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🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Many therapists consider systematic desensitisation outdated, simply because of Wolpe's old notion of reciprocal inhibition. Study the procedure closely, though, and it's much more than anxiety reduction: it's gentle, graded exposure. Episode 9 of Season 4 of The Art of Therapy. Marizaan Koen and Dr Warwick D Phipps trace Joseph Wolpe's work: reciprocal inhibition, and the four original steps of systematic desensitisation (relaxation training, a fear hierarchy rated in subjective units of distress, pairing, and moving on only at zero). In his later method, Wolpe had the client signal with an index finger once a scene was clear and hold it for about five seconds: a shift from avoiding anxiety to allowing it. Warwick then describes how it is practised at Treatment Works today: a clear rationale; a deep, conditioned relaxation response; a simpler hierarchy of eight to ten scenes rated 1 to 10 and checked as it is built; each scene held for five seconds; and moving on at 3 or below rather than waiting for zero, so the client learns they can cope with manageable anxiety. When 1970s research found that exposure, not relaxation, drove the change, many dismissed the method as outdated. In fact it is gentle, graded exposure, consistent with inhibitory learning. Relaxation is the recovery, not an escape. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

You can't release tension you can't feel. Jacobson's real secret was teaching people to notice tension first, and what makes that happen isn't a script. It's the therapist. Episode 8 of Season 4 of The Art of Therapy. Marizaan Koen and Dr Warwick D Phipps debrief Asanda's two sessions of progressive muscle relaxation and unpack what made them work. The technique is the scaffolding; the therapist is the instrument: pacing, a voice that matches the client, room for silence, and breathing that is first matched and then slowed. What the client is really learning is cue-controlled relaxation, conditioned over several sessions as the repeated phrase narrows to a single cue word. And the key that is so often missed is noticing tension. Many people live with chronic, low-grade tension as their normal, so "just relax" is a paradox until they can feel where the tension is. That tension has to be discovered by the client, not named by the therapist. The sequence moves from the larger muscles of the arms and legs to the smaller, more self-conscious muscles of the neck, shoulders, jaw and face, and practice at home, at a quiet time such as bedtime, is what makes it last. Combined with diaphragmatic breathing, anchoring and Coué's autosuggestion, the relaxation response compounds, and it sets up the next episode: systematic desensitisation. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

What does progressive muscle relaxation look like the first time someone learns it, and what is the therapist watching for as it happens? Episode 6 of Season 4 of The Art of Therapy. Dr Warwick D Phipps takes Asanda, a counselling psychologist at Treatment Works, through her first session of progressive muscle relaxation: the arms, the legs and the torso. The microphones failed during this session. A first experience can't be repeated, so rather than restage it, Marizaan Koen and Dr Warwick D Phipps talk you through the original footage as it unfolds: what Warwick is doing, what to look for in Asanda's body as tension gives way to release, and why the release matters more than the tension. The method builds on Edmund Jacobson's Progressive Relaxation (1929), adapted and integrated into Warwick's own clinical practice. In Part 2, Asanda returns after a week of practice, and the work moves to the neck, shoulders, jaw and face, where tension most often settles. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Two techniques that layer on top of diaphragmatic breathing to deepen the therapeutic state — kinaesthetic anchoring and Coué's autosuggestion. Episode 4 of Season 4 of The Art of Therapy. Marizaan Koen and Dr Warwick D Phipps build on the previous episodes' foundation by adding two techniques that magnify and reinforce the deeply relaxed state produced by diaphragmatic breathing: kinaesthetic anchoring from Bandler and Grinder's NLP work (thumb-and-index-finger touch on the inhale, released on the exhale), and Coué's autosuggestion — the century-old phrase "Every day, in every way, I am better and better," repeated 15 times in the altered state produced by the breathing plus anchor. The compound effect: breathing produces the state, anchoring anchors the state, autosuggestion delivers content into the state. Includes Émile Coué's origin story (Nancy School, Liébeault, the imagination-vs-will principle), the modern present-tense modification, and the CBT application as a thought-block for rumination. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Five signs that diaphragmatic breathing is working — for you and for your clients. Episode 3 of Season 4 of The Art of Therapy. Marizaan Koen and Dr Warwick D Phipps debrief the previous episode's live demonstration with a first-time subject, and walk through the five observable indicators that tell a therapist the technique is landing: breathing led by the tummy (not the chest), respiration rate slowing, the exhale lengthening naturally, the visible physical signs of relaxation, and the mental signs — thought slowing, softer voice, longer pauses, subjective time shifts. Trust the client's self-report, but look for these five. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Season 4 begins by shifting from therapy models into practical therapeutic techniques. Episode 1 focuses on diaphragmatic breathing and why it holds such a valuable place in psychotherapy. We explore the connection between breathing, physical arousal, relaxation, the vagus nerve, and polyvagal theory. The episode also looks at how diaphragmatic breathing can support self-regulation, emotional regulation, social connection, and therapeutic readiness. It is a simple technique, but when understood properly, it can become a powerful part of clinical work. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Episode 26 closes Season 3 by bringing the integrative thread into focus. After exploring psychoanalytic, behavioural, humanistic, cognitive, systemic, narrative, hypnosis, EMDR, and common factors perspectives, this episode asks how therapists can understand the patterns underneath these modalities. We explore key distinctions such as intra-psychic versus inter-psychic perspectives, and linear versus circular causality. These frames help therapists recognise what lens they are using, what that lens reveals, and how it guides intervention. The episode ends by pointing towards the next season: moving from modalities into techniques and application. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Episode 25 explores the common factors that cut across different therapeutic approaches. We look at why outcomes are often shaped not only by the modality being used, but by how therapy is delivered: the therapeutic alliance, empathy, acceptance, congruence, hope, emotional processing, client motivation, therapist responsiveness, and a credible explanation for the work. This episode also introduces the Dodo bird verdict and places common factors within the wider integrative lens. It offers a practical reminder that technique matters, but the way it is expressed through relationship, timing, responsiveness, and intention can make the work far more meaningful and effective. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Episode 24 introduces EMDR as a structured therapeutic procedure used especially in trauma work. We explore Francine Shapiro’s discovery, the adaptive information processing model, and the idea that traumatic experiences may remain unprocessed when the system becomes overwhelmed. The episode walks through the EMDR protocol, including target selection, desensitisation, positive belief installation, body scan, closure, and re-evaluation. It also looks at some of the questions and controversy around EMDR, including whether the therapeutic effect comes from bilateral stimulation, working memory taxation, suggestion, therapist skill, or a combination of factors. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Episode 23 explores when hypnotherapy is indicated and when it may not be appropriate. We discuss hypnosis as one vehicle within psychotherapy, not a stand-alone answer for every client or presentation. The episode focuses on safety, consent, readiness, therapeutic relationship, and clinical judgement. It also considers situations where clients may need grounding, presence, or connection more than hypnosis. This is a practical episode about using hypnotherapy wisely, ethically, and in the right context. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links

Episode 22 continues the exploration of hypnosis by looking at the Esdaile state and waking hypnosis. We unpack how deep hypnotic states can support profound comfort and pain relief, and why waking hypnosis shows that suggestion can operate even without a formal trance state. This episode focuses strongly on language, authority, and expectation. Whether in therapy, medicine, parenting, or moments of distress, the words used around a receptive person can shape their experience. It is a practical reminder that skilful communication is part of ethical care. 🎧 Subscribe now and master the art of communication in therapy. Learn more about CPD-accredited, in-person training at Treatment Works: https://treatmentworks.co.za/links