Taking a Look at Primal Therapy

There are many forms of therapy, and we're going to look at primal therapy today.

When you hear the phrase "Primal therapy," you may imagine cavemen, or you may think about someone unleashing their inner beast. Primal therapy is neither of that.

So, what is it? Let's discuss.

Primal Therapy

Primal therapy centers around childhood trauma, particularly trauma that has gone unresolved. Most of us recognize that what happens in our childhood can shape us for life, and we have no way to express our trauma.

One way primal therapy can help you express your trauma is through something that is known as the empty chair technique. This is when you are faced with an empty chair and you take your emotions out on it. You may imagine someone who wronged you sitting in that chair.

The idea is that by being able to release your emotions, you can begin healing yourself. The idea is that if you just let it all out, you can move forward.

What Kind of Trauma Can it Help With?

Primal therapy may be able to help with the trauma of all types. Let's look at some of them.

• Physical Violence

Many kids experience physical abuse. This can lead to trauma and anger issues down the road. With primal therapy, it's not uncommon to see people hit or kick the chair they are faced with. The therapist may allow that as long as there is no damage to the area.

• Sexual Abuse

Many children experience sexual abuse as well, which can lead to various problems in adulthood. This can be a sensitive subject, with many victims confronting the chair in various ways.

• Divorce

Sometimes, a child may have trauma due to a divorce. They may feel it's their fault, or the fallout may have affected them.

It's common to see the victim confront the chair and speak out to them about how the divorce impacted them.

• Neglect

Some kids were not given enough of their needs. From not being fed to not having affection, this can cause a child to have clinginess or resentment towards other people as they grow up.

It's common for you to see victims trying to neglect the chair just like how they were neglected.

• It's Focused On Early Childhood Trauma

The main audience for primal therapy are people who have trauma during early childhood. This is from birth to age 5. However, there may be people who had trauma later on in childhood as well. Someone isn't going to deny you primal therapy because your trauma happened at age 8.

It's Controversial

Primal therapy is a form of therapy that has never caught on to the mainstream. Many critics say the therapy is simplistic, and there have not been too many studies to prove its effectiveness. It had a boom in the 1970s, but it has since been not used too much, and other forms of therapy have long since taken their place.

The creator of it, Arthur Janov, had his fair share of controversies as well. Some said he was in it for the money and for making a trend, for example.

With different forms of therapy, some may have more evidence than others. However, does this mean that primal therapy should be dismissed? Not entirely.

It Can Help

Some people have taken primal therapy who have ended up advocating for it. At its height, celebrities such as James Earl Jones were advocating for it. Obviously, celebrity endorsement doesn't mean the product is legit, not by a long shot, but there have been many people who have taken it and have reported relief.

Some people ended up feeling relief from their trauma. While it wasn't cured, it did feel good to let nature take over and to yell at an empty chair.

Primal therapy is something you could do at home. Take an empty chair and pretend the source of your trauma is sitting in it. Then, tell them how you feel about them.

Venting Can Be Good

Another reason why primal therapy can work is that it's similar to venting. You are unleashing what is on your mind, allowing emotions that you have bottled up inside of you for the longest time to be revealed.

Venting is not a mechanism you should do all the time. However, when you do release your anger, you can look to more productive ways of controlling your emotions.

It Works Well When Paired With Other Therapies

Most modern therapists don't assign primal therapy. Or, when they do, it's in harmony with another form of therapy.

For example, a therapist may allow you to release your anger on the chair, but then teach you how you can avoid troublesome thoughts associated with your trauma to take over your life. This is known as cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT.

So, Should You Try It?

It may not hurt to take your anger out on a chair, but it may not be a good long-term solution. The science on primal therapy is iffy at best, and there are other ways you can get the help you need.

Talking to a therapist to resolve childhood trauma is already a given. However, where can you go if you have a busy schedule, or have difficulties leaving your home? One way for you to get the help you need is to try online therapy.

Online Therapy Can Help

While primal therapy may not be offered too much nowadays, there are still many great ways to get the help that you need.

One way is through online therapy. This allows you to talk to a therapist through the comfort of your own home. It has seen a recent surge in popularity, and we expect its popularity to only go up.

If you are interested in speaking to a therapist online, BetterHelp can allow you to do so. You can talk to a therapist on your own schedule and look for someone who matches up with you.

(Disclaimer: Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)