An Introduction to Lifespan Integration
There are so many different types of therapy modalities out there and it can be difficult to know what they all mean and to decide which type of therapy is right for you and your needs. Lifespan Integration therapy (or LI, as it will be referred to here) is a relatively new type of therapy, formalized in the last ten years or so. But what the heck is it? How do you know if it is the right therapy for you? Well, one of our therapists has begun her training in LI and believes it can be a good option for many clients seeking help. Here are her thoughts on LI, what it looks like in a session, and how it might be helpful for you…
What is Lifespan Integration?
The Introduction on the Lifespan Integration website states, “Lifespan Integration is a gentle, body based therapeutic method that heals without re-traumatizing.” The creator is a woman named Peggy Pace from the Seattle area. She initially created this method for victims of abuse or neglect, but it is now recognized as being a useful therapeutic method for a wide range of mental health issues.
Okay… so what does all that mean? How does it work?
This therapy is meant to help client’s integrate their life into one cohesive whole. To understand why that is important, we need to understand how trauma affects us.
Peter Levine, the creator of Somatic Experiencing therapy, says that two primary elements that cause an event to be traumatic: 1) The event is horrible and confusing to us. Our brains and bodies cannot make sense of what just happened, or 2) We feel “stuck” in the event in some way. Either we literally cannot escape or it feels as though we cannot escape from it.
LI aims to help the client resolve both of these issues.
To address point one, the therapist guides the client through repetitions of memory cues in chronological order overthe client’s entire lifetime (This will make more sense as you keep reading). The brain and the body will naturally begin to organize itself and create organized connections for these memories together, rather than many isolated incidents or “memory islands.” In short, the therapist will help the client create one cohesive timeline and narrative that is meaningful to the client.
To give you a better picture of this I’m going to give one of my favorite (and imperfect) metaphors. Do you remember the movie, The Grinch with Jim Carey? (which is the best version of that story, in my humble opinion). There’s a scene in the movie where Jim Carey, playing The Grinch, is creating chaos in the Post Office. He goes into the sorting room at the Whoville post office. In the room they have a huge wall of boxes with each resident’s name on their designated box. The Grinch takes a huge stack of mail that has yet to be sorted and just starts throwing it in random PO boxes. This is what I imagine happens when we experience a traumatic event, or a slew of confusing and horrible events. The memories are tossed into random boxes or categories in our brain. LI helps us to see where all the scattered pieces went and begin reorganizing to create a more cohesive whole. This is integration at work.
For the second element of a traumatic event, Peggy Pace recognized the need to always finish a timeline in Present Time. As we go through repetitions of a client’s timeline, we help the brain and the body to recognize the event(s) are truly over. This does take time and persistence, but it does, as you might imagine, provide incredible healing and peace. Read on to get a better understanding of what I mean by “repetitions of a timeline.”
Okay, I’m interested, but what does it actually look like in a session?
In full transparency, when I first heard about LI I thought, “How will that help people?” And maybe an even more pressing question, “Won’t that be boring?” But I promise you, it is incredibly impactful and anything but boring.
When we sit down for a session together, we will go through a typical, holistic assessment. I’ll get a good blueprint of your life going so I know what we’re headed for. I will gather information about the trauma you have experienced, such as: Is there a lot of trauma history in your childhood or more in recent years? Do you have one significant “shock” traumatic event or is there a complicated, layered trauma history where many small events have stacked up to cause a deep impact? Do you have attachment injuries? Is there an old relationship you just can’t seem to get over? Do you have a current relationship you are confused about? All of these things are important for me to know as they are events we can process through LI.
After the assessment we will either create a timeline together in session or I will have you create it on your own to bring into session. I utilize a document with instructions on how to create a timeline, which I will send to each client. But in summary, a basic timeline is one where you write out “memory cues” from each year of your life that you can actually remember. These cues are meant to be “strong” cues that help you remember images, sounds, people, and even smells.
I will then use your timeline and read the memory cues off to you in chronological order, bringing you through your life cue by cue. The timeline is repeated many times (usually about 20 times!) in a session in order to help your brain and nervous system truly and accurately process the events of your life. It might sound boring, even bland, right? I promise you, it is not. Remember it is an energy and body based therapy. Your body will be processing these events and you will most likely be taken through a gambit of emotions. I have watched clients go through sadness, to anger, to guilt, to peace and increased self-compassion, and even empowerment in a single session! Ok, it doesn’t always work like that, and a single session will not solve everything in the timeline. But, it will start movement; A shift within you by the natural connections and processing happening in your brain and body.
This therapy is definitely different than your typical “talk therapy.” There will be some processing of the experience of the therapy and your reaction to it, but for the most part, we let the repetition of the timeline do the work. It will help the processing along much more effectively than talking about it in that moment.
It can be uncomfortable to process traumatic events in this way. Frankly, most therapy is often hard work and sometimes requires a bit of discomfort. This is why it is imperative that you trust and feel truly safe with the therapist you choose to do this with. They will help ground you and guided you through this process to make sure you feel supported.
If you are interested in this therapy please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for a consultation! Additionally, look into the Lifespan Integration website for more readings, resources, and therapists in your area! https://lifespanintegration.com
by Caitlin Moretz, LSWAA
