Objective Conflict is common within the psychological therapy space. This paper explores the potential effects of anger upon the therapeutic relationship, types of anger, and how therapists successfully engage with and act skilfully in the face of cli...
Objective Conflict is common within the psychological therapy space. This paper explores the potential effects of anger upon the therapeutic relationship, types of anger, and how therapists successfully engage with and act skilfully in the face of client anger, including critical and rejecting feelings by the therapist towards clients. We will then introduce the concept of social safeness as affording engagement and action in the context of compassion, before considering the role of the martial arts in managing the self and others as part of talking therapies. We conclude that the literature points to the utility of what we have termed radically embodied compassion, which involves training the whole of the therapist, rather than solely their intellect, so that they are able to tolerate and work with the fullest range of human experience.