When a trauma has happened to you, it is held in your very
cells in the forms of physical symptoms, rigidity of musculature, and vulnerability to dysfunction or disease. The
trauma may affect your life in both subtle and more dramatic
ways. Most people who come to this kind of growth process
have already tried traditional therapy to relieve their depression, anxieties or other emotional problems. While
talking is helpful, it doesn't release the trauma on a deep,
body level. They often feel that there is something more to
be resolved. Primal work is not a band-aid for your problems. If is a very deep cleansing of the wounds that have been affecting your life.
In Primal, you are able to regress and re-experience a
time when you felt totally victimized. This could be an
abusive situation or even being trapped in the birth canal.
After you have released the painful feelings, you may be
encouraged to redo the trauma in a positive way which
will allow you to get in touch with your own sense of power
and move away from the victim stance. For example, someone who had a Cesarean birth may continue to expect to
be rescued. After working through the real birth issues and
feelings, they could be helped to redo the birth as a normal
vaginal delivery, They will then have the sense of being "in
charge" of their life in a deep cellular way. This is called a
Primal of Undoing.
How does someone get into a Primal Experience? A
"Primal" is a natural phenomenon. The body wants to heal -
to release the tensions and pains it is holding inside. Over
the years, we have learned to repress and suppress our
feelings and natural tendencies. We are told: "Be polite, be
quiet, don't be angry, there's nothing to be afraid of, don't be
a crybaby." Our reality is denied over and over until we don't
trust our own feelings or experiences. We lose our real self
and become what others expect us to be. So, we have
layers of defenses to work through to get to our core Self.
A Primal can be described as a feeling that may start with
a here-and-now distress, such as being upset and angry
with an authority figure. As the client is encouraged to
express feelings of anger, etc., they may find the feelings
really taking over. There usually is a sense of giving ones-self permission to 'go with it.' During that process, there
may be a flash or vision from the past. In this case, it could
be a parent figure and maybe a memory scene. Then, if the
client feels safe, he or she may re-experience a traumatic
event and release the feelings from the past. A connection
is made between that scene and the present. This generally
releases the energy of the current situation and the client is
able to function better. The more we can release our angers,
the more we can open to love and our own Power Within.
Who would benefit from this process? Primal is very effective with depression, anxiety, panic disorder, grief, rage,
sexual abuse, rape, incest, pre-verbal traumas, pre- and
peri-natal issues, abandonment, rejection and other issues
that clients are able to work with, express, feel and release.
The process is basically self-directed so each person will
open up and progress at their own pace. This maintains
safety and also provides support for those who are not
ready or willing to go into the deeper parts of their psyche.
The benefits include: feeling empowered rather than
victimized, having more choices in one's life, freedom
from repetitive patterns, becoming more authentic, and
Opening to the Power Within.
Barbara Bryan (Valassis), MA, CSW, LLP (Limited Licensed Psychologist), has directed the Primal Integration Center of Michigan since 1974. She trained with William Swartley, Ph.D. and William Smuckler, Ph.D. Barbara has participated in a forty-day intensive training program called "Noah's Ark," as a trained in 1977 and as a leader in 1986 and every two years since. She has been president of the International Primal Association for two terms and subscribes to the IPA Code of Ethics and Standards. She is an active participant in her own on-going primal process.
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