When clients choose to move ahead with restructuring their energetic holding defenses, I like to begin with introducing them to the Start-up Protocol. The Start-up Protocol gets its name from the way a computer window starts up with a number of programs ready to go if you click on them. In a similar way, trauma clients have an energetic holding defense start-up configuration which shows up in their body posture, facial expression, attitude stance, and certain character behaviors that come online when their ‘on-guard’ reactive brain alarm gets activated. Their energetic holding defense start-up is designed to protect them from re-experiencing the pain of their past trauma as well as defend them from experiencing similar future trauma.
As you are well aware by now, the Energetic Trauma Healing approach presented in this handbook rejects the medical model of psychotherapy with its reliance on the therapist using diagnostic-prescriptive interventions to direct clients’ trauma healing therapy. Instead, our Energetic Trauma Healing approach relies upon a client-in-charge model in which clients direct their therapy with the help and guidance of their energetic therapists or coach. Therefore, client self-diagnosis is critical to the successful outcome of clients directing the restructuring of their energetic holding defenses. The Start-up Protocol is our go-to protocol to help clients do their self-diagnosis whereby they identify their primary and secondary energetic holding defenses and begin the process of restructure them.
How to Think About the Birth of the Energetic Holding Defenses
One way to think of the energetic holding defenses is to frame them as being part of a hierarchical Bill of Inalienable Child Development Rights analogous to the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. Children’s natural child growth and development, if it is supported and not interfered with as they mature and move through several critical child development stages, allows them to grow into fully functioning adults free of trauma. However, caretaker interference in their natural growth and development creates trauma in these children. As a result, their body automatically defends against this trauma by installing an age and stage appropriate energetic holding defense designed to protect them from the pain caused by their caretakers’ interference as well as protect them from future trauma of a similar nature. The bill of rights associated with these child development stages and the caretaker interference which creates the adopted energetic holding defenses in child trauma victims is briefly outlined as follows:
1. The Right to Exist and Feel Safe. When this right is violated by childhood caretakers it causes the child to adopt a Holding Out Defense.
2. The Right to Basic Need Fulfillment as well as the Need to Separate and Individuate. When this right is neglected and violated by childhood caretakers it causes the child to adopt a Holding On Defense
3. The Right to be Autonomous and Not be Exploited. When this right is violated by childhood caretakers it causes the child to adopt a Holding Up Defense
4. The Right to be Independent and Not be Over-controlled. When this right is violated by childhood caretakers it causes the child to adopt a Holding In Defense.
5. The Right to Love and Pursue Love Directly. When this right is violated by childhood caretakers it causes the child to adopt a Holding Back Defense.
I describe in considerable detail these childhood rights and the energetic holding defenses that result when they are interfered with by caretakers in Innovations In Healing Trauma.
