Process-oriented psychology, also called process work, is a depth psychology theory and set of techniques developed by Arnold Mindell and associated with transpersonal psychology,Collins, M. (2001). Who Is Occupied ? Consciousness, Self Awareness and the Process of Human Adaptation. Journal of Occupational Science, 8(1), 25–32. (p.29)Grof, S. (2010). The Consciousness Revolution. In V. V. Kozlov, V. V. Maykov, & V. F. Petrenko (Eds.), Consciousness Revolution: Transpersonal Discoveries That Are Changing the World. Materials of the 17th International Transpersonal Conference. Moscow, 23–27 July 2010. (pp. 100–103). Moscow: Presidium of the International Academy of Psychological Sciences. Retrieved from (p.102) somatic psychologyYoung, C. (2011). The history and development of Body Psychotherapy: European collaboration. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 6(1), 57–68. (p.65)Totton, N. (2003). Body Psychotherapy: An Introduction. Berkshire, England: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill House. (p.107-108)Caldwell, C. (1997) 'Dreams and the dreaming body. Amy and Arny Mindell' in C. Caldwell (Ed.) Getting in touch: The guide to new body-centered therapies. Wheaton, IL: Quest. (p.61) and post-Jungian psychology.Singer, J. (1995). Arny and Amy Mindell on Process Oriented Psychology (Interview). The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 13(4), 25–40. (p. 40)Toub, M. (2010). Growing Up Jung: Coming of Age as the Son of Two Shrinks. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. See Ch 1 The Marginalized & Ch 2 Dreambody (pp. 15-68) Process oriented psychology has been applied in contexts including individual therapy and working with groups and organisations. It is known for extending dream analysis to body experiencesShafton, A. (1995). Dream reader: contemporary approaches to the understanding of dreams. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. (p. 522-525)Zwig, A. (1990). A body-oriented approach to dreamwork. In S. Krippner (Ed.), Dreamtime and dreamwork: Decoding the language of the night (pp. 78–86). Los Angeles, CA England: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc. and for applying psychology to world issues including socioeconomic disparities,Totton, N. (2000). Psychotherapy and Politics. London: Sage Publications. (p.45-48) diversity issues,Collins, M. (2008). Politics and the Numinous: Evolution, Spiritual Emergency, and the Re-emergence of Transpersonal Consciousness. Psychotherapy & Politics International, 6(3), 198–211. (p. 207) social conflict,Lattin, D. (1992, May 1). Mediators target hot spots. San Francisco Chronicle.Peay, P. (1997, July 5). Public therapy aims to heal rifts of racism. St Petersburg Times, FL. and leadership.
Origins and reception Process oriented psychology was originated in the 1970s by Arnold Mindell, an American Jungian analyst then living in Switzerland. It began as a development of Jungian psychology with the concept of a 'dreambody' that extended dream analysis to include work with people's body symptoms and bodily experiences. Jungian analyst June Singer commented that Mindell's work 'expands the scope of Jung's psychology to include not only the psyche but also the body, relationships and the total environment.' Stanislav Grof has described Arnold Mindell as one of the 'pioneers of transpersonal psychology'. Mindell's concepts of 'deep democracy' and 'worldwork' have been identified as part of a toolkit for transformational change which supports collective governance.
In a critical exploration of the relationship between African Americans and C.G. Jung's analytical psychology, Fanny Brewster describes Mindell's dreambody work and his linking of body symptoms and psychological development. Brewster finds that Mindell's development of Jungian ideas is aligned with traditional African concepts of healing which link mind and body: ‘I believe that Mindell’s approach to dreamwork with its emphasis on body healing mirrors the African system of healing’s inclusiveness of body and mind in the process.’
Process Work is recognised within the field of body psychotherapy and somatic psychologyTotton, N. (Ed.). (2005). New Dimensions in Body Psychotherapy. London: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill. (p.4, Ch. 11 pp.153-167) with its emphasis on movement and body feeling.Payne, H. (2006). Tracking the web of interconnectivity (Editorial). Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy: An International Journal for Theory, Research and Practice, 1(1), 7–15.(p. 9-10)Steckler, L. H. (2006). Somatic soulmates. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 1(1), 29–42. (p.37)Chodorow, J. (1991). Dance Therapy and Depth Psychology: The Moving Imagination. Hove, East Sussex: Routledge. (p.112) Mindell was one of five people honored in 2012 with a Pioneer Award from the US Association of Body Psychotherapy. Following the publication of his book Dreambody in 1982, it reportedly gained a 'worldwide following in the field of holistic healing' although remaining little known in 'traditional psychological circles'.
Process Work is described as an integrative and holistic approach to understanding human behaviours. It is characterized as creative and improvisational: a 'fluid, flexible, playful approach, using some basic principles to improvise effective approaches to whatever comes its way, even-handedly weaving together the personal, political, the bodily, the relational and the spiritual aspects of existence.'Totton, 2003 (p.107) It is considered to have similarities with Eugene Gendlin's Focusing and is identified with a focus on the unknown aspects of experience:
'Process Work ... seeks to encounter with the unknown and the irrational side of life. ... [It] appreciates symptoms and disturbances of any sort, not as pathologies to be healed or transcended or somehow got rid of, but as expressions of the very thing we need for our further growth, happiness, or enlightenment.'
