Making room for it all: Inclusive experiencing in psychotherapy

A paradox occurs in psychotherapy. People come to rid themselves of uncomfo rtable feelings, unwelcome thoughts, and disturbing behaviors. They want; t o replace painful experiences with pleasant, fulfilling ones. However, as t herapy progresses, the more clients try to rid themselves of unwelcome expe riences, the more they end up stuck with them. Conversely, the more they ca n allow themselves to experience what they resist, allowing acceptance, exp ression, and forgiveness to occur, the more change becomes possible. Whatev er allows this process of inclusion, or making room for all aspects of expe rience, facilitates successful psychotherapy. This article articulates the importance of inclusion of full experiencing as an essential aspect of succ essful psychotherapeutic process. It further argues that the psychotherapeu tic relationship creates an interactional space in which all of a client's experience can be included. It draws on the work of experiential psychologi st Eugene T. Gendlin, psychoanalytic theory, case histories, and a play.