By Jens Larsen
The protreptic conversation – the voice of liberation
One method to rise above the psychological and into a more general space, while still having the opportunity to explore existential concepts, is storytelling and the dialog form of protreptics. It focuses on exploring concepts that are essential to the client’s life, but without including personal and private examples, such as events that caused the trauma in the person. People who have experienced the protreptic conversation often describe it as liberating because it elevates the individual above the private and psychological. In the following, we will give a brief introduction to protreptics, its history and examples of how you as a therapist can be inspired by the method in art therapy sessions.
What is Protreptik?
Protreptic is a form of dialog with roots in Ancient Greece. “Protrepo” means to turn towards. And protreptics is about turning people towards what’s important to them so they can have a good and meaningful life. Unlike narrative dialogue or cognitive dialogue, protreptics does not focus on our concrete lived lives, but on the values and concepts that underlie our stories. Or in the case of art therapy practice, the concepts and meanings generated from the work or artistic process. This can be in the context of a process where the client paints a piece of artwork and the client and therapist reflect on the themes and values at play in the work. This can be in the process itself, but also, as mentioned, in the “harvest” phase, where the focus is on what the client brings with them.
Where protreptics can still be reminiscent of the cognitive approach is that protreptics focuses on and sheds light on concepts that are essential to our lives and are edifying, such as joy, care, community, creativity, etc. It is by exploring and unfolding these concepts with the source that an experience and freedom and a new space of possibility and ultimately action is created.
The goal of protreptics is also to teach people to act on values rather than emotions, which can be valuable for all people, but perhaps especially people with trauma, as negative emotions can be paralyzing and keep individuals stuck in negative patterns. Today, the protreptic is also used in the treatment of stress, depression and anxiety.
When working with art therapy, the therapist can use protreptics to explore the concepts and value words that come up during the conversation.
The history of protreptics
Protrepticism has its roots in Ancient Greece and is linked to the philosopher Aristotle, who in the management academies of the time practiced philosophical or protreptic conversations about concepts and values that would strengthen the judgment of the leaders of the day and “set them free”. But proptrepticism really took shape in the 00s with Danish philosopher Ole Fogh Kirkeby. The first book called “Protreptik – filosofisk coaching i ledelse” 2008 also has Jens Larsen from NSAH as co-author.
Ole Fogh Kirkeby talks about how the protreptic conversation should offer the person the opportunity to create a narrative that can break with the old one.
How can the practitioner use the protreptics?
When working with art therapy, the therapist can use protreptics to explore the concepts and value words that come up during the conversation. You can zoom in on them and help the client unfold them. Again, the point is that a nuanced understanding of essential concepts in our lives changes the way we live and be in communities. The protreptics consist of two elements: 1. Questions/dialogue and 2. settings. The dialog and questions are what is said in the conversation and the settings are the way the practitioner is in the conversation. The two elements are outwardly separate.
In Protreptics, there is a collaboration between client and therapist. The practitioner must be interested in gaining new insights through the conversation.
Questions the practitioner can use
The basic rule for the therapist using protreptics is to ask about the general rather than the specific and psychological, as in narrative and cognitive therapy. This doesn’t mean that the client doesn’t respond with concrete examples, but the task for the therapist is to elevate the conversation to a general level in a gentle way. For example, if you as a therapist ask the client what the elements in the created artwork mean and the client answers “care”, the therapist can use questions such as
“What does caring mean?
“Why is care essential to our lives?”
“What does it take to care?”
“Is there a difference between caring for yourself and caring for others?”
“Where in the body is caring?”
The term “care” in the above question can be replaced with other concepts that the customer brings up, e.g. love, community, trust, courage, joy. As a therapist, you can also contribute to the unfolding of the concepts by offering your own reflections, but it is important that you have a sense of how it should benefit the client.
The practitioner’s attitude in the conversation
In Protreptics, there is a collaboration between client and therapist. The practitioner must be interested in gaining new insights through the conversation. The protreptics settings and six pointers are:
- Being there for the Other: In the protreptic conversation, our attitude is that we want the Other to be well, but also that we can only do our best and that not everything is in our power.
- Postponing judgment: We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but take the time to listen and ask about the concepts and the client’s reflections.
- Wanting community: Here the focus is on how we are in the room with the customer. Whether we show commitment and care with our face and presence.
- A sense of timing: Protreptics has its own dramaturgy and the practitioner must be able to navigate it, including a sense of timing, both in terms of the overall sense of time, but also what the right moment is for a question or reflection.
- Being mindful: The practitioner must pay attention to the process, to themselves and to the other person.
- The art of closure: Finding the place that leaves the client with hope and confidence in the future.
In its use of externalization and reflection on a more general level, protreptics can be particularly useful in reflections on the artistic process and the work.
Fogh Kirkeby, Hede, Larsen, Mejlhede: “Protreptik – filosofiske coaching i ledelse” SL Forlag 2008
