Resource Therapy (RT) is a therapy modality rooted in the concept and philosophy of Parts Therapy.
It’s called “one” because there are several other therapy modalities rooted in the understanding of Parts Therapy, each with its own perspective on how Parts work within us, including the coping mechanisms required by each Part.
If there is more than one, which one is the most correct? This question often arises among learners. I personally would say that it’s difficult to answer this question by stating “which one is the most correct.”
The mind is something that cannot be seen or measured with the naked eye. Various studies and discoveries in psychology have been conducted to understand the mechanisms of this invisible entity in order to better map and predict its workings. This mapping has also given rise to various illustrations of how the mind works across various schools of psychology.
Similarly, within Parts Therapy, there are various perspectives on how Parts work within us, each with its own theoretical basis and rationale. Instead of debating “which one is most correct,” let’s be open to understanding the various illustrations, because ultimately, they all lead to the same ultimate goal: to serve as a tool for change to help us create a better quality of life.
However, as explained previously, each type of Parts Therapy has its own perspective. While it’s beneficial to ultimately understand these various perspectives, it’s equally important to delve deeper into it, not to simply mix them up, but to first understand each perspective individually before arriving at a more integrated conclusion.
RT, for me, is one of the most practical Parts Therapy techniques to understand. Understanding the framework of how Parts work in RT makes it easier for me to review the various perspectives found in other Parts Therapy techniques.
One thing that is no less important and makes RT special for me personally is the existence of very clear and systematic handling procedures from start to finish of each process—summarized within the RT Process and RT Actions framework—which makes it easy for practitioners to facilitate clear handling of problematic parts with consistent quality from end to end.
It’s no exaggeration to say that RT is a technique that plays a significant role in the therapy, counseling, and coaching processes that my team and I facilitate in the professional services we provide at the institutions we operate.
Resource Personality Theory
Although based on the same fundamental understanding that the individual’s conscious system consists of various parts, each with its own specific function and purpose, each Parts Therapy has its own perspective on the existence and operation of these parts.
In RT, this understanding of the existence and operation of these parts is summarized in a discussion called Resource Personality Theory (RPT). This understanding should be understood first as a foundation for further understanding RT.
RPT was developed based on the understanding that the brain develops and is conditioned through repetition. As we grow and develop, from childhood, we learn to respond to stimuli with certain mechanisms. This learning process and mastery of coping skills eventually form “patterns” in our brains.
Physiologically, this learning process, mastery of skills, and pattern formation create neural networks composed of axons and dendrites, as well as synaptic firing in the brain, which are formed through repetition until they become more specific patterns. Along with the formation of these neural patterns and networks, psychologically, Parts are formed as modes that represent the patterns formed in response to these stimuli.
When we need to do something specific that we have mastered or are accustomed to, we automatically access the established pattern, which also causes us to access the Parts that represent that pattern. Because the existence of these Parts or patterns becomes a resource that we can utilize, RPT refers to these Parts as Resource States.
We also need to understand that the formation of these patterns in the brain adopts an understanding of what we perceive as beneficial (pleasure) or preventing us from potential threats or danger (pain). Thus, the existence of Resource States within us is also formed by referring to these mechanisms.
Let’s use a simple example to understand this. Imagine a child watching their parents cleaning the house. The child’s inner need for attention (unmet need) then takes the initiative to help their parents.
This action apparently earned praise and attention from his parents, which made him feel happy (pleasure). This mechanism later formed a conclusion for him that this action—helping—was a good thing to do and helped him achieve the pleasure he needed.
When this mechanism occurs repeatedly, a pattern is formed that represents the “emotional needs fulfillment” mechanism within him, which also represents the formation of a Resource State that will later carry out this function, namely helping others, because this Resource State has learned that there is pleasure or benefit to be gained from such behavior.
The story would be different if when this child took the initiative to help, he was instead scolded, which caused discomfort (pain). This process forms the presence of a Resource State that could actually avoid helping behavior, because this Resource State perceives a potential threat to itself when helping.
The Resource State is formed by referring to the principle of doing things that can provide benefits (pleasure) or avoid discomfort (pain). When a child is in a threatening environment and, through the threat, learns that withdrawing can protect them from the threat, a Resource State is formed that carries out this behavior: “withdrawing when a threat is present,” because, according to this Resource State, this is the best course of action to avoid potential danger.
However, if, through the threat, the child learns to be tough and finds that this toughness actually saves them from the threat, a Resource State is formed that carries out this behavior: “being tough when a threat is present,” again because, according to this Resource State, this is the best course of action to avoid potential danger.
It is called a Resource because whatever response the Resource State displays is the response that it believes is best for gaining benefits or avoiding threats.
Each person will have a different and unique number, type, and character of Resource States, which will ultimately give rise to differences in character and personality between individuals.
Level of The Resource State Being in Conscious: Conscious State
We have learned to understand that behind all our conditions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, there are always Parts or Resource States actively underlying those conditions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We also understand that Resource States must do what they feel is best for our lives. So how can someone experience symptoms of emotional, behavioral, and psychosomatic problems if every active Resource State is supposed to be doing something good?
This question will lead us to the next discussion, which will explore the dynamics of Resource States and the levels of consciousness at which they exist.
The first fundamental understanding we need to grasp is that only one Resource State can be active at a time, carrying out its function as our operating mode.
When one Resource State is active as our operating mode, RT defines that Resource State as being in Conscious State mode.
As long as one Resource State is active in the Conscious State, another Resource State within us will reside at another level of consciousness. This other level of consciousness consists of two levels.
Surfance State
A level of consciousness where other inactive Resource States observe what is happening outside of us. Even if only one Resource State is active in the Conscious State, the other Resource States in the Surface State continue to observe what the active Resource State in the Conscious State is doing.
Resource States in Surface State mode are frequently used Resource States; they are the various modes we use relatively frequently in our daily lives. Because the switching times for these modes are quite rapid and frequent, when another Resource State activates and replaces the previous Resource State, the inactive Resource State remains in the Surface State, awaiting its turn to reactivate.
Because they frequently alternate and observe each other’s emergence, Resource States in Surface States can share memories of experiences they share in Conscious State mode.
In other words, one Resource State can know and relate to the experiences of another Resource State in the Surface State.
Underlying State
The level of consciousness where Resource States reside when they are inactive, without sharing memory with other Resource States in the Surface State.
Resource States in the Underlying State observe and are aware of what is happening outside of us, but Resource States in the Surface State are unaware of their existence because they reside at a deeper, unconscious level. The term often used in psychodynamics to refer to this level is “subconscious mind.”
On certain occasions, Resource States from the Underlying State are activated into the Conscious State, either because a specific stimulus activates them, or because they realize there is something they need to address externally.
Resource States in the Underlying State are usually Resource States formed in childhood, which are also rarely activated into the Conscious State and therefore are not recognized by Resource States in the Surface State. Therefore, when Resource States in the Underlying State suddenly activate into the Conscious State, a “foreign” sensation arises. When this Resource State returns to the Underlying State, other Resource States that appear after it in the Conscious State cannot recognize the Resource State of that Underlying State, including not being able to recognize the details of the memories they carry.
