Af-x
Natural Therapies in Focus

The Daycare
The Nanny

The following article appeared in WellBeing Magazine, released November 2003.  This is the verbatim content of that article, but is presented here as a web page, making it easier to access than a scan of the magazine's pages.

What first attracted me to Af-x was the notion of respect for our own mind's ability to heal ourselves, inherent within its philosophy.  Here it seems was a therapist/patient process that enshrined the onus on self-responsibility instead of upon the almighty therapist.  After having tried numerous therapies over the years I have come to a greater respect for those things that put me in touch with my own wisdom rather than making me dependent upon someone or something else.   It intrigued me as well, especially when I was told that there would only be three sessions and that I would not be required to speak much in any of them.   This was definitely like no counselling I had had before.  In fact, it had the aroma of being 'non-counselling' in favour of what we all seem to seek; self-empowerment!

There was a Zen like flavour that pervaded my encounter with Af-x's founding practitioner, a minimum of words on my part and from him a confidence in my ability to 'right my own mental and emotional cart.'  The silence growing within me was a welcome change from the usual chatter as I listened to him outlining the coming sessions.  Why was I here?  I suppose you could call it mild depression.  I was also interested in this therapy, why it was so successful overseas, and wanted to experience it.  Closing my eyes and sitting back in the very comfortable chair I opened my mind to the words that were being spoken to me.

Af-x is based on the work of the School of Affectology, developed by Australian psychotherapist, Ian White.  Its roots are in the studies of early childhood and the discovery that we develop a subtle emotional sense well before we begin to think conceptually.  In the period of birth up to 18-months we are developing our feeling selves long before we learn words and how to think in a narrative way.  We basically learn what feeling responses work for us and this is the basis for the beginnings of our emotions.  This information is stored by the limbic brain and is there to be called upon when we require an emotional response.  This process is technically referred to as neuro-encoding.  Many of the scientific studies into this early learning period are covered in recent books by Goleman, Damasio, LeDoux, and others.   These books (such as Emotional Intelligence and Descartes' Error) have catapulted public interest from the "emotional mysterious" to the "emotionally informed."

"Of course our affect--meaning "emotional"-- reactions are immediate and don't allow us to think about them because they are happening at a subconscious level; the reactions defy our rational selves," says Ian, "through this we build a habit of feeling that eventually grows into our own unconscious sense of self."   Af-x Therapy predicates that these first learnings powerfully influence how we emotionally react throughout our lives, often without realising why.  As these feelings are experienced pre-verbally it is, in Ian's view, ineffective for the client to be attempting to 'talk it out'.  "What is important is to allow the client to focus on, and safely reach that inner feeling space and it is only through silence and a quietening of the mind's chatter that this is possible," says Ian.  "Once there, the subconscious mind's own sophisticated self-correcting gear is available to a simple 'reminder-like' suggestion."

"So isn't this just hypnotherapy," I put to Ian?   "I prefer to use the term 'assisted self attention,' or 'focus on feelings,' as it is not necessary for the client to be in any particular state of trance or synthetic awareness for the process to work, and the term 'self attention' also describes the meditative state which I think is a closer fit for this work," responds Ian.   "Also, what is integral to understand here is that, unlike hypnotherapists and all other counsellors and psychotherapists, we are not responding to a particular complaint voiced by the client, because of course the client has not said anything.  The Af-x practitioner is appealing to the client's own innate ability as a perfect being to make the necessary adjustments to their emotional selves."

As I hear these words and ruminate on being a 'perfect being,' memories of my own spiritual journey filter into consciousness.   I remember being told stories by my spiritual 'master' about how insanity was often dealt with in the East in the time of Lao Tzu; that the sufferer would be locked in a cell in complete darkness with no contact with any other person, meals being slipped under the door.  It sounded barbaric but apparently it was often a quick cure as the enflamed mental state was not pandered to, and an encounter with the 'original face or self' was hard to avoid when locked up on your own.   The strict adherence to the client not speaking in Af-x therapy and the self-attention consciousness of the meditative state ring a few bells for me and I am not surprised to learn that Ian White trained as a Zen Bukkyo monk in his earlier years.   "Yes, I (sat) in Zazen in black hakama robes, being whacked on the back with an oak waking stick by the senior monk, and scrubbing a sterile, perfectly clean floor over and over again, and all that other exciting stuff, but I never really took to it because it didn't deal with my"impatience about helping bring peace to my fellow person," laughs White.  "I also quite enjoy South Australian reds!"

