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~CJ Jung, Memories, Dreams and Reflections
One of the greatest tools I learned in my years of Process Work training was how to use “Blank Access.” Blank Access is a Process-Oriented Psychology term to describe a technique used to amplify a signal in a particular channel. This can be done by using verbal statements, auditory cues, visual images, or movement prompts. The goal is to create a space for the signal to emerge more fully into awareness.
Once it is identified, the signal can be amplified within that particular channel. Often, the energy will naturally unfold itself through the channels on its own. This technique can help build trust and rapport with others and help them access their inner experience. So let’s break it down!
What is Blank Access?
In The Leader As Martial Artist, Arnold Mindell describes it this way:
“Blank access is a term I use for an intervention that invites the hidden processes to appear.” (page, 43).
Practically speaking, Blank Access means making space for whatever wants to come up, without trying to control or direct the process. It is a way of holding the space for others (or for ourselves) to explore what is alive for them in the present moment.
For example, imagine you are in a meeting and someone starts talking about a difficult issue they are having with a co-worker. You could try to problem-solve or give advice, but that would likely shut down the conversation. Instead, you could use Blank Access to amplify their own experience with gentle cues that address what channel of experience the emergent phenomena is arising.
This can sound a little technical, but it is actually fairly simple. In Processwork, they identify distinct channels where human experience occurs. The first step of Blank Access is to notice what channel the energy or signal is emerging in. Here are the Processwork Channels:
* For more on channels, explore Margaret McNeal’s Amazing Glossary of Processwork Terms. And for a more in-depth discussion, see her thesis Process Work and the Living Unconscious: Embodied Praxis for Depth Psychology
Once you identify the channel, you can utilize a Blank Access cue that speaks directly to the channel. Here are some examples of Blank Access interventions:
The intention of these Blank Access statements is to create a space for the signal to emerge more fully into awareness. It is important not to get caught up in “fixing” or trying to make sense of the signal, but rather to support the client in moving towards greater embodied awareness of themselves in that moment. Once the signal is identified in its proper channel and amplified using Blank Access, you can continue to unfold the experience by expanding it into other channels of experience.
For example, take a proprioceptive experience into a movement, add a sound to the movement and see if a visual channel element spontaneously emerges. Once you give the cue to enter an additional channel, you can continue to use Blank Access to amplify within that channel of experience. Often the energy will naturally unfold itself through the channels on its own!
In this way, Blank Access creates a safe container for others to explore their own inner experience. It is a powerful way to build trust and rapport, and it can help people to access
With Blank Access, we fill in the blanks with our own sounds, images, and fantasies. All blank-accessing methods are soothing and creative because they help bring up what is inside by giving it space and time.
Resources for Further Reading:
– Glossary of Processwork Terms by Margaret McNeal
– The Dreambody Tool Kit by Joseph Goodbread
– The Individual as a Channel of Group Process: Case studies in Group Process Work
by Claire Nance
– The Hidden Dance by Amy Mindell
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