Imagination, Power and Resilience in Psychotherapists/Counsellors Who Have Overcome Childhood Abuse: A quantitative and qualitative study

Aims: To investigate any possible relationship between the power and resilience of British
psychotherapists and counsellors, and the possibility of their having been abused as
children.
Main research question: What elements contribute to recovery from childhood abuse?
Methods: This three-part study used a mixed-methods approach.
Results: (1) The Systematic Review of reliable questionnaires resulted in the design of a
final instrument with eight sections including the following five measurements: the 'GHQ1?',
the 'List of Threatening Experiences', the 'Ways of Coping Questionnaire-R', 'The
Empowerment Scale' and the 'TSC-40'.
(2) A Survey of results of 103 completed questionnaires indicated that the prevalence of
childhood abuse was 57% with a higher proportion (64%) in women. The occurrence of
symptoms of trauma was found to be significantly different between the abused and nonabused
groups. However, the results suggested that psychotherapy was beneficial
because the abused group did not reflect significant trauma. A complex interaction was
discovered between coping styles, power, life events, trauma and emotional health.
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Regression analysis demonstrated that Self-Esteem-Self-Efficacy was a subscale of
empowerment that mediated trauma.
(3) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of seven Interviews showed different usages
of power: Dominance Power, Powerlessness/Disempowerment' Inner Power and
Empowerment. It also showed that 'Imagination' in childhood and 'Active Imagination' in
adulthood were faculties of In'ner Power. Psychotherapists reported that their experience
of childhood abuse led to an open understanding of trauma, and of its emotional effects in
clients who had suffered childhood abuse. They believed that psychotherapy was
important for empowerment and recovery.
Conclusions: Triangulation of results strongly suggests that imagination is a fundamental
component of inner power, and that play, creativity and sports are crucial elements in the
construction of empowerment. These results highlight the importance of play, arts and
sports in psychotherapy methods, education programmes, and everyday life.