It is perhaps that focus that has led Ian to a lifetime devoted to assisting the healing of thousands through the development and refinement of Af-x Therapy.   Through the School of Affectology, Ian has trained Af-x practitioners here in Australia, the USA and Europe.   He and those that are utilising the therapy in their work have had particular success in dealing with those apparently suffering from the many forms of depression, as well as a host of other mental-emotional problems.  Ian says, "One of the most important aspects of the Af-x approach is that we do not consider that ongoing psychotherapy is productive in changes for the better.  In fact, ongoing therapy actually gets in the way of people making the mental and emotional change choices that bring about success."   "How do you monitor whether three sessions are enough or were effective at all," I ponder?   "Over the last ten years every Af-x client has been asked to participate in a unique feedback system," Ian ventures, "questionnaires are sent out that guarantee that the client's responses will remain confidential and anonymous.  We just get the pure data and so we know in the majority of cases that it is working."

As he writes his upcoming books, and has sought case studies, ex-clients have come forward to volunteer their personal stories about their experiences with Af-x.  It is through this process that I am able to read through dozens of testimonials from clients that have visited an Af-x practitioner.   Although these people range widely in age and circumstances there is a common theme that runs through their experiences.   In nearly all cases they were previously informed by health professionals that they were suffering from depression, panic attacks or stress and required medication.   One particular testimonial caught my attention and that was "Lisa's Story."   I think it was because as a teenager, Lisa (not her real name) conveyed her situation with that rawness and emotional honesty often apparent in that age group.

Lisa's Story

I am 17 year's old.   For many years I 'suffered' from what is known as clinical depression, a diagnosis that I received from psychiatrists and doctors.  From the early days of my problem, I was prescribed antidepressants of various types, and have been taking them, believing that they were 'controlling' this illness. I also suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.   (O.C.D and C.F.S).  I remember being incredibly angry toward those adults around me, feeling as though I was always 'pushed' by people who didn't understand me and how I felt.   How could they understand when I didn't even know how to put things into words?

During this time, I thought about suicide on many occasions.  Life seemed to be of no use, no purpose, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life living in the big black hole that I seemed to exist in.  I felt lost and alone.   No one knew how to help me.  Of course, many people tried to help, but for a long while I suffered alone, thinking I was beyond help; just willing myself to die.  On more than one occasion, I attempted to take my life, never thinking that I could find any solutions to getting any better than just coping from day to day taking drugs and lashing out at everyone and everything around me.

My friends and family were desperate for my recovery.  Because of my state of depression and my frequent suicidal thoughts, my parents often wondered whether I would live to see Christmas.  I also wondered the same thing because I couldn't see any future for me that was any better than the hell I seemed to be living.  Endless visits to the school counsellor seemed to make no difference.  I spent many months 'in therapy' with a psychiatrist.  Same outcome.  Those many years of taking anti-depressants and even alternative natural medication resulted in no answer.  In fact, things were getting steadily worse.  Quite apart from my depressive 'sickness,' there was a steadily increasing pressure placed upon me to get better.   Pressure that people who had no idea of the loneliness of 'me' applied.  I know that they had the best intentions, but they didn't know themselves that they were adding incredibly to my burden.

Then my parents heard about Ian White and his work that he called Af-x therapy.  My parents had no idea of how it worked and, quite incorrectly, translated it to me as being 'hypnotherapy.'   This, of course, didn't help me in my expectations and I was opposed to the idea of seeing him from the start.   In fact, I was very sceptical about the idea.   I thought it would be another case of a crazy person with crazy antics, claiming to have all the answers.   For this reason, I refused the treatment.

After months of my family pleading for me to 'give it a go,' I reluctantly agreed.  In all honesty, that was merely to stop the pleading and give me an excuse to say to them, "See, this didn't work either!"  I walked into his rooms making it very obvious that I didn't want to be there and I was only there to 'shut everybody up.'   Of course, I was determined to de-rail anything that he was going to try with me.   As a result of my many visits to other counsellors and therapists, I was certain that I knew how to handle him to my own ends.

But I was very surprised at his approach.  Now, in hindsight, I would say that I was pleasantly surprised.  Ian was lovely and considerate of the fact that I had been pressured to undergo treatment.  He talked about that pressure right from the outset, and gave the impression that he knew all about how I felt about 'everybody trying to tell me what's best for me.'   He made me feel very comfortable and relaxed, and told me basically that I was the 'boss.'  In other words, he did not do or say anything that I was uncomfortable with, and I was given no reason to oppose the idea of going ahead with helping myself out of my dilemma.

He explained the procedures of 'Af-x' very clearly and carefully so that I would not feel as though I was kept in the dark about his method of therapy.  It seemed to remove any idea that there was a 'mystery' about what he had to offer.   In fact, what he said helped me believe that I had much more power over my self than any other therapist had said before him.  This care in the explanation helped me to relax and gain the full benefits of the treatment.   Ian explained that he did not want me to talk unless I wanted to ask a general question about the treatment.  He explained why it was important for me not to try to put my problems into words.   That was a great relief, because I had been trying unsuccessfully to put my problems into words for years.  The pressure of trying to explain how I felt seemed to make how I felt even worse.   I had always left counsellors' offices wondering whether I had really explained things in a truthful way.

