When using the Start-up Protocol to help clients self-diagnose their primary and secondary energetic holding defenses and then begin to direct the restructuring of these defenses, it is important to fully understand the anatomy of the Start-up Protocol. The Start-up Protocol has three parts or phases which are, 1. client preparation, 2. client self-diagnosis of his/her primary and secondary energetic holding defense, and 3. the client use of the start-up, step-by-step run through, to put in place a more functional Start-up as well as to begin restructuring the targeted primary/secondary energetic holding defense.
Phase 1: Preparing Clients to Use The Start-up Protocol
Clients must be at a certain level of functionality in their trauma healing therapy to successfully engage in using the Start-up Protocol. If clients are at this level of functionality—that is to say, they will not be overwhelmed or intellectually side tracked by learning the nature of their energetic holding defenses—suggest that they think about what their ideal vision of living their life is and what is blocking them from realizing this ideal vision. Then have them move on to use Phase 2 of the Start-up Protocol with this ideal life narrative as a backdrop.
Phase 2: Helping Clients Self-Diagnosis Their Energetic Holding Defense/s
The next part of using the Start-up Protocol is to have clients complete the Self-Diagnosis Energetic Holding Defenses Checklist below and then read the Energetic Holding Defenses Descriptions which follows to confirm their self-diagnosis. (See Innovations In Healing Trauma: Client Centered, Client-Directed Energetic Therapy Protocols To Grab Your Trauma Tiger By The Tail by Leland W. Howe available on Amazon.)
When clients have completed their Self-diagnosis Energetic Holding Defenses Checklist and read the Energetic Holding Defenses Descriptions, have them review the items that they have checked and compare them to the descriptions of the energetic holding defenses with which they identify. Their primary energetic holding defense will likely be the one which has the most check marks as well as the energetic holding defense description that most resonates with them and which serves as a confirmation of their Primary Energetic Holding Defense choice. It is not unusual for clients to have many check marks in more than one Energetic Holding Defense Type and Sub-type which results in a mixed picture. If this is the case, suggest that they choose one type or sub-type as their Primary Energetic Holding Defense and treat the remainder as Secondary Energetic Holding Defenses.
(Note: The Energetic Holding Defenses Checklist and Holding Defenses Descriptions come from my two decades of doing Energetic Therapy and have been informed by the writings of Alexander Lowen, Stephan M. Johnson, Ron Kurtz, and Wilhelm Reich. See the Reference at the end of this book for their publications.)
