Post Induction Therapy (PIT)
Post Induction Therapy helps address the core issues that underlie depression, anxiety, panic, relationship problems, addiction, spirituality, and many other forms of discontent.
The Need for Post Induction Therapy – Why it Benefits Almost Everyone:
All children rely on their caregivers to provide nurturing, affirmation, support, and direction.
When caregivers are unable to fulfill these needs most of the time, (often due to their own history), children will adapt in a way that helps them feel safe and lessens the pain of these needs not being met.
These adaptations work well to get through childhood; but as adults, the same adaptations that helped as a child are often detrimental as adults. They may create destructive patterns that impact your self-esteem, the way you manage stress, your ability to meet your own needs, the way you relate to others, and your ability to manage emotions … which can lead to physical symptoms, addictions, or painful relationship patterns.
This process is extremely common. The Post Induction Therapy model is a model developed to heal these issues.
What is Post Induction Therapy?
Post Induction Therapy (PIT) is based on the work of Pia Mellody, a leading expert in the field of codependency, relational trauma, childhood wounding, abuse, neglect, and abandonment.
The model was developed at The Meadows, a treatment center for treating trauma, drug and alcohol addiction, sex addiction, panic and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, codependency, depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders.
Post Induction Therapy Can Help You:
- Process difficult emotions that are leftover from painful childhood experiences,
- Nurture yourself
- Affirm yourself
- Strengthen relationships—both with yourself, and with others
- Bolster your self-esteem by reducing your feelings of shame
- Find compassion for yourself and others
- Reduce reactivity
- Ditch the chaos in your schedule, relationships, and even in your mind
- Live a life in balance
- Develop functional boundaries
- Become a more functional adult
- Overcome the addictive processes used to numb emotions
- Become more comfortable with your own emotions and the emotions of others
- Heal codependency and relational trauma
Because this model gets at the root of the problem that brought you into counseling, this model can be thought of as a cure, rather than a bandaid, of what brings us into counseling.
While PIT is not considered brief therapy, it is the most comprehensive and effective method of counseling I’ve used with clients.
PIT Explained
How Post Induction Therapy Helps with…
Intimacy & Relationship Issues
When it comes to intimacy and relationship issues, people are often either too dependent on others (sometimes referred to as love addiction), or, they’re too avoidant of becoming close with others (love avoidance). PIT can help you understand the origin of your tendencies, which are often found in childhood wounds. With PIT, you will identify and heal these wounds while strengthening your own boundaries and values. Because you’ll be able to avoid breaking your own boundaries and values system, you can show up in your friendships and romantic relationships in a more genuine, balanced, and intimate way.
Self-Esteem Issues
Self-esteem is a daily practice that reflects our ability to affirm our own worth, have compassion for ourselves despite our imperfections, and embrace the fact that all humans are perfectly imperfect.
In this model we will find the source of your self-esteem issues and learn to practice acceptance rather than judgment. You’ll ditch the idea that your worth comes from the job you have, the car you drive, the things you do, or the status of your partner. In short – PIT can help you accept that you’re a humanBEING, not a humanDOING. You’ll learn to forgive yourself and others for mistakes and imperfections, while reducing the daily stress and pressure to be perfect.
Boundaries
A core benefit of Post Induction Therapy is strengthening boundaries by first looking at the origin of your boundary issues, and then looking at ways strengthening your boundaries would benefit you.
There are several different types of boundaries we all have choices about in our daily lives:
- Physical Boundaries
- Sexual Boundaries
- Internal Boundaries
- Protective Internal Boundary
- Containing Internal Boundary
Physical and sexual boundaries are generally pretty clear to people. The boundary that is often ignored or impaired is our internal boundary—the one that protects our thoughts and feelings. The internal boundary has two parts: it is both protective and containing. The Protective Internal boundary filters what others say about us so that we can determine if it’s true or not true. The containing internal boundary contains your thinking and emotions from others. In other words, this is the boundary that needs strengthened if you find you often overreact to others or hurt others unintentionally by what you say or do.
Developing stronger boundaries is an imperative step in helping strengthen your own sense of self and can decrease the anxiety of indecisiveness. Once you know yourself better, you can confidently set boundaries knowing that doing so doesn’t make you less-than or worth less than others.
Having boundaries that work for you is essential to ultimately learning to love and respect yourself, thereby creating connection and intimacy with others.
Addiction
Many addictions have roots in the dysfunctional message received in childhood that emotions are dangerous, unable to be felt, and impossible to be managed. Many of us learned that we must avoid feeling our emotions at all cost, so we turn to alcohol, marijuana, excessive work, busyness, our phones, sex, porn, social media, etc., all in an effort to avoid uncomfortable emotions. Post Induction Therapy can help heal the messages that led to these beliefs, while gently and respectfully addressing the trauma and wounds of the past that you’re trying to avoid.
Your Self Concept
Many adults have spent their whole life trying to gain the love and acceptance of others by becoming whatever other people need them to be. This can lead to not knowing yourself very well. You may not know what you truly believe, think, feel, or desire.
As your internal boundary strengthens, you’re able to create a stronger self-concept. This can allow your sense of self to be strong enough to make decisions confidently, be intimate with others, and to be at peace with who you are.
As your self concept strengthens, you’ll be able to share your thoughts and feelings with others in a genuine way, which is what intimacy is all about.
If you’re interested in getting to the root of your problems and healing, reach out to me so we can see if this model would be a good fit for you.