Solution Series Part 1: How Solutions Are Established

by Feb 17, 2017

 

“Solution” Defined

A typical definition for the word “solution” is, “a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.”  A person’s “solution” is the most common obstacle encountered in a ministry session.  When a solution is in play the session will stall out; emotions go away, memory won’t come to mind, the person becomes distracted, he or she feels angry, cannot keep their eyes closed, demonic manifestations occur, and more.  All of these things are the person’s vain attempts at “solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.” 

 

When Solutions Are established
A “solution” is usually established in order to respond to a troublesome situation. For example, while a child is being mistreated, abused, or neglected, he will look for a solution to the situation. He may dissociate and consciously separate himself from the abuse and “escape” to some place in his imagination. He may create and envision a safe place in his mind where he can hide until the “storm” is over. He may become invisible (as in the video), frozen, unable to move, or angry. He may make a vow that he will never allow anyone to ever hurt him again. A little girl may come to the conclusion that being a girl is not safe and decide to become a boy. Each of these solutions is designed to resolve the problem and is both selected and implemented because of belief.

A Crucial Skill of the Ministry Facilitator

Being able to identify and deal with a person’s solutions is vitally important when using TPM. If the facilitator is unaware of the fundamentals regarding solutions, he will continue to have what he will assume are “difficult” cases. His sessions will likely last longer than needed and seem more complicated and random than they actually are. The truth is, it is only difficult to get around a solution when you do not know how to address it.

 

The Three Elements of a Solution:
The Problem, The Remedy and the Belief

 

The Problem
When a problem is perceived by the person,  this gives rise for the need of a solution. The problem is what the person believes might happen if his or her “solution” is not implemented. Often the person’s solution is a form of protection from what he believes would be the outcome without the solution in place. For example, during a ministry session the person being prayed with might believe something such as, “If I remember what happened to me (the memory) I will be overwhelmed, my life will be destroyed, or I might die” or “If I feel what I am feeling it will consume me and I may lose control.” Or “If I let my anger go then he will get by with what he did to me.”  These “problems” need to be solved. And the way in which the person goes about solving them is their “solution.”

 

The Remedy or Solution
The remedy or solution is how the person resolves his or her perceived problem. Three of the most common solutions include 1) suppressing emotion, 2) blocking a memory from surfacing, and 3) feeling angry. There are other less common solutions, but all three are common and almost expected to be present in many ministry sessions.

Anger is a common solution that can be applied to many different perceived  “problems” such as; being hurt again, not having control, and bad people getting by with what they have done. It is often believed that anger can help keep us safe, give us control over our circumstances, and hold people accountable. Now, of course, none of these things are true. As James, the Apostle has said, “… the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James. 1:20) Nonetheless, if we believe that feeling bad emotions will overwhelm us, that our bad memories might wreck our lives, or if we let our anger go we might be hurt again, and even worse, bad people may get by with what they have done, then, to avoid having any of these things happening, we will hold tightly to our anger solutions.

Like Joseph’s multi-colored coat, solutions come in many different varieties and appearances. A partial listing of solutions encountered in ministry sessions can include things such as:

  • A person talking in circles or chatting incessantly to avoid moving forward,
  • Logical thinking, rationalizing, intellectualizing,
  • Opening their eyes and re-engaging the facilitator in conversation,
  • Jumping from memory to memory (for an extended period of time and not seemingly accomplishing anything),
  • Reporting becoming “invisible” or frozen or dying in their memory,
  • Dissociation, suppression, denial, and repression,
  • Becoming sleepy or falling asleep during the session,
  • “Spiritualizing” everything and giving the right Bible answer for their situation,
  • Praying out-loud asking Jesus to help them to move forward, rather than taking responsibility for being “stuck”,
  • Engaging in physical behaviors such as twisting their hair, fidgeting,  yawning,
  • Any and all personal vows and agreements made by the person,
  • Demonic manifestations.

 

The Belief
Behind every solution is a belief that supports it. In TPM we refer to this type of belief as a “Solution Belief.” The belief is why the solution was implemented.  Just as solutions are multifarious, so too are beliefs. Beliefs such as, “Blocking-out my pain keeps me from becoming overwhelmed,” “My anger keeps me safe, holds someone accountable, empowers me, etc.” “Not remembering what happened keeps it from being true,” “Demon’s interfering in the session allows me to be a victim,”  or “Not feeling what I feeling protects me.” all of these beliefs support the solution behavior that is “solving” the perceived problem.

 

Remembering a solution is not the same as actively engaging in a solution.
Just because a person describes a solution while discussing a memory does not mean the solution is employed. For example, if a person is describing being sexually abused and says something like, “In that moment I just froze up and became invisible.” This sounds like a solution and was probably engaged at the time of the abuse, but we would not yet know if it was currently being implemented simply because the person reported it.

