'Clutch control' - Therapy as vertical and horizontal process

Is the purpose of therapy to heal the root of our difficulties, via a vertical deep dive to the emotional core of what hurt us now or in the past? Or are we instead seeking to improve our day-to-day, to reorganise and take better care of our 'horizontal' lives in all their complexity? The answer is usually an emerging intersection of both, and the progressive realisation we are in the driver's seat when it comes to how much of each. 

Past and present

For all of us as human beings, life has both happened and is happening. We might carry emotional injuries from our past - linked to trauma, relationships, upbringing - and perhaps now we've made the courageous and compassionate decision to start therapy and the healing process. It is important to hold in mind that any therapeutic approach to processing the past will always take place as our current lives continue to unfold in the present.

We might imagine the therapist and client scuba diving during a session, working collaboratively with what is below the surface for the client. In between sessions, however, life in all its psychosocial complexity continues for the client at the surface. Therapy provides a safe space and alliance for sure, but the work does not occur in a vacuum. 

What does this mean for therapy?

If we frame therapy as an intersection of vertical and horizontal process, there are a few key things to bear in mind:

They are often related

The difficulties we experience 'at the surface' and week-to-week often have origins in our deeper process or in the past. For example, the argument you had with your manager two days ago may bring to the surface patterns of relating beginning with a family member 20 years ago. Working on one in therapy does not come at the cost of the other; quite the contrary. 

Try not to fixate on one or the other

It's perfectly understandable that we might want to get to the root of our problems as quickly as possible, to dive straight into the deeper process. Alternatively, it also makes sense that we might want to avoid the deeper process by staying in the more familiar territory at the surface. Therapy can help us to pendulate between the two in a healthy and beneficial way. 

Compassion and patience

Most of us are not living isolated in a retreat or commune, and working on ourselves 'on-the-go' can be a very challenging process. Be kind to yourself, and patient if something in your life arises and is asking to be tended to. 

You are in control

Pendulating between vertical and horizontal processes has the meta benefit of cultivating self-awareness and a sense of autonomy over time. Though your therapist is there to support you, you can progressively grow in confidence that you are ultimately in the driver's seat - something you can take with you once the therapeutic relationship comes to an end.  

Maggie and Marge

In the intro sequence of The Simpsons, there is a scene in which Maggie (the baby) is driving a pretend steering wheel, whilst Marge (the mother) is in fact driving the real one. We can take this as a useful metaphor for deeper therapeutic process, underpinning Inner Child work in particular.

Maggie represents deeper/past versions of ourselves seeking to be healed (vertical), whilst Marge represents our current adult selves on the road in the present (horizonal). It's important that Maggie is given a role and felt to be progressively included in the process, but it is equally important to realise that she is always fully safe doing so, precisely because Marge always remains in the driver's seat.

Marge has a big say too - after all, she is the one managing current week-to-week concerns that may also need to be prioritised during stages of the therapeutic process. 

Several psychological and psychotherapeutic models touch on this dynamic and gradual process, to name a few:

• Vgotsky's Zone of Proximal Development: in developmental psychology, whereby a child develops with guidance in the optimal zone just outside their current knowledge base. 
• Bruner's Scaffolding: similarly emphasises incremental expansion of capacity with support structures in place along the way
• Yerkes-Dodson law: the principle that there is an optimal level of arousal, usually moderate, leading to 'Eustress' (or 'positive stress'). 
• Siegel's Window of Tolerance: particularly important for working through trauma, whereby overwhelm of vertical process can lead to hyperarousal (fear/anxiety) or to hypoarousal (numbness/depression). 

What these approaches share in common is a kind of 'clutch control,' recognising that too much too soon can overwhelm, whilst perhaps too little can also cause us to 'stall.' Dropping the clutch, pressing the accelerator and applying the brakes all serve as useful visualisations in this regard. 

The takeaway

Our own inner healing journey takes place within the real and unfolding psychosocial context of our lives, often calling on courage and patience in equal measure. Therefore, what happens between sessions can be just as important as what happens in sessions and vice versa.

With compassionate intention, we can learn to approach our vertical process in a healthy, safe and healing way, whilst also honouring and integrating the work into our present-day lived experiences.

As we learn to drive at depth progressively with more confidence and autonomy, we might just begin to enjoy the journey, as well as become increasingly optimistic about the direction and destination.