Responding to the past in the present

A client was struggling with a situation at work.

The emotional intensity seemed larger than the situation itself.

As we talked, an earlier experience began to appear in the background.

So I asked:

“Are you responding to what is happening now — or to what happened before?”

That question created some distance.

The current situation had real difficulties.

But it was also carrying meaning from an older one.

Once she could separate the two, the present became easier to see.

And therefore easier to respond to.