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7 wnuctment

O Chestnutree,gtreatootedblossomer'Are you the leaf, he blossom r the bole?O bodyswayedo music,of brighteningglance'How can*. ktto* the dancer rornthe dance?W. B. Yeats

In family theraPY,Yeats' questiorknow the dancer from the dance'Tentwined inextricably lg1[hgd.iaf 'separateone from the other is, as irin order to hear it more clearly.It disappearsllBut the family members stop the danging-w.bpn.-they-9,0-R[ento thet ,sggsloLauq-,try--io--describ, cg+r4ent' 3Iu4-QEp.tAt$o the lhQ$Pist hovvtiie musicand he dancearg.gfrme. This limits the arnountandquality

"f ;i;;nmm;" r"ppii"a lo iit.-tubjective memoryand he descrip-tive ability of the informants. ,rWhen the therapist asks he family\qcontrol what they are presenting.n@nicate, they frequently !ry-haul-to-pu!But when thu th.rupisi getr the family members to @g9 *ith eachother,r.trangr-gtin$omeoltnu problems hat they considerdysfunctionalu"a fuglglp) disagreements,s in trying to establishcontrol overa LdisobeEen:lchild, h e unleashe se uencesheYoA[Lthe,a4 l L**ltlgl

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u l D v v v u ^ v - . v v - _ - E tThe accustomedulestake over,andtransactionalcomponentsmanit'est

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79 Enactmentthemselveswith an intensity similar to that manifested n these ransac-

if.t ths-rh,e,rqp-t-srsks-lLefe]B$LJot* _."-oq$tlg!Fn n!-9p.9_rgg1{.pge-nq_ti_o-naLf"ransacJirrs" mol * farulymembersare-played-Qul,This transactionoccurs n the context of thesession,n the present,and n relationto the therapist,While facilitatingthis transaction,he therapist s in a position o observehe family rnem-bers'verbaland nonverbalwaysof signaling o eachother and monitor-ffithe rangeof tblerable transaciiolin the processby utq.f:e*?_qg+,gllg_ig[9n

possibility of alternative modalitiesft"*;*;E. ---- ---.-qhed the family comes nto therapy, there is usually consensus bout, , . t \ .iq'JrgJishe identified patienti@ is the problem, and tipooTffiroblemaffectsother family members.The members'priorattemplsto find solu-tionson their own havecentered heir transactionsoo much around he"problem," making it the backgroundagainstwhich all other aspectsoftheir reality are played. Iheir experience f reality has narroweddownfrom overfocusi.re.Tbg.inlq_{rgi_tfqf-th-etrx-p.erienc-e,uaround*thesymp-tgg1glS_tlglrypt91-b-,earerhascaused.themto.iguor_e_oihensigaifp_as-p-gc-t-F-9*t,t!gii...!ranga-cj"i9_l]g.he family has framed the problem and3m as the relevant reality for ther-to gather information that the fam-nt, and evCn nor6:afficift. -6owto

tions,and isten again.They pay attentionto the contentof the rnaterialelicited,to the ways in which the different elementsof the plot relatewith each other, to the qualificationsof and the disparities betweentheseelements,and to the affectof the presentation.T_:q rqsdLqtg_tlh-eling information cannot,provide therapists-ruit-hrrj-p:m.ationllr-al-thefamily membersdo not have.A corollaryof the therapist's over-relianceon content is a concern or completeness. he therapist tracks the pa-

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80 Family Therapy Techniques

tient, requestingfurther information on the themes that the patient hasalreadypresentedas central,beingcarefulnot to intrude into the mate-rial, so that the history follows ts own selectivesequence. he therapisthelps in the unfolding of the material until he has enough nformation.This mode of inquiry preserves he myth of the objectivity of thetneiep-lstandthe reality-.of he patient. Th-e-!!rgrapis!.i.s+,":t"a tb anliqtodan oI=gSg-gJg-glsj.t1ying,.tge! all q!-jective re-portingof what is"fg3lly__thqp. This frqming_gf the lfr-erape.utic rocess has developedtheiap-iJtswho hesitate to qqg_-he-ms-elvesn,therapy for fear of distort-ingftre-i:ie6.[i1y,';"in[tt": orealizs-tLr.e,lerap.guticontgxtntg wosep-arate ca-mps:l!ttuy;' the observed,and.iiyF;"zr:B"ttTfi"tapists' who havebeen rained "Glhqqqitaftmnn& of((U"o^municationknowth"tt@llgn*[rfl rrenqesJb-e*-qafuialobserved,pqllrz$-llrsy-gre-atarays--de"alrneJuithapproxinates.ndprs-La-ble-realities.Dismissing the fantasy of an objective therapist and a per-manent reality,sonal scenariomembers

