General overview of TOC-inspired dynamic therapy focused on uncovering hidden assumptions and heuristics involved in chronic, unsolvable dilemmas in the patient's life

1. Dan Klarman © 2018
Consciously Challenging the
Subconscious
Dan Klarman
Michal Klarman
August 2018
Assumption-focuseddynamic therapy:

2. Dan Klarman © 2018
Agenda
▪ Learning
▪ Game of life
▪ Limiting assumptions
▪ Conflicts
▪ Model of dynamic therapy
▪ Theory of Constraints
▪ Dynamic Map
▪ Explicit access of implicit assumptions
▪ Summary
▪ Extra Material

3. Dan Klarman © 2018
Whatislearning?
▪ Learning is when we get better at doing something
over time
time
Skill/
ability

4. Dan Klarman © 2018
Leapsand
bounds
▪ It seems that learning comes in leaps and bounds
▪ There are periods of steady development where we
just need to keep doing what we know in order to
improve
▪ But at some point our improvement seems to slow to a
halt…
time
Skill
/ability

5. Dan Klarman © 2018
Trial-and-error
▪ When we hit such a plato, we revert to intuitive
trial-and-error
▪ We start to ’play with it, until we figure it out’
▪ We make changes and try new things until finally
we make a breakthrough
time
Skill
/ability
trial & error
trial & error

6. Dan Klarman © 2018
Gettingstuck
▪ There are four conditions for such trial-and-error to
work:
1. It needs to be (and be perceives as) safe enough
2. We need to have plenty of opportunities to try it
3. There needs to be a clear way to know what works
and what doesn’t
4. The feedback needs to be fast enough so we can
see the connection between cause and effect
▪ Sometimes in life those conditions are not met, and
we get stuck
▪ Most commonly, we get stuck in situations where
making a change seems to be dangerous and
damaging for me or others
▪ At this point, we might seek advice, mentoring or
therapy

7. Dan Klarman © 2018
Positive
psychologyand
thegameoflife
▪ Life is also like a game (at least in Piagetian terms)
▪ We need to learn how to play and improve in it
▪ We strive to adequately satisfy our various needs
(PERMA)
▪ Every choice we make or behavior we enact to satisfy
those needs might also have some negative outcome
Difficulties, risks,
fears, costs
Choices, Actions,
Schemes
Needs
IdealWellbeing ☺
Need
Action
Difficulty
Need
Action
Difficulty
Need
Action
Difficulty

8. Dan Klarman © 2018
Successful‘rules’
integrateintoour
hierarchyofcore
beliefs
▪ Throughout our lives we learn the ‘rules’ (tactics) for the ‘game
of life’ that allow us to balance various needs and mitigate
outcomes
▪ We do it in many ways: by example, experience, trial-and-
error, etc.
▪ If those rules work for us for a long time they become ‘core
beliefs’ and get integrated into our hierarchy of heuristics
▪ Our heuristics have many sources: experience, biological
evolution, socialization, trauma, etc.
Hierarchy of
heuristics
Biology
Socialization
Experience,
Trauma

9. Dan Klarman © 2018
Corebeliefsare
limiting
assumptions
▪ Our real beliefs can be partially subconciouse and
therefore different from our stated beliefs and values
▪ They are often implicit and not verbalized, but we enact
them through our behavior – they are embodied in it
▪ These beliefs and their respective hierarchy constrain our
behavior
▪ Out of the set of all possible behaviors in a given situation,
we will enact only those that match our set of implicit
beliefs
▪ From a practical point of view, these are implicit
assumptions about the cause-and-effect rules of reality
▪ They define what we see as ‘possible’ and what we
consider to be ‘impossible’.

