These comments continue a discussion that began on Feb 2 and was continued by Jessica Broitman Feb 23 in the CMT forum. I am in fundamental agreement with Joe Weiss’ description of testing, but, I offer that Dr. Weiss’ comments do not, necessarily contradict the comment made in the other forum that suggests tests are, “to see whether the other person will fit into our scheme or plot or structure of how the interpersonal world should be organized.” Within the context of CMT, as the pathogenic beliefs are slowly undermined in the supportive and empathic atmosphere of treatment fostered by the CMT therapist, the patient will (possibly) begin to lower his or her guard, revealing those things that are frightening, and, if so, likely in a progressive manner (from least to most frightening/abhorrent). Those beliefs are frightening and abhorrent because the patient lives in a world that is as it should not be, and the patient has awareness of this on some inner level. I have heard Dr. Weiss put it this way, and I paraphrase, “a child knows innately that it is painful to be rejected by his/her parent, and the child knows that this present state is somehow not how the world should be.” The child’s “scheme or plot or structure” of how the interpersonal world should be has been upset, and, the child knows that it should be otherwise. I develop pathogenic beliefs because the world is not as I intuitively know it “should” be, and, I find a way to rationalize the bad experiences I am collecting by mis-assigning guilt, etc. Joe Weiss suggests that testing "may be unconscious." I would question whether there is really any other source for the material of such tests than the unconscious urge for homeostasis. Should a patient decide, consciously, upon a test for the therapist, the "test" in this case is not truly one that is oriented at discrediting pathogenic beliefs, at least, not in the way that the patient has intended it. Similarly, the brutish character described in the additional quote tests consciously something that has much more to do with underlying and unconscious beliefs and feelings than has it to do with what he believes he is “testing.” The comment, “You’re lucky I came along to protect you,” does not demonstrate the speaker’s understanding of a set of underlying beliefs that have convinced the speaker to interpret the world as a violent arena. Rather, the speaker “knows” only the predatory nature of his “world.” The test to the pathogenic belief is not conscious because the pathogenic belief does not truly reside in the speaker’s consciousness, or, at very least, the speaker is unable to find words to put to his pathogenic beliefs. My experience suggests that a patient does not ever consciously choose which pathogenic beliefs to test with his/her therapist; rather, the patient gains awareness of the pathogenic beliefs that were "tested" only in retrospect to the test itself. Consciously developed beliefs may be tested in a conscious manner; unconsciously developed beliefs are tested in an unwitting manner. It is through the helpful discourse with the therapist that the patient (and the therapist) can come to understand what has been at issue during the history (recent and long term) of the patient’s therapy. The "brute" described in the earlier letter is testing, certainly, and on several levels. The level of testing that is most near the surface of his consciousness is as much a desire to find a certain “homeostasis” as is the test to his pathogenic beliefs that are removed from his consciousness. Tragedy exists in the understanding that an individual will have a much easier time accepting the response that feeds his pathogenic beliefs, rather than the one that suggests his pathogenic beliefs are born of his fear and isolation. Until, that is, his personal level of pain becomes intolerable. It is then that the unconscious plan for healing has the greatest opportunity for success, but, it is not likely that there will be qualified help available to guide him to a peaceful resolution of his fears.
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