tbe-haily-6-eranirf creates.in-the"semigs-4L.9-tle*{gqr-in which a dvsfunctional. transac-ti,aeamong:.the.-ftmily1dy-sJu-r-r-c-t!-o.naltransac-ti,ax-among:Jh*thmlllrInstead of taking a history, the therapist ad-to areas hat the family has framed as relevantinto the session.@ sincc"Jbe .agtlfig.-dygfUneiqnal- nlviq ,gII4" glgas,payins attentionto_lillege articularargaswill nrovitlei'@Lt_*r" '. rbg_e!:y_*slr":-q-Lp!X"fffi y struct i" b@ines-rrg.Adfgq!q Ltlgser-+asaqtiq$ and"that t-he

,heiapi-stwill tli-ereforecatch a of the t effi tE;6mily'Prob-l9sl.ap--well^a*.artennatives-t-hus--be-cotoeuuuilableln-t,s3lesqnifdin-r:.elationtothe.theIAHltrol theirbehavioret* Fd*ith ^" u{1c$44llv-:ilgilg:9%manifestcdiqthgryggflng..ralgactions!-hsne. u@sit*ntrol of the context,he can test theerentiallywith family membersor byer members.The theraPistcan also

ry to the family mernbers,.Qbttt@neattemptsof other familYmembers

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to shorten the enactment. Ip..!h-is*'puocegs".Jhe.hprapistch+nLethe affiliation of family lrembers with each other temporarily,testins-lhe-fl-e+ib:lihrcilresrete-mv*bS-Tr-lt-et-he-1gitst:Busbss="Thismaneuver@ about ttgggp"-.i!y-qrww_r!hr:q_a-pa$ieulaltb,@.Enactmentlgqg-1-e139=19:tt*

con-

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81 Enactment

sinceno, trH#iffiTariifii medbutt u""ti theira;"." i" l;;;"" to the rherapist,whoHot o"ly u:.:bserver,but alsoa musician nddancerhimself.\ffiiecond, while the family is enactingts reality within the therapeuticcclntext, here is a concomitant c vvrrvv'.r/drllu "tt3!ug;g y. Fami_li.,t ntified patient and ac,udenotonv"#;lTilT;H$FHS"J*:*T;il'#::va.tionand inrerventionexpands.ggtgAd__of._pgg_ig-l_!.t-t_lr__pg!_tlsgy,-tl-e-fo-css"-uqlry*-s-Spsrlv"-r+-ad-"sfrdp"ti;.naGtuafle-;:"Edt*;r,tuugir,,,#i challenge.o the family's deaof what tpronrem is.q tl"ther advantage f enactments that,sincemelnbers f the thera-ff *flff-f T: *"LoJvd,y_r!he ehithelil:-Eagi m;r =til;"i"s;a-!I-Qlls'nrscontextrsdecidedlyadvantageb'ffiTbtt ,nffiffiG;;I::lg^:hPuT, or "j:h{e.n ardifferenrdevelopmentattages,ndwith

familvanddecides hichdystunctionarreasohighlt*ii.t" ri-Eiffj

farniliesf cuitural ackgroundshatdifferd;;il;ffi;ru,s. Theutilization of therapeutic directivesand concreteranguageand meta-phors drawn from the transactionsamongfamily membersfacilitates4l aUdage.boundaries.lation to the therapist, t may also a_ent.Familieshave great power to in_ling to the rules of the family. Theyr into a centrality that robs him ofof !he sl+ples-ttsgbptggsp_&*drer-tong f4lqdy"m-e.,Bb,e{s.^..hile-the.fam-ch other, lhe.th,erapist' an.:distancereutic leverage.

bunchoT-Iiealeisr helpers. ui

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82 Family Therapy Techniqueso. glqg5rtof enactment, the therapist organizesscenarios n whichthe family members dance their dysfunctional dance in his presence.And in tn. @_:=1fu)movsrnentf enactment, the therapist suggestsalter-native ways of transacting. This last -mQ-vq{r_rpnt_mgy-,gve.Bredie-tr-ven-

lorolr-o-uand-bring-hape-f.othe-family.The three movementsof enactmentare llustrated in the treatment ofthe Kuelili family, the family who came to the clinic becausePatti, agefour, is a "monster." She s so uncontrollable hat the parentshave akento locking her into the bedroomat night. Otherwise,she will run down-stairs and light the stove,or run out into the street. The parentsare attheir wits' end.The father, a burly though gentle and unassuming man, can controlPatti adequately by himself. But his wife, a soft-spokenwoman, is non-plused by her daughter. Patti is an alert little girl whosequick and livelytemperamentmake her a striking contrast to her somewhatplacid par-ents.The family has been in therapy for seven sessions.The therapist'sslLrategyor these interviews has beento have all of the family memberspresent, including the two-year-old daughter, Mimi. But usually Pattia:ndher sister have been sent to the playroom after disrupting the ses-sion, and her parents have remained to talk about their problem withher. In the eighth sessionMinuchin joins them as a consultant.T'HE FIRST MOVEMENT:SPONTANEOUST'RANSACTIONS

