My theoretical interest in “presence”, as a factor in good therapy, emerged from my earliest training in Carl Rogers’ “core conditions of therapy”. Rogers suggested that what therapists need to do is unconditionally value their clients and demonstrate that they understand what their clients are experiencing, and do this authentically, without playing a role. He called these the necessary and sufficient conditions of therapy; in other words, you needed to do these things and, if you did them well, that was pretty much all you needed to do.

While this may sound fairly straightforward and simple on the surface, perhaps even obvious, my experience was that manifesting and sustaining Rogers’ conditions required a significant effort of attention. I found that it was well worth it, in terms of benefit to my clients. In fact, this effort of attention became a kind of practice and, over time, I noticed that it had a pronounced effect on me as well. I discovered that when I was able to fully concentrate and give undivided attention to my clients, holding them as intrinsically valuable and really trying to see the world from their perspective, I would find myself in something of an “altered state”, and would seem to tune into them at a much deeper level. The word that seemed to capture this experience was “presence.”

This led to pursuing research on presence as a “therapeutic variable.” I soon discovered that I was not alone in this inquiry. In fact, Rogers himself, toward the end of his life stated

“I find that when I am the closest to my inner, intuitive self—when perhaps I am somehow in touch with the unknown in me—when perhaps I am in a slightly altered state of consciousness in the relationship, then whatever I do seems to be full of healing. Then simply my presence is releasing and helpful. At those moments, it seems that my inner spirit has reached out and touched the inner spirit of the other. Our relationship transcends itself, and has become part of something larger. Profound growth and healing are present.”

Since Rogers’ time, there have been several studies on therapist presence that have shown that this perspective is shared by others. Currently, I am doing research on how clients experience their therapists’ presence. I conducted a pilot study with one participant, a woman in her thirties, who described her therapist as highly present. She used the phrase “transpersonal presence” to describe aspects of the relationship that seemed to transcend ordinary levels of communication. For her, this was profoundly healing.

In retrospect, I realize that my interest in presence was formed long before I conceptualized it as such, and even before I’d entertained becoming a therapist. Throughout my life there have been people who have had a beneficial influence on me, who have significantly impacted my growth, and even changed my direction. While they have been very different in almost every way, what they had in common was that they each had a strong quality of presence.

To learn more about my psychotherapy practice click here or, to discuss making an appointment, call me at (415) 248-1772 or click here to contact me by email