10. Dan Klarman © 2018
Conflicts
▪ A conflict is a situation where one of our needs is
not adequately met, but we can’t see any way to
rectify our reality without seriously jeopardizing
another important need
▪ It is too dangerous to use trial-and-error to get out
of our problem – we loose our ability to ‘play’ in
Winnicott’s sense
Status
Quo
Alternative
Scheme
Neglected
Need
Protected
Need
Wellbeing

11. Dan Klarman © 2018
Limiting
assumptionscan
stopusfrom
breakingfree
▪ The tragedy is that our implicit assumptions about the nature
of reality can block us from considering any other modes of
behavior that might allow us to adequately satisfy both those
needs without seriously jeopardizing any other need because
it goes against everything we ‘know’ to be a fact
▪ And so – we are stuck.
All
possible
actions
Actions we can
consider
"Allowed"
"Forbidden"
Limiting
Assumptions A good solution
we can’t access
A specific limiting assumption
relevant to current conflict

12. Dan Klarman © 2018
Natureof
dynamic
treatment
▪ A therapists helps the patient to gradually expand and
enhance their view on the world:
▪ Meticulous acquaintance with the patient’s history, story and
ongoing experience
▪ A plethora of therapeutic technique (talk therapy, etc.)
▪ Identify and challenge limiting assumptions and replace
them with more sophisticated and enabling versions
▪ Slowly but surely the borders expand in various directions
and the patient’s mental borders until he can see a solution
to his conflict, and then the next one, and so on…
All
possible
actions
Actions we can
consider
"Allowed"
"Forbidden"
More enabling
assumptions A good solution
we can’t access
A good solution to
the next conflict

13. Dan Klarman © 2018
Modellingthe
patient-therapist
relations
▪ Both therapist and patient have their own
constrained scope of vision due to their own
hierarchical set of heuristics
▪ Both therapist and patient expand their world view,
mostly “towards each other”, through the interaction
Therapist
Patient

14. Dan Klarman © 2018
Wecanunderstand
what isagood
match between
patient and
therapist
▪ There can be various starting points for the interaction that
involve the patient, the therapist and the current conflict
▪ It is easy to see which set-up is more conducive to an
effective treatment
▪ It takes a very experienced therapist to be able to
▪ Quickly identify which limiting assumption to invest the time
and attention in
▪ Overcome their own limiting assumptions with regards to the
patient’s conflict
Patient Therapist
Solutions that
are easier to
access
Solutions
that are
harder to
access

15. Dan Klarman © 2018
Whatifwe
could…
1. Focus directly on the limiting assumption that
is currently blocking the patient’s growth,
keeping him stuck in a vicious cycle?
2. Make it easier for the therapist to leave their
own limiting assumptions at the door?
All
possible
actions
Actions we can
consider

16. Dan Klarman © 2018
Inspiration
fromTOC ▪ In business there are several methods developed
for uncovering and verbalizing such blocking
assumptions, and for challenging them directly,
mostly under the broad umbrella of ‘creative
thinking’
▪ One of those methods, dubbed semi-jokingly as
“Cloud* Evaporation” was developed for
business/management environments within the
frame-work of Thoery of Constraints (TOC) by Eli
Goldratt, partially by ideas of “System Thinking”
▪ The technique was further formalized and
extended on by Alan Barnard as part of the
development of the “Odyssey Program”
workshop, with assistance from Dan Klarman
Tactic BTactic A
Strategy 1 Strategy 2
Goal
*The TOC “cloud”: a conflict that
“hangs like a dark cloud” over a
person.

17. Dan Klarman © 2018
Twonewideas
▪A map to guide a Socratic
interview and organize
dynamic information in a
patient-near language
▪Breakthrough through
challenging of explicitly
verbalized (limiting) core
beliefs