Three minutes into the session, fter the episodeof joining reportedearlier, dysfunctional family transactionsare framed.Patti: Is that mine? (She akesMinuchin's papersl.Minuchin; No! That's mine. (Patti sitson the table.)Iltother: Don't sit on the table, Patti. What is that?Patti: That's the table.Mother: Okay. Don't sit on the table, okay? You sit on chairs. Okay,honey?Patti: DocJoc--docioc- (Continues to repeat this in the back-ground us sheruns around the room, hitting the backof each chair.)Il:[other:She seemspretty wound up lately. (Mimi begins to followPatti.) No, Mimi. No, Sweetie.E'atti: I want to play with-here, Mimi, You play with the dragon.Doyou have any paper?

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83 EnactmentIltother: No, not today,sweetheart.No, put that back,we don,thaveanypaper to draw on. Put them back,patti. patti, do what you weretold.Put them back.Her belligerences so_Minuchin: Is that how you run your life?ILfother:What's that?fu.[inuchin:s that how patti and you spendyour time together?Iufother:Yes-yes.ILfinuchin; t takes ust a minute and a half to see t.

UAAe**ss*-eont*&*s etl ihe infermatisn neceser:rerthe definitionof the problem.During this period.,he mother makesseven neffectivecontrolling staternents to patti, whose amount of hyperactivity isrnatchedby the mother's ntensity of ineffectivecontrol.To the family'sdefinition of the problem-that patti is uncontrollable-can now beacldedanother definition, that the mother is hyper-responsiven hercontrolling request, that her control is ineffective,and that she feelshelpless.Minuchin allowsa spontaneousnteractionbetween he family mern-bers to take place; his is essential o seehow the family functions.Al-lowing such interactionsto occur may seeril ike a simple thing, but itoften proves difrcult for the beginning herapist, who frequently con-fusescentrality with therapeuticpower.Mother: It's a continuousbattle,at least for me.Minuchin: Who wins?Mother: It varies. f I'm up to fightingwith her, at that point, sometimesI do. You know, le t her win sometimes,oo. (?o husband.)But we dotry to get her to do what we say even f it is a fight. Doh't we?Fq,ther: makeher.Minuchin (to father); What wasyour answer?Fcvther: make her do it.Mother: Right.Fcr,ther: alwayswin.Pct ti (in the background) Doc--doc-doc--do c-Minuchin: I feel there is a little difference here. you do make her, butyour wife doesn't..M,other:No, not all the tim+-no.

The definition of the problemis expandedhere.The mother definesherself as understandingand helpless; he father defineshimself as ef-

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84 Family Therapy Techniques

fective and authoritative; and they both definethe daughteras uncon-trollable. With this information, the therapist is ready to implement theenractment f a transactionaround control.The therapist guideshis interventionshere by a diagnostic assump-tion: When a preschoolchild cannotbe controlled-when, in effect,he istaller than one of his parents,he is sitting on the other parent'sshoul-ders.This diagnosticaxiom,though not necessarily rue with older chil-dten, seems o hold true with preschoolers. he parentscanbe expectedto be in disagreementabout the ways of controlling the child. Thetherapist doesnot yet know the patterns n which this dysfunction s ex-pressedn this family, but he hasall the information necessary o framethe areaof control asdysfunctional,and to decide o bring that area ntothe session.He asks he family to take their usual steps o ameliorate heproblem, thereby underliningdysfunctional ransactions.THE SECONDMOVEMENT:ELICITING TRANSACTIONSMinuchin; Do you find this presentarrangementa difficult one?For ex-ample,the two girls goingaround while we talk? How do you respondto that? -\Mother: How do I respond o it? I get tense.Minuchin; You get tense?Mather: Yeah, I do get tense.Minuchin; So, you would prefer that she stay in one place?Mother: No, I cansee hem walkingaround when there aretoys for themto play with.Minuchin; What would you like?Mother: Right now?Minuchin: Yes, what would make it more comfortablefor you?Mother: For them to sit over there and play with the puppets.Minuchin: Okay. Do that. Make it happen.