From its original 'dreambody' concept, Process Work developed a theory and method of working with altered states of consciousness including near death and coma,Manetta, L. M. (1999). Book Review: Coma, A Healing Journey: A Guide for Family, Friends and Helpers. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 16(4), 621–621. and with experiences given psychiatric diagnoses.Ramon, S. (1989). Book Reviews: City Shadows: Psychological Interventions in Psychiatry by Arnold Mindell. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 35(2), 210–210. Williams, P. (2012). Rethinking madness: towards a paradigm shift in our understanding and treatment of psychosis. San Francisco: Sky’s Edge Publishing. (p.105-108) Mindell's book on coma and palliative careMindell, A. (1995). Coma: The Dreambody Near Death. Penguin Books. inspired a UK theatre production performed in EdinburghBurnet, A. (1999, April 17). Preview Landscape of the mind. The Scotsman, p. News: p17. Edinburgh, Scotland. and London.Gardner, L. (1999, May 4). Arts: Beautiful dreamers: It's hard to imagine a less promising subject for a play than a coma. But if anyone can make it work, it's Improbable Theatre. The Guardian, p. News: p13. LondonTaylor, P. (1999, May 24). Theatre: In Death's other kingdom. The Independent. London. Process Work and Arnold Mindell are also known for a theory and methods for working with conflict resolution and leadership issues, in groups and organisations.Zimmermann, Z. (2011, April 25). A simple conflict resolution model. Denver Examiner (CO), Section: Denver Psychology Examiner.Kate Sutherland. (2012). Process oriented psychology (Ch. 8) In Make Light Work in Groups: 10 Tools to Transform Meetings, Companies and Communities. Incite Press. Bressen, T. (2004). Working on Your Issues with someone (whether or not they join in). Communities Magazine, (Number 124 (Fall)).
Process oriented psychology has been associated with alternative spirituality movements. It is considered an example of a modern Western eclectic adaptation of shamanismZnamenski, A. A. (2007). The beauty of the primitive: Shamanism and the western imagination. New York: Oxford University Press. (p.253) and has been taught at the Findhorn community in north-east Scotland.Sutcliffe, S. (2000). A Colony of Seekers: Findhorn in the 1990s. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 15(2), 215–231. (p.217) Fred Alan Wolf cites Mindell's 'dreambody' conceptWolf, F. A. (1994). The body in the mind. Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought, 30(1) (p. 32-33) and the Institute of Noetic Sciences lists Mindell in their directory.
Theory and practices
Process The theory of process oriented psychology centres around the idea of 'process': a meaningful, connected pattern over time that can be observed and tracked through non-intentional signals (e.g. non-verbal communication, body symptoms, dreams, accidents, conflicts). It is claimed that becoming consciously aware of the 'dreaming process' may help to deal with disturbances including mental and physical distress, relationship troubles and social issues. The theory of a 'dreaming process' began with Arnold Mindell's concept of the 'dreambody', developed from Jungian dream analysis and the observation that dreams and body symptoms were meaningfully connected. Mindell asserted that a therapist could work with body experiences to reveal the unconscious just as they could work with dreams.
Process Work's contention of a link between dreams and body symptoms is a viewpoint similar to shamanism, 'mankind's oldest medicinal doctrine, where illness reflects one's spiritual condition'. Mindell's theory has also been compared to another Jungian, Meredith Sabini, who similarly recognises a symbolic relationship between dream images and physical symptoms, and values their role in bringing awareness of a person's individuation process, the development of the Jungian Self. Mindell is recognised for providing a method of working psychologically with body symptoms using the technique of 'amplification'; this involves intensifying the experience of a symptom or a dream and following its expression through the various 'channels' of perception until the meaning of the 'dreambody' is revealed to the client.
The idea of a 'dreambody' was generalised to the concept of a 'dreaming process': a potentially meaningful pattern within symptoms, dreams and other irrational or disturbing aspects of our experience. Totton explains that for process oriented psychology, 'dreaming' refers to any 'extra-conscious signals through which our process communicates itself'. The signals of a 'dreaming process' go beyond nighttime dreams and body symptoms to include 'daydreams, imagery and flickers of awareness that come and go'. For Process Work, 'dreaming' can be defined as 'the unconscious activity of the person, both when they are asleep and when they are awake'. Shafton comments that Mindell, along with Walter Bonime, Fritz Perls, Strephon Williams, Jeremy Taylor and Eugene Gendlin, makes the assumption that 'dreamlike symbolic processes occur in waking' and accordingly applies dreamwork techniques to aspects of conscious experience.
The 'dreaming process' is believed to have a meaningful, purposeful direction of change, reflecting the influence of Taoism and Jungian psychology. The dreaming process can be understood as the Jungian unconscious 'seeking integration, and ... creating opportunities for the individual to grow in conscious awareness'.
An important conceptual distinction for process oriented psychology is between the 'primary' (intended) and the 'secondary' (unintended) aspects of a given behaviour or experience: people at any given moment experienc[e] a 'primary process' — aspects of our experience with which we identify — and a 'secondary process' — aspects with which we find it hard to identify and which are trying insistently to enter our awareness.