18. Dan Klarman © 2018
Approachfor
implementation
‫קלארמן‬ ‫לדן‬ ‫שמורות‬ ‫הזכויות‬ ‫כל‬2013
Some people
are bad
People are
good
When blocked by limiting assumptions,
people can do bad things to satisfy
valid needs
We must
compromise
conflicting
needs
There is
always a
win:win
Needs cannot be in conflict, but the
actions we consider to serve them often
are, because of limiting assumptions
We need to
solve each
problem
separately
We need to
change one
limiting
assumption
One limiting assumption can create
many problems in many areas that
seem disconnected
Most things
are out of our
control
Many things
are under our
influence
Our area of influence (especially over a
long time) is much larger than our area
of full control
Better safe
than sorry
Better to be
approximately
right than
exactly wrong
Always check before you act, unless
acting is the only way of checking. Aim
for ‘Good enough’ and use fast
feedback to improve
5 enabling assumptions:
Socratic
Approach
Cross-
Validation
Empathy

19. Dan Klarman © 2018
What am I currently
doing that
perpetuates my
problem?
What is the action I
fill most pressure to
take to deal with my
problem?
What is my need
(specific, positive)
that only the change
can satisfy?
What is my need
(specific, positive)
that only the Status
Quo can satisfy?
What are the
possible negative
implications I am
most worried about?
How does the Status
Quo most hurts me?
Conflict
What is the future I
aspire to live?
What is my greatest
fear?
Status Quo
/ Current
Scheme
Change /
Alternative
Scheme
Neglected
Need
Protected
Need
PainFear
Ideal
Existential
Threat
So what is really
the problem I am
worried about?
What actually
makes it “bad” for
me?
How does it impact
me long-term, how
does it hurt others?
What is the vision,
dream, fantasy that
this problem
prevents me from
realizing?
Therapeutic Contract
Complaint
Direct
Impact
General
Impact
Ideal,
Aspiration
Problem
DynamicMap
Positive
Negative
Action
Future
Present
gap

20. Dan Klarman © 2018
Do not share my
successes, not using
my influence, stay
unnoticed
Share my success,
argue, influence,
Be Noticed
Leave an intellectual
legacy
Right to be
recognized as a
victim, harmony,
forgiveness
Success will take my
right to have wrongs
done to me
acknowledge, guilt
Extinguished self
actualization
Conflict
Being proud, a
sense of belonging
Be a failure
Status Quo
/ Current
Scheme
Change /
Alternative
Scheme
Neglected
Need
Protected
Need
PainFear
Ideal
Existential
Threat
I do not speak in
meetings
Frustration,
boredom
Miss my
opportunity to
leave a mark
Leave an
intellectual legacy
Complaint
Direct
Impact
General
Impact
Ideal,
Aspiration
Problem
Example:
Positive
Negative
Action
Future
Present
Therapeutic Contract
gap

21. Dan Klarman © 2018
Status
Quo
Alternative
Scheme
Neglected
Need
Protected
Need
Fear Pain
Ideal
Existential
Threat
Maparrowsare
implicitbeliefs
2. Maintaining Status-Que
is the ONLY way to satisfy
my Protected Need,
because…?
1. Making the Change is
the ONLY way to satisfy
my Neglected Need,
because…?
4. Maintaining the Status
Quo is VERY LIKELY to
increase my Pain,
because…?
3. Making the change is
VERY LIKELY to make my
Fear realize, because…?
▪ The cause-and-effect arrows in the dynamic map represent implicit assumptions
about the rules of reality that exclude any other solution to the conflict.
▪ We want to access these implicit assumptions and challenge them
▪ In Kahneman's terms, we are allowing system 2 to directly examine the heuristic
program of system 1
▪ We can access and verbalize these assumptions by simple sentence completion

22. Dan Klarman © 2018
Be
Unnoticed
Get
Noticed
Meaning
Acknowledged
wrongs
Guilty of
wrongs
Miss out
Pride
Failure
Example:limiting
assumption
Female colleagues (until proven
otherwise) are murderously jealous of
me and will channel this jealousy
towards hearting their subordinates
for not meeting the bar I am posing,
just like my mother tortured my sister
as a punishment for not succeeding
like me
Anyone who succeeds
while hearting others
can never complain of
anything bad done to
them

