The use of doubling to counter resistance in family and individual treatment

Abstract

Many family therapists are known for their use of experiential techniques (Leveton, 1984; Minuchin & Fishman, 1981; Papp, 1976; Satir, 1972). Family sculpture (Bell, 1984; Duhl, 1983; Papp, Silverstein & Carter, 1973; Papp, 1982), the enactment of metaphors, Satir’s (1972) games using stereotypical roles and her family reconstructions, and family drawings (Leveton, 1977) are all techniques that have developed along with the field of family therapy. Therapists use active techniques in order to gather information about family patterns of interaction, to help the family develop a graphic, dramatic picture of how the members behave, and to effect change in a variety of ways (Bandler & Grinder, 1975; Bell, 1984; Leveton, 1977; Minuchin & Fishman, 1981). Perhaps the least discussed in the field of family therapy are the active techniques derived from psychodrama, particularly the use of the double, which is virtually unknown outside the fields of psychodrama and drama therapy. In the following pages, I address doubling as a technique the therapist can use to counter resistance while working with families and individuals. J.L. Moreno (1941) developed doubling as part of his psychodramatic work with groups. Sometimes referred to as “alter ego,” this technique allows the auxiliary ego (or helper) to speak as part of the protagonist (focus of psychodrama) in order to give voice to and portray actions felt but not expressed by the protagonist. This helper usually begins by standing or sitting behind and slightly to the side of the protagonist, using mirroring to establish the role, and using the word “I” rather than “you.” Because the helper is very quickly perceived as an inner voice, resistance decreases markedly and often suddenly. The power of the technique lies in a paradox. On the one hand, the double (helper) blends with the protagonist and is no longer perceived as a separate person (Leveton, 1984). On the other hand, the double is, of course, the therapist’s voice. Doubling is closely related to Minuchin’s concept of “joining” (Minuchin & Fishman, 1981) and Bandler and Grinder’s (1975) “pacing.” Joining is a way of showing that the therapist is on the family’s side through the use of self. Anecdotes about the therapist’s life that have relevance for the family are an example. The joiner uses anecdotes to establish kinship, stressing the similarities between therapist and client. In pacing, the therapist observes the client closely to get an impression of the rhythm of the client’s responses, speech, and gesture patterns. The therapist induces a trance by matching the client’s behavior. The pacer talks, breathes, and moves at the same pace as the client. Doubling this way locates a therapist not on the side, but at the side of the client, using cues similar to those used by the joiner and pacer in an effort to submerge his or her own personality and become part of what the protagonist is saying. Also used are the double’s own life resources as well as the observa-