What is “Unblocking?”
Michael P. Brechtel, MEd, JD, LMT
Traumatic Incident Reduction Trainer and Facilitator
Pretty much everyone has a drawer or a box where, over years or even decades, they’ve tossed technology cables, cords and adapters, thinking that they would be useful and needed. You’ve probably got one at home. If you’re like me, when you need something, you open the drawer and find it a hopeless morass of tangled, useless junk. Then you close it, go to the store and buy the cable you need. It may have been in the drawer, but it was just too daunting, depressing and confusing to go there.
In our lives, we often have people, places or things that have become tangled and confusing. We know there is something useful in the relationship, situation or circumstance, but it’s become a daunting, depressing, confusing place to go. Unblocking is an orderly process, where we commit the time to empty the drawer, separate and untangle the various cables, roll them up, sort through them, discard those that are definitely useless, and put to use those that are. Only we do this with the people, places or things that have become chaotic in that corner of our psyche where we toss such things.
The Value of Unblocking
Marian Volkman
Senior TIR, Life Stress Reduction & Ability Enhancement Trainer
Students of Applied Metapsychology often express skepticism about its workability when they are first exposed to it during the Traumatic Incident Reduction Workshop. “How can it be that simple?” they ask, and, “Isn’t it boring to answer the same question multiple times?” Their skepticism usually lasts only as long as their first Unblocking sessions: both giving and receiving.
In fact, being asked the same question as long as we have interest in it feels like a welcome opportunity! Rarely in life do we have the opportunity to take apart the tangles, as in Michael Brechtel’s’ analogy above, to achieve clarity and satisfaction on a messy topic. Each time we are asked a question, we have a fresh chance to look at it, allowing layers of fixidity and confusion to start to resolve. Being heard, understood and acknowledged for each of our answers as we go along allows us to set aside pieces of the confusion. We are “sorting that drawer”.
Key to success with Unblocking is to choose something to address that is of significant interest and importance to you. For example:
- Any important relationship, such as a family member, boss, life partner, etc.
- A condition, such as health, body image, or self-esteem
- A situation, such as career, finances, or creativity
What is an “end point” in Unblocking? Any topic of absorbing interest can be addressed with Unblocking. The end point occurs when you are satisfied that this piece of work is complete. It can occur after few questions, or many.
If a topic is complex enough, it may have several “drawers”. For example, someone with a painful medical history may be interested in addressing doctors, their health, hospitals, and their well-being each with Unblocking.
If you are concerned about your relationship with your partner may wish to Unblock such topics as: the relationship itself, intimacy, love, having a life partner and being a life partner.
If you want to make a job change to something more creative, you may want to Unblock such things as your career, financial risk, your creativity, and your purpose in life.
As always in Applied Metapsychology, the work follows your interest, as that will allow for the best results. We arrive at an end point in Unblocking with a sense of a job well done, with new clarity and order.