Minuchin tellsthe mother,"Make it happen."The stage s now set ora changedsequenceof interaction. Rather than Patti and her motherplaying their accustomedparts, in this scenario the script has beenchanged.The therapist-directorhas given the mother a new part: shewill now act to get her four-year-olddaughter to behave n such a waythat the mother is more "comfortable."JBysaying to the mother, "Make it happen," Minuchin has also con-veyed an important messageo her; that is, she is in fact capableof

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85 Enactmentmaking Patti behave. t would have been quite different if he had said,"why do you askyour daughterokay at the end of eachcommand?Areyou concernedwith hurting her?" Both interventions,no d.oubt,wouldbring up information about the mother-childtransaction;one,however,is a homeostaticmaintainer,and the other introducesa destructuringchrallengeo the mother-childholon.

IMother: Patti, go over thereandplay with the puppets,okay?Go ahead.No, not here.No.trmrt: EFhy?Mother: Go over and play with the puppets.Patti: I don't love you.Mother: I love you. Go ahead,go play rvith your puppets.Ptttti: I don't want to play.Fu,ther:Patti-Mother: Mimi is playing with them-Fctther:Patti, will you sit down?(Speaksfirmty and patti looksat him.lMinuchin (to father): Let Mother do it. You know she's he one whodoes t when you are not there.Father: Yeah,yeah.Minuchiu So, et her do it.When the family enactsa controllingtransactions,he three mernbersac.tivateeachother in their usualrole function. The mother enactsherhelplessness,nd this activates he father to take over control, to be ef-fective in his authoritarian style, so that the definitionsof each familymember in the family are confirmed.The daughter is irnpossible; hemother is helpless; he father is authoritarian. The therapist is in-ter:estedn testing the limits. He wants to explorethe flexibility of thefarnily to function in unusualways.Can the mother be effective n thepresenceof her husband?Can the father not be activatedby his wife's

momentaryhelplessness?an Patti respond o her mother?'The rashnessby which the therapist organizeshis enactment rnayrai.se uestions,and the creationof this scenariomav seern ushedon his

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Family Therapy Techniquesdogs not know. The secondcriticism has to do with the narrownessofthe exploratorysearch.But ttre episodedemonstratesa genericconceptof gathering information. Through the processof creating a scenario,the bherapistelicits information by pushing he family membersagainstthe l;hresholds f their usual ransactions.The therapist hen observesheresponseof the family members o this pressure.This is a transactionalmetlhod or gaining information, in which the therapist gathers the in-formation by experiencing he resistanceof the family members o hisprod. This techniquemakes or an immediacyof experienceand givesacross-sectionalnowledgeof the way in which family members unctionordi:narily,alongwith additional nformation on how they function whenthe 1;herapists producingpressureshrough his scenarios. his transac-tional information providesa biopsy of the family. The transactiorN' sdemonstrated!y ttt_gptQ"t are an experientiat distillation of the familyhistory. The,'advantageof the approach s that, in this small area,thetherapist cari3ain--ri.intensivenowledgeof the way the family func-tions.TH]I THIRD MOVEMENT:ALTERNATIVETRANSACTIONSMinwchin: Make it happen.What you saidshouldhappen.Make it hap-pen. trt'snot happening.Mother: Patti, what wereyou told to do? (patti whines.)No.Go sit downand play with the puppets.Patti: Comeon, I want to play with this.Mother: okay. PIay with that then, but why don't you try to playquietly, okay?While we talk. okay? Go sit down with Mimi now. pullup your socks.Patti (pulling up her sochs): hesealwaysfall. (Both girls wand,erouerto the mirror.\Mother: Sit down, Mimi. Get off that mirror, patti.Patti: Is this a mirror?Mother: Yes.Don't touch it.Patti: Now, Mimi, don't you dare.You daren't do this-you know what?The last time she caught her finger in the door and I caught mythumb-Minuchin: It's not happening.Mother: WeIl-

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87 EnactmentMinuchin; Find whateverway you need o, but make it happen.orga-nize the two girls to be in one cornerplaying so that you feel comfort-able.Mother: The only way I could do that would be to put them in a corner

with the-Patti: Mimi, put that back!Mother: -toys and me to stay with them.Minuchin; Do it the way in which it is necessaryor them to occupythemselvesand for you to be here with us. Make it a differencebe-tween the g"srniGpsltat are talkrag and tite eh*drer-r itat are playi*g.Make it happen.Mother: All right. Patti, comehere.Patti: Doc?Mother: Go ahead,sit down and play with the puppets.Patti: I want to play with these.Mother: Okay, sit down and play with them, then.Patti (looking at thepuppetsl: I can't find the womanand the little girland the baby.Mother: well, maybesomeone lse s using hem today.okay? There areplenty of other toys over there for you to play with. Okay?Patti: Okay,you play with this, Mimi.