This is where things may appear to becomes a little tricky. If a person reports remembering engaging a solution behavior when reporting a memory, the facilitator should pick up on this, but not make any assumptions. His next action is to follow protocol and ask the MEMORY box “emotion” question; “How did that make you feel?”  The person’s answer to this question will tell us whether the solution is presently being used or just remembered.

If he says something like, “I still feel afraid, terrorized, out of control, etc.” then we can assume that because negative emotion is being felt, then the solution is not presently engaged and go ahead and ask the MEMORY box “belief” question; “Why do you feel that way?” A solution will typically causes emotion go away (suppression) or change from feeling negative to something more positive

However, if he answers the “emotion” question with something like, “I don’t feel anything, my feelings just went numb,” then we can assume the solution has been employed. A solution might be a vow made such as, “I decided right then and there that no man would ever hurt me again.”  Again, protocol is to ask the “emotion” question, “How does that make you feel?” If his emotions change from fear, terror or some other negative emotion to feeling more positive and he responds with something like, “I feel powerful and in control,” or “I feel safe and protected,” or “I feel more in control…” then the vow is a solution that is currently engaged.

 

Once a solution is established, it becomes a default way of solving future problems.
Once a solution is established, it becomes a default “problem-solver” for dealing with life from that point forward. When “bad” things come, or it is perceived that something bad may come, the solution is available. Once the solution is in place, it can be engaged without much, if any, conscious effort. It can become the automatic response to a perceived problem. Solutions may be employed consciously or unconsciously by the person and will show up without the person actually thinking about it. However, just as a facilitator can become aware of solutions in a session, the person can also become more self-aware of when his solutions are engaged (which is preferred).

When a solution is employed, things change in the session and it impedes forward motion. The session will likely slow down or “stall-out” completely. Emotions subside or change from negative to “positive.” Memories fade or don’t surface at all.

 

The SOLUTION Box

When a solution is actively engaged, the person has moved over to the SOLUTION Box where we will use the three questions contained therein. These three questions are designed to identify the belief behind the solution behavior so that the person can receive the Lord’s perspective. (This “tool” will be discussed fully in the articles to follow.)

When we know the truth regarding our “solutions,” they loose their power. Once I realize the truth that my anger does not keep me safe or that blocking out my emotions is not helpful, I will effortlessly let go of those “solutions.” When we realize that our “solutions” are not, in fact, solving anything, the “power” that they once had over us is immediately dissolved. For example, this is why there is no need to have people renounce or try to “break” vows. A  vow is merely a solution held in place by a belief. The vow is an attempt to resolve a perceived problem produced by the person’s lie-based core-belief.

When their belief is replaced with the truth the vow is no longer needed and will dissipate on its own.  However, renouncing a vow without displacing the lie-based belief holding it in place is futile. Some people have struggled with the idea of letting go of the renunciation prayers and continue to use them for “good measure.” This is not needed and makes no logical or theological sense.

 

 

Learn More About Solutions

SOLUTION Box Overview (Part 2)
The Three Questions in the SOLUTION Box (Part 3)
Solutions Encountered in a Ministry Session
Characteristics of Solutions
Solutions and the Belief and Choice Principle
The Real Problem with Our Solutions
Solutions: Solving the Problem of the Core Belief

 

Overview of the Solution Box
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If you have a downloaded copy of this video, you can view it without needing to be connected to the internet. This can very beneficial if your internet connection is slow, if you are traveling to a location where accessing the internet may not be possible, or if you would like to reduce your cellular data usage while viewing these videos “on-the-go.”

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Video Explanation

In the following video, Joshua will explain what a solution is, how it is established and how it works. Solutions show up in most ministry sessions and should be expected. If the facilitator is unaware of when this occurs, the session will typically stall out. Learning to identify solutions in all their many forms is crucial in being effective as a ministry facilitator.

 

Problems, Solutions and Why Diets Don’t Work
click here to learn how to download a copy of this video
If you have a downloaded copy of this video, you can view it without needing to be connected to the internet. This can very beneficial if your internet connection is slow, if you are traveling to a location where accessing the internet may not be possible, or if you would like to reduce your cellular data usage while viewing these videos “on-the-go.”

TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS VIDEO, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

  1. Click the “Vimeo” logo found at the bottom-right of the video player (above).
    This will take you to the video’s Vimeo page.
    Vimeo Logo Dark BG
  2. Click the “Download” button found under the video on its Vimeo page.
    This will open a pop-up box.
    Download Button Vimeo 1
  3. Select the video quality you would like to download (remember, higher quality = larger file size).
    After selecting which version you would like to download, you may be asked where you would like to save it.
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Learn more about Solutions

De-Solution Tool Overview (Part 2)
The Three Questions in the De-Solution Tool (Part 3)

 

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