The Art of Therapy

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