family member with a competitive spirit may develop an edge to their aggression and drive. The individual readily identifies with the primary process, the family's peaceful approach, and finds it hard to accept the secondary process, their own competitive nature.

Social: This boundary is created by social experiences. A sensitive man who grows up in an environment where toughness is considered a manly trait may develop an edge to his personality. He identifies with the primary process that men are tough and rejects the secondary process that he is sensitive. 

Human: This primary process includes behaviors or experiences considered part of human nature. These are behaviors a person is comfortable with and a realm in which experiences are appropriate and acceptable. The secondary process includes any experiences that reside beyond the realm of human nature. These experiences are considered inhuman, animal, supernatural, or alien.

Ideals and experiences beyond the primary process are often seen as concerns to be resolved. Therefore, secondary process experiences may manifest as difficulties in a person’s life. Process oriented psychology helps therapists and individuals seeking help identify primary processes, secondary processes, and the edge between them. During therapy, secondary processes are unfolded until understood on somatic and cognitive levels, and they become part of the individual's awareness and world of experience.

Process work is a positive approach. Presenting issues are not seen as pathologies that must be eliminated but as opportunities to become aware of what is needed for increased wisdom, happiness, and personal growth.

In process work, edges are viewed as obstacles that prevent an individual from doing what needs to be done to gain awareness and grow. They are blocks between the primary and secondary processes. 

A person may feel nervous, excited, anxious, confused, or fearful of negotiating an edge, as their primary identity might feel challenged. The therapist can work with individuals to identify edges and learn as much about them as possible. While it is possible to go over an edge in therapy, the primary goal is to build awareness of the edge. The therapist does not typically push people in treatment to go over edges quickly, as this could result in emotional backlash, especially when edges have not been properly processed.

Practitioners of process oriented psychology believe repressed experiences and traits may be beneficial to people in treatment if the unconscious material is gently brought into consciousness and better understood. For example, an individual who identifies as peaceful and cooperative could realize it is advantageous to display appropriate levels of anger or resilience in certain situations. By thoroughly negotiating the edge, individuals can experience personal growth.

Presently, process oriented psychology is used to treat issues including:

Anxiety

Depression

Food and eating issues

Relationship conflicts

Dementia

Family issues

Addiction

Anger management

Grief and loss

Posttraumatic stress (PTSD)

Sexual concerns

Spiritual concerns