23. Dan Klarman © 2018
Enabling
Assumptions
▪ Limiting assumptions are born from experience
(good or bad), and are not necessarily ‘wrong’.
▪ What we are really after is to create a reasonable
exception for the rule, thus making the assumption
more enabling.
▪ An easy way to challenge limiting assumption is to
try various reversals* or add exceptions
▪ Reasonable reversals are those that we can see a
realistic scenario for implementing them
Limiting
assumptions
Reversals
(enabling assumptions)
Implementation
scenario
Assumption 1
Assumption 2
Assumption 3
Assumption 4
*nice practical examples of various reversals can be found in Byron Katie’s work

24. Dan Klarman © 2018
Example
Reversals
Limiting assumptions
Reversals
(enabling assumptions)
Implementation
scenario
Female colleagues
(until proven
otherwise) are
murderously jealous of
me and will channel
this jealousy towards
hearting their
subordinates for not
meeting the bar I am
posing, just like my
mother tortured my
sister as a punishment
for not succeeding like
me
Some people (not many)
are exceptionally jealous
and take it out on their
subordinates
Female colleagues are
mostly supportive of me
Those who are
exceptionally jealouse
are like that towards
everyone, not only
towards me, therefore
their actions are not my
responsibility.
Anyone who succeeds
while hearting others
can never complain of
anything bad done to
them
There are degrees of evil

25. Dan Klarman © 2018
Strivingto the
Jungianideal
▪ We strive to become our ideal
▪ Developing towards it require us to really know ourselves and
discard parts of us which are no longer needed and grow anew
▪ In order to really change, we must challenge our core beliefs
when the moment comes
▪ Changing a core belief is not only a change of identity, but also a
change in the ideal
▪ Over time, we can bring them closer together
me
my
ideal
“lesson”
block
block
“lesson”

26. Dan Klarman © 2018
Be noticed
Meaning
Acknowledged
as victim
Guilty of
wrongs
Missing
out
Pride
Failure
Example:New
Reality
Next
Step?

27. Dan Klarman © 2018
Summary
▪ Our implicit assumptions help us a lot, but can cause
out to get stuck in a vicious cycle of an unbreakable
conflict
▪ Traditional therapy identify and challenge these core
beliefs in an intuitive process of free associations
▪ It takes a lot of experience to quickly identify the
limiting assumption that is associated with the current
conflict
▪ The technique can help focus and shorten the
therapeutic process, by
▪ Quickly zooming-in on the current limiting assumption
▪ Directly accessing and challenging conflict-related
implicit assumptions

28. Dan Klarman © 2018
Thank You
danklarman@gmail.com

29. Dan Klarman © 2018
Extra Material

30. Dan Klarman © 2018
▪ Sometimes people oscillate periodically between two
modes of behavior that are the two sides of the same
conflict
1. one need is neglected by our current mode to such a degree
as to overcome the fear of jeopardizing another need
2. We ‘jump’ to a second mode of behavior
3. We get a relief and forget the old pain
4. We find that our fears were grounded in reality, and so we
really are now neglecting the need we were trying to protect
5. After a while the new pain is so bad that we oscillate back to
our original mode of behavior.
Patterns
Content
Too much pain
Time
Need A
Need BJump
Relief
Jump
back
Relief

31. Dan Klarman © 2018
Parallelsand
analogues
▪ The full OT technique has been implemented mostly in
the form of 5-days workshops (‘The Odyssey Program’)
over the past 15 years, catering to a total audience of
roughly 2000 attendees, of which many reported going
through real breakthroughs in life as consequence. In
education, a simplified form has been introduced to
populations of elementary/pre-elementary schools in
several cities around the world.
▪ It is possible to find many parallels between the 5 steps
of the Odyssey Technique (OT) and common meta-
schemes in dynamic psychotherapy and psycho
analysis.
▪ Also, it is possible to make analogues between dynamic
theory and some attempts done by us to explain why
the technique works (or so it seemed subjectively to
us), mostly by tying it to Kahenman & Tversky’s work.