From Trauma to Repair offers an inside look at a three-year certified psychotherapeutic training program in the successful Therapy Cycle Process. Dr. Lois Reiersol, an American psychotherapist, with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and her Norwegian husband, Odd, also a psychotherapist, developed this psychotherapeutic program after establishing the Solverv Psychotherapy Institute in Oslo, Norway, more than twenty-five years ago.

The book explains the theory and practice of TCP. Dr. Reiersol responded to a demand from people who want to learn more about this program, including nurses, doctors, social workers, teachers, homeopaths, physical therapists, clergy, psychologists, and others from the general public. For this reason, the book is written to appeal to a wide audience.

Dr. Reiersol and her husband have been invited to hold workshops, not only all over Norway, but also in Sweden, England, Israel, and the United States.

Through the use of dialogue and explanations, the reader comes to understand the therapeutic procedures of Wished-for Role Figures, Negative Role Figures, Supportive Role Figures, Self-Talk, and Symbolic Figures/Objects. The Therapy Cycle Process is a proven therapeutic program that has helped clients to develop an improved self-image and more fulfilling relationships with others.

Lois Reiersol, an American psychotherapist, with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and her husband, a Norwegian psychologist, Odd, founded the Solverv Psychotherapy Institute in Oslo, Norway, in 1976. They have developed a successful psychotherapeutic program they call The Therapy Cycle Process, along with an accompanying three-year certified psychotherapeutic training program. Dr. Reiersol and her husband have been invited to hold workshops, not only all over Norway, but also in Sweden, England, Israel, and the United States, in response to an overwhelming demand from people who want to experience and to be trained in this program.

Lise Lian has formerly worked for ten years as a secretary to the Norwegian explorer and scientist Thor Heyerdahl. She has also translated books, two of them written by Thor Heyerdahl. She went on to a busines career at IBM Norway. Today, she spends most of her time drawing and painting, and has had art exhibitions in Norway and in France. She participated in the Therapy Cycle Process at Solverv for a period of six years.

Preferably those learning this method should have an education in the helping professions. Also, we have always been willing to take somebody with a different education besides psychology, as long as the person was otherwise qualified because of extensive experience and personal attributes.

Even if you do not possess all the psychological skills of an educated therapist, we welcome you to join us and pick up whatever you find that is useful to you about personal psychological development. In addition, we will assist you in gaining new insights and in learning how our psychological method is helping to treat other people in psychotherapy.

When I decided to write a book about our course, my hope was indeed to reach as many people as possible. Therefore, it is our privilege that you have taken the time to read what we have to say. We believe it will be time well spent. Certainly, only reading this book does not make anyone a therapist. Nor does it qualify anyone to be certified to practice the Therapy Cycle Process. It is even possible that you will not experience any spectacular personal growth while reading these pages, only because we are talking about a long process, which has to be experienced and lived. Reading this book will, however, give you an understanding of how this training in the Therapy Cycle Process makes it possible for people without formal psychological or psychiatric training to obtain qualifications and abilities to practice psychotherapy on a level of high quality. It requires that a person develop interest, deep commitment, personal maturity, and, most importantly, a structured learning of the Therapy Cycle Process method.

Along the way, you will certainly also be able to pick up ideas that can be adapted to your own life or used in your own relationships with other people. Needless to say, most of us can improve on our relationships, whether with loved ones, co-workers, or clients.

What Can You Learn?

Carl, a 42-year-old medical doctor, attended our first training group. He had already gone through individual therapy in the Therapy Cycle Process method and has gone on to use TCP in groups with HIV positive clients and advanced AIDS patients. "Illnesses that involve sexuality and death generally have a strong social impact and include a lot of shame. These clients often meet little understanding in society and have little insight into their own situation. Feedback from the group and the few individuals I have worked with so far indicates that this body-oriented method with structured role play is very useful," Carl said after he began applying his TCP training at work.

As a specialist in general medicine, public health and sexology, Carl had felt a growing interest in the therapeutic approach to working with clients when he enrolled. He had no awareness, when he embarked upon his three years of therapy training with us, that it would lead to a new specialty -- psychiatry. This time, not driven for the wrong reasons to enter yet another professional field, he came to a new realization that deep down he felt that psychiatry is where his genuine interest lies.

Marianne, at 45, came to us knowing when she started that she wanted to become a