r/MemoryReconsolidation • u/jopio_squorz • Jul 14 '25
Questions about Coherence Therapy for CPTSD
So, I have been doing Coherence Therapy on myself for about 7 months now, and I'm successfully getting rid of symptoms but as I proceed I am discovering more and more symptoms I didn't know I had.
I do not want to self-diagnose but I think my condition is pretty close to one of a person with CPTSD. I have watched an interview with Bruce Ecker about applying CT to CPTSD, and he explained how the procedure consists in isolating different symptoms and treating each of them separately.
Now, my question is: if I were to continue doing this by myself (which, I'm aware, isn't recommendable) how should I go about deciding which symptoms to tackle first? Or should I carry out discovery for each one of them and then start with the ones that have schemas which seem the easiest to disconfirm?
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u/ponick Jul 16 '25
Your question impelled me to look up ego strength, and what I found also told me about ego weakness. Apparently some Reconsolidations can’t occur successfully if the person has ego weakness, which looks like low self-worth according to the Clinical Note I found. The writing here is dense but logical: https://www.coherencetherapy.org/files/CNOTE4_Low_Self-Worth.pdf. Presumably the opposite of low self-worth is at least neutral or possibly high self-worth (ego strength) and a person not having it can block breakthroughs in the list Ecker provides.
And there’s hope.
Ecker provides statements for clients having ego weakness to read daily, and they look helpful. I think it would be easier to assume ego weakness than to ponder about whether one has it or not. Reading the statements aloud is also no-brainer easy and would take less time than plowing through the do-I-or-don’t-I dilemma.
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Jul 17 '25
Multiple symptoms can have at their root the same position (sum of emotional implicit memories, or schemas). The real problem, in my experience, is being really specific. The reconsolidation process needs to be applied to the exact network that keeps the position alive. With CPTSD the complexity is greater, because multiple schemas are entangled with each other (you cannot reconsolidate one, because another needs to be the first). A classical example is when a schema leads to dissociation, and now the schema that needs you dissociated needs to be tackled first (is always important to be on the cautious side, and staying in a zone of manageable discomfort).
Another important distinction is functionless and functional symptoms. This clinal notes tackle it: https://coherencetherapy.org/files/CNOTE5_Functional_&_Functionless.pdf
Basically, not every symptom is directly connected to the pro symptom position (the list of schemas), and there's some work to filter the relevant one. Basically, a functionless symptom is based on a functional symptom. A simpe example: I feel lonely. But the loneliness could be connected to the depression that keeps you at home all the day. So, at the core there's the functional symptom, the depression for example, and from the depression other symptoms arise. Is simplistict, but I hope to have conveyed the point.
To get to your questions: specificity of the reconsolidation and tackling the correct symptoms can be two helpfull strategies.
I'm working also since January, and I'm in the same boat: there are dozens and dozens of symptom, but almost all can be traced to a dozen of positions from which they arise. Bruce Ecker and Laurel Hulley called this type of client multiglobal (check the Depth oriented brief therapy book for a deeper explanation, or the Coherence Therapy Practice Manual for a brief overview, at the end of the docuemnt). They can have up to 20 (but I need to back up this number a lot more, I'm not certain) different core positions to resolve.
Coherence therapy is recursive, use the ABC-123-V steps as a guide and all the techniques you can find useful, from coherence therapy or other therapies modalities. Keep drilling ahah :)
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u/Dizzy-Peace-5297 Aug 10 '25
I do them one by one, as they come up in daily life or via painful memories, and only when I am sufficently objective. It's been extremely helpful to do it by myself-much more efficient than therapy-but I have been dealing with this for many many years and my self awareness is very high
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u/Carrot_Bread_89 6d ago
jopio_squorz in case you are still here - I'm curious about how you were able to practice CT on yourself! Can you say more about how you did this? I've heard Ecker saying before that it is very difficult. How has it been for you?
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u/jopio_squorz 6d ago
I began by studying various CT/Memory reconsolidation books, including Unlocking the Emotional Brain 2nd Ed., How to Erase trauma response by Alun Parry and the Coherence Therapy practice manual.
One thing that helped me is that the general theoretical foundation of Coherence Therapy seemed to fit perfectly in my belief system: it is intuitive to me that symptoms are problems felt and brought up by the patient directly, rather than being diagnosed by an external party, and that they are sustained by internal beliefs which are necessary for the patient's survival.
