Rebel Health Radio

Working with Emotion | The Influence of Virginia Satir in Healing Relationships and Life

Patricia Worby, PhD

Psychotherapist Virginia Satir (1916 - 1988) remains one of the most influential family therapists there have ever been but she is virtually unknown now outside of psychology. She taught the importance of feelings over thoughts and blew the current understanding and practice out the water with her emphasis on safe emotional connection and the reasons people repeated certain scripted behaviors. Her work was the basis for Richard Bandler's development of NLP but she is seldom acknowledged or celebrated.

When I was a fledgling therapist I was asked to model myself on someone who worked the way I wanted to and I found her by accident and noticed something very important. She touched people! Both figuratively and physically she stressed the importance of safe emotional connection through touch, sight and sound. She believed everything was vibration and that to be human was a magical thing of divine expression.

Find out how her work has influenced mine and what I wished I'd known about self-esteem and becoming fully human.

Her expressed wish was that everyone could look the mirror and say "the world is a better place because I'm in it".
Find your work here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITT44xDLXI

00:00 Intro to Virginia Satir as a model for the work I now do
03:00 The importance of emotions in working with people in therapy - sight, sound and touch (sensory inputs through the body) enables people to feel safe and is the basis of behaviour
06:11 A faulty model of the world that we learned as children becomes the basis for how we related now - a faulty projection of reality. Power vs. intimacy.
10:05 The body expresses the dysfunction because the mind cannot (it's repressed). Rage then ensues which is driven into symptoms.
11:48 Power dynamics between people. Being present vs. being defended. Freedom to disagree via safe connection vs. reactivity.
13:07 The need to be right will be defended even if it is dysfunctional (Peter Crone) to avoid feeling uncertainty.To be truly intimate have to be willing to acknowledge difference.
15:53 Each human being is the unique manifestation of a divine force. We need time to explore ourselves to be in true relationship with others. We ask to be heard by someone.
17:30 We are vibration - so how we use our bodies matters. Being in true connection whilst disagreeing gives us energy. In battle with our experience.
19:34 The importance of meaning and interpretation in communication. Having an accurate picture in order to respond appropriately
21:56 How the vulnerability of not knowing is part of the solution not the problem. Our difference needs acknowledging and a willingness to not know.
23:32 Every situation in our life in which we struggle shows us where are not free or out of alignment with our true selves.
24: 30 How I work with the body to build self-esteem

Find Peter Crone's conversation with Rangan Chatterjee here. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnsUif-CzOg

*If you're suffering from Chronic pain, fatigue or anxiety, I CAN HELP*
CONTACT ME: https://www.alchemytherapies.co.uk/
Alchemy Therapies & Emotional Masterclass

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
Group Healing Program: http://myemotionalaudit.com
Author/Book site: https//patriciaworby.com
Podcast: https://www.alchemytherapies.co.uk/po...
121 and group therapy and training for stress related conditions like anxiety, fatigue and pain: https://alchemytherapies.co.uk
See in particular: Thrive! - an introductory mindbody connection program and The Emotional Audit for more intensive training.

COMING SOON:
Intensive Training Program: https://emotionalmasterclass.com