In this segment there are four interventions by the therapist, all ofwhich representa variation on the theme: t's not happening,make ithappen.The therapist, seatedon the periphery of the scenario hat hehascreated,experienceshe way in which the mother and Patti activateeach other, but he doesnot interpret or commenton what he is observ-ing: the transaction between he grls; Patti's acting like her mother inrelationto Mimi or the mother'sfindingsomethingwrongwith the sockswhen Patti doesobey.His interventionsarepresentedn such a way thathe maintains he membersof the dyadworking with eachother aroundthe areaof the enactment.An interventionthat cornmentedon the na-ture of the transaction betweenthe mother and Patti would have in-duced the mother or Patti to establisha dyad with the therapist andwould have nterrupted the mother-Patti dyad.The therapist is pushingthe mother and thereby gathering information about the flexibility ofthe system o respondwith his help.The therapist then explores he possibilityof the developmentof anunusual ransaction n this family, one n which the mother becomesef-

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Family Therapy Techniquesfective in controling the daughter without the intervention of the fa-ther.Minuchin: Make it happen.Mother: AII right. Mimi, put that back. Patti, comehere. (Getsup,goestoward the girls, and takes a toy awaryrom Patti.)Patti: Mimi gave he toy to me.Mother: I know she did. Comeon. I want you to bring all the toys overand play. Patti, bring all the toys over here.Patti: Why?Mother: You and Mimi are going o play. Okay?Patti: Where?Mother: Right here. (Stands and ushers the girls into a corner.) Righthere. Why don't you play? Play mommy and daddy with the puppetsand the baby. Okay?Patti: Huh?Mimi: I want a puppet, too.Patti: Mimi, here's he father. In here are the two girls.Minuchin; Very good.Now, relax-feel comfortable.Mother: But, I know it is not goingto last.Minuchin; No-no, no. Relax. If you really feel that it will last, it willIast.Patti: Come on, Mimi, play. Come on, play. I want to take the cradleaway.Minuchin; You know, you have been successful t this point. The gfulshad a way df distracting you so that you say that somethingshouldhappenand then you forget, and I seePatti being an experienced er-son n the distracting echnique,you know,so that you ueall the timebusy with her.

The enactment of this situation finished with the mother beingeffec-tive. Of course, his outcome s an artifact of punctuation.The therapistselectsa moment at which the mother has been able, with his help, toorganize he behavior of the two grrls,and at this particular moment hedeclares he end of the enactment.The purposeof this strategy s to helpthe mother to experienceherself as competent n the presenceof herhusbandand n the presence f the therapistwithout the husband akingover or becomingauthoritarian. The therapistassumeshat it is possiblefor this mother to be competent with Patti, and he helps the family

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89 Enactmentenact heir reality with certain variations,since f the mother is effective,then the daughter's abel of impossiblewill disappearas well.ts perinheralso that interactionsbe-

)rLa[_*p_*bj"",1rjp h-e.:=e';'tnjh g-s-e-qsipn,e laring .hpUgimpor-t;ant,and encour.ag.e-s."he amilr.t.o-*arscUg-IeJg,.!-hg.Brgbl**,i*i* anO-:ts* Bv-Ussklpgl-he-ht-be-rls.-en!-mrrce,e- u149_!_tf"g*".H1=qgd-p_-qlrrt1mgg"99iUte,o_r_c_!-q1g_tlte.,msther-and.Pgt!.i.tq=o.b,ey_o-nd,,.!h."9*.9.-"_.Ss!om9lrS-L":ml-q!hg.pgtqt".whet'e_tt19m-.o=t[er-ac-tually^assds-s=opjr,q.l.',-Ttfenapis'r,herr abelshe1 eftgs"ueeessfui,ndertiqing-gl_&_e,geirp-fg9ggk"ce,andg-ug&q-sjure.that.a.b*a,rge*tq*mible.sg!q9!mes&rqdy_!lg!qb.9r-s--en!.-el"rn-.s-,t-r,a-nsaq--tlags3tgt=!!rs*Sl-qrgpsrtg4_q-fremes hlg.lIghts qftheir-danee_ts:rediatety.n t-hb*-c-ass*jlrgff_tjy-rds-e-c_qnd1r-r-ev-9._r-r-ren!Sf.enac.tmenL.ean__b_e_ggmbined*._]FIIGHLIGHTING SPONTANEOUSNTERACTION

The Hanson family consistsof father and mother; Alan, age 19, whohas been an inpatient in a psychiatriccenter or six months;Kathy, 17,rvho s close o Alan; Peg, 21, he parentalchild; and Pete, 12.The seg-ment occurswithin the first five minutes of the session.Minuchin, againacting as consultant,has ust been ntroduced o the family.Minuchin; Do you have a boy friend, Kathy?Rathy: Yes.Minuchin; Alan, do you have a grl friend?'\lan: No.Minuchin: How long haveyou beengoingwith him, Kathy?Kathy: One and a half years,now.Minuchiu My goodness. o, you startedyoung.Alan, is her boy friendyour friend?Alan: Yes.Kathy: He wasn't when I met him. I didn't meet him becausehe wasAlan's friend.IVlinuchin:But at this point, AIan, he is your friend. What is his firstname?.Alan: Dick..Minuchiu How old is he?.Kathy:Nineteen-.Alan (answering simultaneously) I don't know-nineteen?

