Empty-chair and two-chair work

Domain III · Humanistic, existential & experiential · Moreno

What it is

What it is: a family of experiential techniques, not a stand-alone therapy. The client speaks from, and moves between, chairs that stand for parts of the self (two-chair) or for a significant other (empty chair). It began in Moreno's psychodrama, was popularised by Fritz Perls in Gestalt therapy in…

Format

• Chairwork has no phases of its own. It is used inside a course of therapy (in EFT, typically a brief course; the case in Elliott & Greenberg 2016 improved by about session 16 and ended at about 20 sessions with monthly follow-ups). Both levels below matter. General session counts for EFT for…
• A. Course level (EFT case-formulation stages)

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Stage 1: Bond and narrative. Goals: an empathic, prizing relationship; the client tells their story; the therapist observes emotional processing style (over- vs. under-regulated, external vs. internal focus) and listens for painful experience (the "pain compass"). Chair work: usually not yet, or only brief, low-intensity versions.
• Moving to chair tasks requires: (1) a working bond; (2) a clear, current marker in the session (see each task); (3) agreement on the task after a rationale; (4) enough affect regulation to tolerate activation. Where regulation is poor, safety, calming and validation come first.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• overwhelm. Safe-place establishment is the precondition. Working: relief, and a felt sense of the child being protected.
• one side being skipped (often resentment, out of guilt), so stay with it. Working: a more whole, less split view of the other.
• the observer chair being taken over by the critic, in which case move it to a new position. Working: greater distance and choice about parts.
• debating instead of speaking from felt need, so ask for shorter, more felt statements. Working: both poles are owned, and a balance emerges from centre.
• the therapist's compassionate, soothing presence is critical, and the pace must be slow to avoid re-traumatisation. Working: the same markers as entry 5.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.