Beyond Insight: The Power of Integration

Why do we keep repeating patterns even when we clearly see them? Why do some insights never really seem to change anything?

To my eyes, the answer lies in one word: integration.

Integration is the process of bringing together different aspects of one’s personality, thoughts, feelings, and experiences into a cohesive whole. It involves recognising, accepting, and harnessing parts of oneself that may have been previously repressed or denied.

It’s both amazing and beautiful to notice what a natural, instinct this is for us: my feeling is that this is largely what play is about for children. In play, children naturally process and integrate what they see, feel, and experience through imagination and creativity. Play is integration in action. And we can observe integration of archetypes and other elements of the shared consciousness.

So why is it that we end up with these fragmented parts? If for many of us childhood was not characterised by curiosity, spaciousness, authenticity, and gentle holding, then adulthood built on the foundation of that childhood doesn’t feel any more welcoming of all of our parts and experiences. Also, sometimes we have experiences that at the time we are not equipped or able to process or integrate. Or sometimes it is only as life unfolds that aspects of ourselves come to the fore.

So in Connected State Therapy, we aren’t looking to simply modify behaviour. We see behaviour as symptomatic of the expression of parts of the self. So if there is problematic behaviour – self-destructive patterns, for example – it is a sign-post to a fragmented, rejected, or unacquainted aspect of ourselves. This is invaluable information.

What emerges from this approach is a more coherent sense of self – where insights from therapy don’t remain theoretical, but become part of how you move through the world.

Click here to learn more about CST and the current research opportunity.