His explanation made sense in a different way, but I still (at the time) privately thought the concept was very strange, and wondered how I could be helped without speaking about my problems.  I now understand that he was asking me to think about my own wellbeing, rather than to go along with the usual thinking in our society about mental and emotional issues.   After my third session I thanked Ian for his time and patience and walked away wondering when and if I would notice any change.  In some ways, even though I had enjoyed my time in the therapy, I still couldn't see how it could help to 'say nothing' and 'take notice of my self'.   I did what Ian suggested, and tried not to analyse what we had done in therapy.   As a matter of fact, I tended to forget that I had gone to see him.

But, about a month later I started to feel very strong; physically and emotionally, and I decided to stop taking medication for my depression.   I had depended on that medication for such a long time that there was a part of me that seemed to be saying, "well, I'll stop taking it and that'll prove that I can't do without it."   But, that did not happen. I started to notice that my energy levels were gradually rising and my desire and need for sleep was declining.   I also started to notice that I had a calmer and less aggressive approach to negative situations.  My friends, my family, and my teachers all noticed and commented on this change.  I no longer felt a need to resolve my problems with violence, verbal or otherwise, and for the first time in my life I felt as though I had some personal control over my ability to be, and stay happy.  Although I did not understand how the therapy worked, I remember on many occasions, the things that he said and explained 'came back to me' in those moments when I would have become depressed, or lost my temper before.

Today, eight months after my therapy, I am still not taking medication, I'm attending the gym three times a week, and I seem to not react to things as I used to do--angrily.   I receive compliments all the time on how much I have improved in all areas of my life.   At times, these comments are about changes that I think are obvious, but sometimes I am surprised that people have noticed some of the more gentle changes to who I am.   I feel like I have eventually found myself, and found the person inside that I once used to be, and found the person that I can be.

No analysing?

The concept that we can undergo change without analysing it, talking it through, and even intellectually understanding that change, is baffling for many people.   In many of the volunteered stories that I read the most common response is, "I don't know how this thing worked but it did."   Ian talks about 're-education,' that the work of Af-x Therapy is all about re-educating our early emotional selves, that have not gone away or grown up, that are often still within us.   This is subtle stuff and it doesn't utilise any high tech gadgets; well that is except for the most high tech gadget of all, 'the human mind.'  It is amazing work but it is easy to miss it too.  Perhaps as we evolve further we will learn to value the finer complexities and workings of the human brain. At the moment our models of our own consciousness are computers, which in all truth are terribly inadequate.

For many people the whole purpose of their visit to a counsellor is to pour out their problems, so this ban on words can be a major deterrent.  Ian explains that it is absolutely vital for the success of the therapy, "as soon as you listen to their story you are complicit in their world paradigm.  The half-truths, the snippets of pseudo self help theories that they have picked up and applied to their own situation; and you are caught in their web with them.   The Af-x practitioner comes clean to the table and bypasses all of this completely, working directly with the subconscious emotional mind."  White likens this process--or perhaps "lack of expected process" to the Zen therapeutic approach of "holding the mirror firmly."

After speaking with Ian for many hours about his past training and personal experiences I begin to get a picture of how this therapy has come into being.   The development of Affectology has been a constant evolving of a work that began with a desire to understand the qualities of consciousness.   Spent quite a bit of time refining itself through the practice and teaching of hypnotherapy, and utilising some of the skills inherent within that but going far beyond the scope of that work.   Having at its core a profound respect for the 'perfection' of humankind, it is a therapy for a 'conscious age.'  Also, at that core, seems to be a deep concern for the way society believes many of the damaging myths about our mental and emotional wellbeing.

How was it for me?   Although I did not attend with any "deep" depressive issue, I did experience an upsurge of self-belief immediately after the sessions, which I had over a three-week period, and that has not disappeared over the following months.  My self-esteem which had been low, due to a failed relationship that had ended some sixteen months ago, felt markedly stronger at the conclusion of the sessions.   And I felt more "at peace with myself and who I am."  Of course knowing myself as I do I know I can get excited quickly about things, and I definitely appreciated the attention to my self, but I was ready for this, and still quite aware that I wanted to judge the outcomes fairly.  And it is fair to say that because I was suffering only a low level of depression, then the results were gentle and subtle, yet definite.  I am absolutely certain that those people whose lives are acutely affected by depression and other mood states would experience an enormous release--an alleviation, as a result of Af-x sessions.  And this is evident in the case histories and client reports.

As for "curing the human condition," Ian maintains strongly that the human condition of all of us is already perfect, yet needs some guidance for reflective emotional and mental healing.   That's the nature of Af-x Therapy.  There are now a number of practitioners who have been trained through the School of Affectology here in Australia, USA and Sweden, some of whom have elevated, through experience, to licensed Af-x status.   A diploma is available at the completion of a robust three-tiered curriculum.  Ian White is currently at work on several books about his work and its application in the treatment and understanding of depression and the whole platform of mental/emotional problems.

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