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90 Family Therapy TechniquesMinuchin: You are helpful, Kathy. I asked Alan how old Dick was,andwhile he was thinking, you said nineteen. She didn't wait for you toaskher, Alan. Shevolunteered. s that somethingshe requentlydoes?Alan: Yes.Minuchiu Anticipating you?Alan: Yes.Minuchin; So, she takesyour memory.Alan: I guessso.Minuchin; Who else n your family acts ike Kathy? trsawyour motherwith Pete, ust outside.Petewanted to go to the bathroorn,and yourmother almost entered the bathroom with him, as if he couldn't findthe men's room by himself.Did you notice that, Pete?Did you noticeshe went half of the way with you?

The therapist notices that Kathy first amplified Alan's statement andthen anticipatedand preemptedhis answer o the questionabout Dick'sage.Adding an isomorphic transaction that he observedbetweenthemother and Pete, he therapist framesall of these ransactionsas a fam-ily pattern that handicapsthe individuation of family members.Again the speed with which the therapist interprets such scanty data,,1may aisea questionabout his reliability. It is also true that highlightingl/ a dysfunctional transaction so early in his contact with the family mightI upset them. But the therapist's ntervention is soft, supportive,hurnot-ous,and oblique, allowing him to join the family at the sametime thathe frames a dysfunctional pattern.Having recognized the intrusive quality of the family's transactionsand hypothesized hat this is a central issue n the family, the therapistcontinues to underline intrusiye transactions.The next segmentoccurs'fifteen minutes ater. The therapistdir6bt's-Alano changeseatswith hismother so that he can sit next to his father and discussa problem.Alanmoves,and then reattacheshis lapel microphone.His father reachesover, picks up the wire that is draped over the chair, and moves t forAlan.

Minuchin: I want to showyou, AIan. (Getsup, stands in front of fatherand son, akes the cord, and reproduces he father's act.) Your fathertook the cord and moved it over. Why did he do thrat?What was hedoing?AIan: I don't know. Trying to correct something, guess.Minuchin: Do vou have two arms?

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91 EnactmentAlan: Yes.Minuchin: Do you have wo hands?AIan: Yes.Minuchin (taking Alan's arm): This arm finishes n a hand. Couldyou

do that? (Puts the cable rom the original position to theplace wherefather had located t.)Alan: Yes.Minuchin: At nineteen, assume, ou can do that by yourself?AIan: Yes.Minaehin; Why did }redo thet? Isn't it sti'arrge lrat he sh+i:ld dc that, aeif you don't havehands?AIan: Well, he does hat a lot.Minuchin: How old do you think he thinks you are? Three? Seven?TweIve?Alan: Twelve.Minuchiu So, that makesyou a little bit youngerthan Pete.Can youhelp him? Can you help him so that he growsup-so that he lets youuseyour two hands?AIan: I don't seehow.Minuchiu Well, if you don't help him to change, ou will not be able ouse your hands. You will always have ten thumbs-you will alwayshave two left hands-you will alwaysbe incompetentbecausehe isdoing things for you. He is paralyzingyou. Talk with him about that,because think that's very dangerouswhat your father did just now.The therapist balloonsa nonevent nto a moment of drama. An auto-matic, helpful movementof the father is framed as the spontaneous n-actment of a dysfunctional ransaction hat is seenas somorphic o thepreviousones.This techniqueof framinga spontaneous nd unattendedevent usually gains salience,since the family mernbers are surprisedwhen their attention is called o the fact that they areactingunwittingly

and frequently in conflictwith their wishes. n this segment, he thera-pist incieases he intensity of the intervention by standing close o thedysfunctionaldyad,by affiliatingwith AIan, and by using a seriesof con-crete metaphorsabout ndividuationand coping.He finishes his maneu-ver by suggesting he enactmentof a change n the father-son ransac-tion in which AIan,who is always n a positionof incompetence, ecomesthe father's helper.Now the therapist begins o enact alternatives n this family. The firsttime, the family rules prevail.

