Intensification of defense
Definition
The patient may begin by stating a particular life problem that disturbs him; and if silent, he may be asked by the therapist to express his immediate awareness. However he begins, the focus is on his moment-to-moment "here and now" experience as much as possible; intensification and exaggeration of this experience is encouraged by a variety of exercises. One such technique could be the empty chair technique.
Dialogue
Norman Friedman[1] creates the following hypothetical dialogue:
- PT: (a college coed): My English professor gave me only a B on my paper yesterday. I don't think he likes me.
- TH: Would you tell that to him?
- PT: "Why are you so down on me? Don't I do all the homework?"
- TH: Now switch over and be him. (physically changes seats)
- PT: (As her English Professor) "Sure, you do all the work. But you're just a drone, no imagination."
- TH: Can you hear yourself? Whom do you sound like?
- PT: You know, I think he looks a little like my father to me! He never liked anything I ever did.
Exaggeration Technique
Fritz Perls used the Exaggeration Technique to assist the client in understanding his/her defenses.
The next stage of chairwork, writes Friedman[1] is to "encourage both the two sides to confront one another and to intensify the conflict. In other words, it aims to produce the "reenactment" of "unfinished business" which, according to Perls' theory, is essential to experiencing and assimilating unacknowledged feelings.