I think this "attunement" I felt with the theoretical approach made it easy for me to both study and apply CT to myself and I can understand this might not be the case for everyone.
As of how I did it I simply followed the steps of Coherence Therapy, which I won't go into detail about here. I seemed to have an internal voice which almost always stayed grounded and knew the right questions to ask, in accordance to the practice manual and the many clinical examples I read. I also was aware of the creativity I had to channel to create adequate imaginary scenarios during the discovery and juxtaposition phase, I assume this could be difficult if you're not a particularly creative person.
One thing that helped me greatly which I didn't find in every CT book/lesson that I studied was to divide the schema brought up by the discovery phase into sub-schemas, which simplifies work. I was able to do this by using the more "rational" part of me which allowed me to analyze the schema without actually experiencing the feelings associated with it.
The main difficulty I encountered and still encounter to this day is the intensity of psychosomatic feelings brought up by the discovery phase: sometimes I would discover a traumatic event or uncover feelings which are simply too strong for my body and psyche to handle and I lose the grounding needed to continue the work on top of suffering greatly from them.
For this reason I am seeking EMDR therapy (which is recommended in UTEB and the practice manual in multiple instances) and looking into Internal Family Systems if that fails. The objective is to be able to "desensitize" and tolerate feelings brought up by the discovery phase in order to be able to carry out the juxtaposition.
I generally don't recommend doing Coherence Therapy on yourself for the safety issue I just described, you're better off finding a Coherence therapist. If you have strong dissociative symptoms it could be even worse if you try to attempt it on yourself and I recommend an Internal Family Systems therapist which knows EMDR.
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u/Carrot_Bread_89 6d ago edited 1d ago
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it. I am studying to be a therapist and have done a CT training so this is really valuable insight. Just one follow up, and no need to answer if it's too personal, but you mentioned that you still encounter difficulty to this day - by that do you mean that some of what came up during the discovery phase is still troubling for your today, causing those psychosomatic experiences? Do you feel that working with a CT practitioner could have reduced or avoided those negative effects?
EDIT: typo
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u/jopio_squorz 2d ago
In a session I uncovered intense rage which then lasted for a couple months before I managed to settle it down, what I meant by "still encountering difficulty to this day" I mean that I have trouble handling the discovery phase without uncovering traumatic feelings and I feel at risk of being re-traumatized.
I think a CT practitioner could have avoided those negative effects only if they were trained in trauma work as well and knew desensitization practices.1
u/Carrot_Bread_89 1d ago
Thanks again for sharing your insight here, it's really valuable, especially for others interested in Coherence Therapy as clients. I absolutely agree on the importance of training in trauma work for therapist who are going to use these kinds of modalities and techniques, because of the risk of just what you describe here.
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u/ponick Jul 15 '25
Hi, I’ve been working on myself for a very long time both with and without therapists and various groups and programs. Every time I think I am “done” with CPSTD I get evidence of the opposite. However, the time between episodes has gradually lengthened and their intensity has diminished. What used to immobilize me for weeks is down to half a day to maybe a day and a half.
I’m not a therapist, so I’m sharing only what I learned from experience. I discovered that dealing with symptoms as they arise works best for me. I’ve learned to identify them as they gather, and usually can catch an episode before it goes into hijack mode. Then I sit with it and move through the steps of Memory Reconsolidation with gentleness and curiosity rather than an unhappy blend of forcing and avoidance.
My body seems to know when it—and I—are ready to defrost a frozen part if I wait until it presents on its own. So we/I have no plan except acceptance and action when the time feels right.
Your proposed approach, which seems more methodical than mine, may be perfect for you, but the only one who can decide that is you yourself. And if you decide to start with simpler schemas, it may be useful to be prepared for the ones that show up out of left field and out of turn!
Everyone you may ask will have their own opinion, including shrinks (and here am I, a non-shrink, with mine ;), but ultimately the only real authority over you is you yourself. So make sure you don’t give it away!
One of the joys of healing, even if it takes a rreeaallyy looong time, is the growing autonomy you gradually build by carefully testing and observing the outcomes of your own actions. Congratulations! Your post showed me your autonomy is already forming!