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Alan: Well, I think I know what he means, ike sometimes-Father: I know what he means, oo, Alan, and it's the truth.Alan (to mother); He does hings or me.Minuchiu Go beyond that, AIan. I think your father needshelp, and Idon't think that anybody canhelp him in that better than you.Alan: I don't know what to say.Minuchin (toAlan); I am a stranger, ou see,and I can't help becausedon't know you two. If you needsomehelp, you can ask someone nthe family to comeand oin you,but if you don't need o, I want you totry first by yourself.Futher: Do you want Pegto help you?Minuchin (to father): Why did you select or him? Why did you selectfor him? You just now did exactly the same hing. You see,Alan, he isso absolutelyhooked into being helpful that he cannot help himself.

Now I want you to think if you really want Peg o help you or anybodyelse

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Fy_gtgmnd gathering pledictive information about the pgqqibility thatlhis family can function in different ways.In some amilies the first two movementsof the dance of enactmentare quite easy to elicit, but eliciting transactions n an unusual way isnot, because his movementrequires an activeparticipation on the parbof the therapist in affiIiationwith some member before t is possible odeterminewhat alternativesare available o the subsystem.The Gregory amily consistsof a mother in her mid-twentiesand herfive-year-olddaughter,Patrice. As in the Kuehn family, the mother isunabie to controi her daughter, but sFres aiso aftaid 'thai she mightphysicallyharm her when shegetsangry. Fifteen minutes into the sec-ond session,he gful s hangingonto her mother and not responding, nspite of numerous equests rom her mother to sit quietly.Minuchin (to mother); I think that Patrice has a way of making youdanceto her tune. (Patrice gets up and starts walking around theroom.) Tell her to stay there because 'm going o talk to you.

The therapist createsa scenariowherehe assumeshat a controllingtransactionwill need o occur. He can use any number of simplesitua-tions, like this one,as a context where the family membersare forced toenact their transactions. The simplest situation would be to have theparents ask their young children to do or not to do something differentfrom what they are doing.Mother (in u soft uoice):Patrice. Patrice, comeover here and sit down.(Repeats t louder, sincePatrice did not respond the first time.) Pa-trice, comeover here and sit down!Minuchin: I like that toraeof voice. That is your music. (Patrice conxesand hangs on to mother.')You seewhat she'sdoing now?She knowsyour number and she makesyou dance.Mother: Sit down,Patrice.Minuchin: Patricehas absolute control over 5rou!

The therapist,who has oined previouslywith the mother in an affilia-tion of adults,challenges he mother to take an executiveposition.Minuchin (stunding up): Mrs. Gregory,canyou standup? Have Patricestandnext to you.See,Patrice s muchsmaller han you. Canyou pick

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her up? (Motherpicks up Patrice.) And you're,strongeralso. (To Pa-trice.) Hold my hand, tight. Let's seehow strong you are. Very tight.(To mother.) Can you do that with my hand? No doubt you arestronger than she s./ The therapist usesa number of concreteoperationsdesignedo high-/ light the ditrerence" power rud function betweerrpareRtauclghild. Heexpects his operation to unbalance he system,stressing he mother tojoin with the therapist and distancingher from her young daughter.

Minuchin: So, how is it that shecontrolsyou? (Patrice again puts herarms around mother and hangs on to her.)Mother: Stop! (No response.') top itl (DisengagesPatrice and tells herto sit in the chair. Patrice obeys.) GMinuchin: Sheneeds o hear that voice.This voice s necessary. ou areafraid of your stern voice,but this voice s good.At times it's soft andloving and at times ib'sstrong, and sheneeds o hear both ranges.Sheneeds o dance o vour music.- The mother enacts effective control within a context in which thetherapist supports her and puts the daughter down. This maneuvertends to be distasteful or many therapists,and it is so for the therapistin this session.But it is necessary o createdistancebetween he mem-

bersof this overinvolveddyad, o avoid the danger.ofchild abuse,and tosupport the developmentof autonomy in Patrice, even in an aestheti-cally distasteful operation.The therapist's behavior n this transaction s very different from thatin the Kuehn family. There his participation is minin'ral,which facili-tates the enactment of a functional transaction between mother anddaughter. n the Gregory arnily,the mother needs he therapist'spartic-ipation as an active member of the therapeutic systembefore enactingan alternative transaction.A "HOW-NOT.TO-DO.IT" XAMPLE

The Adams family consistsof 24-year-oldmother and her two chil-dren, ageseight and five. The problem is that five-year-old Jerry isabusedby the mother. The mother at times losesher temper and beatshim severely.The mother has referred herself to the therapist becauseshe is concerned hat she might harm her son.This is the initial inter-view.

