Document Collection

Author: Virginia Satir
Publish Date: 1963

Science catching up- Experiential family therapy and neuroscience
Molly Bailey, PhD, Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, 1985 Buford Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA.

From the Abstract

Experiential family therapy, pioneered by Virginia Satir and Carl Whitaker, centered the experience of the “here and now,” human authenticity and congruent commu- nication in the work of psychotherapy. Their approach— often considered atypical and atheoretical—was popular for a while, then relegated as behavioral and cognitive theories developed. However, with the proliferation of modern neuroscience, particularly the field of Inter- personal Neurobiology, therapists can see neuroscience research providing hard data and respective frameworks delineating the underlying architecture for under- standing the connections between the mind, emotions, behavior, and relationships. This article highlights the neurobiological mechanisms that explain why classic experiential family therapy was so powerful. The main tenets of both Carl Whitaker’s symbolic experiential fa- mily therapy as well as Virginia Satir’s model for peo- plemaking are illuminated through the postulates and scientific findings of interpersonal neurobiology.

Research By Bonnie Lee Ph.D. About Dr. Bonnie Lee
Bonnie Lee Publishing https://opus.uleth.ca/

The Religious Significance of the Satir Model: Philosophical, Ritual and Empirical Perspectives [Abstract]
Abstract The contribution of Virginia Satir (1916-1988) as a pioneer in the field of family therapy has been undervalued due to the lack of systematic writing about her theory and method. Over three decades, she relied predominantly on conducting workshops to transmit her ideas and to effect healing. Using a multi-methods research approach, this thesis exposes the religious root of the Satir Model from three perspectives: philosophical, ritual and empirical. The coherent ontology implicit in the Satir Model, and the similarity of Satir’s concept of congruence to an understanding of salvation as integration with oneself, others and the “ground of being” are explicated, using Tillich’s philosophical-theological categories as a framework. Victor Turner’s anthropological mode1 of ritual process is used to bring out the liminality, symbolic enactment, oral discourse, deconstruction and reconstruction in Satir’s workshops which functioned as vehicles of personal and social transformation. Finally, the theoretical perspectives are tested against quantitative empirical data collected on two scales developed for this purpose, the Congruence Scalee and the Satir Experience Scale. Intrapsychic-Interpersonal, Spiritual, Creative and Communal factors emerge as four dimensions in the Congruence Scale. Participants’ subscores on these factors indicate systemic interrelationships of the four dimensions. Two factors, the experience of Spiritual Significance and Human Significance, emerge from the Satir Experience Scale as dimensions experienced by participants in Satir workshops. Exposure to the Satir Model is found to be related to an increase in congruence and increase in the experience of spiritual and human significance, providing initial indication of the eficacy of the Satir Model. Synthesis of the theoretical and empirical findings demonstrates that Satir’s vision articulates a holistic ontological framework with an aim towards congruence that is facilitated through workshops functioning like rites-of-passage. A case is made for typing Satir as a “prophet” figure according to Max Weber’s sociological definition of a leader who, working outside of mainstream institutions, introduces a new centre of revitalizing, rehumanizing values and practices to a society in distress. In its coherent worldview, ritual practice, and effectiveness in mobilizing a population toward congruence leading to personal, social, communal and spiritual reconnectedness, the Satir Model finds continuity with the transfomative impulse of the prophetic strain of religion, and yet is innovative in its contemporary cultural expression.

Development of a congruence scale based on the Satir model
Abstract The Congruence Scale derives from the construct of congruence, the goal of therapeutic change in the Satir model. Congruence is conceptualized as a state of awareness, openness, and connection in three human dimensions: the Intrapsychic, Interpersonal, and Universal-Spiritual. Procedures in developing the Congruence Scale are described. Results provide evidence of concurrent validity with the Satisfaction With Life Scale and the Outcome Questionnaire. Four factors of the Congruence Scale are extracted from factor analysis: Intrapsychic- Interpersonal, Spiritual, Creative, and Communal. Further research to confirm the reliability and validity of the congruent construct is recommended. KEY WORDS: Satir; congruence; scale development; intrapsychic; interpersonal; spiritual; creative; communal.

Evoking the Universal Human Family in Public Acts of Healing: Jesus of Nazareth and Virginia Satir
Abstract This article explores the significance of healing staged as public performances by Jesus of Nazareth and Virginia Satir. Two social science models, social construction of reality and anthropology of ritual, highlight the contribution of collectivities in the deconstruction and construction of worldviews and the legitimization of a change in social status and identity. The author argues that through publicly witnessed and experientially enacted healing acts, Jesus and Satir proclaimed and performed a universal human family that transcends the power of institutional definitions of persons. Within an expanded frame of cosmic and spiritual reference, Jesus’ and Satir’s public healing acts liberated individuals defined by their societies as displaced and deviant to a new identity of worth and belonging as reclaimed and esteemed members of a universal family of humankind sharing a spiritual heritage. In reconnecting persons to their personal, spiritual, and social resources, Jesus and Satir functioned not only as charismatic healers of their time, but also as spiritual leaders and agents of social change.