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95 EnactmentThe family entersand sits down. The eight-year-old,Molly, goes othe corner and quietly starts coloring. The boy immediately walksaround the room, startsshouting,and giveshis mother numerouscom-mands.The mother, for her part, gives he boy variouscommands, uchas,"sit down and be quiet" or, "Don't say a word." Afbergrvingeachofthese commands, he mot;herquickly loses nterestand doesnot followthrough, even though the boy doesnot seem o hear her. At anothertime, the mother tells the boy to do a puzzleby himself.The boy takesthe puzzleand hands t to the mother, who absent-mindedly ornpletesihe piizzie.As the interview continues, he boy commandsmost of the mother'sattention and scarcely ets her either talk to the therapist or attend tothe ghl. For most of the interview, the boy hollers so loudly that themotherand herapistcannot hear oneanother.At other times,whenthemother'sattention is not directed oward the therapist, she s busy giv-ing the boy numerous instructions. When the mother's attention isdirected to the therapist,she and the therapist discuss uch matters ashow the mother can be more effectiveat home.The only communicationbetween he mother and the gfuloccurs atone point when the girl is busy doing a complete-the-dotpuzzle.Themother looks downat the girl, sees hat she s not doing t correctlyand,hollersat her, "You're doingyour puzzleall wrong!" The therapist again

captures he mother'sattention,and they goon talking about how thingscan be better at home.After about ten minutes,with Jerry grosslydisobeying he mother,and the mother half-heartedly grvingcommands; he mother losesherbemper.Shehollersat the boy,getsup, grabshim, holds him by his waistso his head is hanging down unsupported,and brings him over to herchair. She then puts him on her lap, holds both his hands,at one pointcovershis mouth, andgoeson talking. At this time, the boy is allowednofreedom of activity whatsoever,exceptbreathing.This sessiondemonstratesa serious ailure on the therapist's part.The therapist joins well with the mother and with the children. Hespeaks o the mother and oins with her around how difficult her life is.He speaks o the kids andhasa similar rapport with them. He carefullyobserves he interactions n the family and notes a sequen(:e f behaviorthat may and very probably does ead to the boy's being abused.Henotes hat the mother gives nstructionsand doesnot follow through onthem. He notes hat the rnothereither demands hingsthat are nappro-priately mature for a child of this age,such assitting still and not mov-

,t.ct'

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96 Family Therapy Techniquesi'g, or ignoresbehavior that is grossly mmature on the boy,sparb.Henotes hat the mother doesnot react irnmediately n an appropriauewayto set limits for the boy. Instead, the mother waits and waits for herlimit-setting to be obeyed.when it is not, she continues o wait, whilethe boy persistswith his infuriating and antagonisticbehavior.Suddenlythe mother's thresholdof patience s reachedand she overreacts.The therapist, noting all this, then tries to set up a situation at hornewhere the mother canbe a moreeffectivecaretaker.But insteadof talk-ing about the situation at home, the therapist could have realisticallyarssumedhat the sequencewhich transpiresat home is essentially hesameas what he has ust witnessed.He could then interveneto changethe way the mother and chrildrennteract in the session,with the san-guine assurance hat the changedsequencewould cury over to thehome situation.In order to enact a changedinteractional sequence, he therapistcould, for example,say to the mother: "You have a very high tolerancefcrrnoise rom your children. t would help our work here f you couldgetttrem o be morequietsowe can alk. Do you think you wouldbe able odo that?" If the mother saysyes,then the therapist can say, "Fine, doit." If the mother saysno, then the therapist can say, "Try, and t willarlviseyou if necessary, ut you needto do it."There is a tremendous emptation on the part of the therapist to enterinto a situation and produce he desiredchangehimself.Had the thera-pi,st n this casesaid to the child, "Be quiet,your mother and I are tryingtc' talk," he probably would have beeneffective o someextent,but theopportunity for therapeutic changewould have been lost. The goal ofthrerapy s, after all, to increase he complexity of the family's transac-tions and to facilitate their utilization of more competenttransactions,not to develop a comfortable herapeutic holon.This therapist lost an opportunity to turn the session rom a therapyof history,cognition,andaffect nto a therapyof experience. uch vital-ity and intensity were therefore ost. And with a problem as severeaschrildabuse, he therapist needsall the intensity and leveragepossible.Theseexamplesof therapeuticsessionsmight givethe impression hatenactment s usedonly to create he major brush strokes,but this is notth.ecase.Enactment is ubiquitous n all the small strokes, he srnall n-terventions that are repeatedcountless imes in the courseof therapy,such as blocking the mother and then listeningand responding ntentlyas he daughter inishesher own sentences,elling the teenageboy to ne-gc,tiatewith his father for the use of the car rather than letting his

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mother do it for him, or encouraglng he parents to continue their con-versation and not let their son ntrude. Enactment is not a rarefied eventthat punctuates he courseof therapy only occasionally.On the con-trary, it should becomea part of a therapist'sspontaneousway of being,a pervasiveattitude that insists on being there, when the family wouldbe satisfiedwith just telling him what has happened.