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PSACS (Physiological State Accessing Cues)
PSACS (Physiological State Accessing Cues) in IEMT are basically all the non-verbal cues, facial expressions, body movements, gestures, and physiological changes like blushing, sweating, shaking, etc. Andrew Austin emphasizes that PSACS1) often get overlooked by practitioners who reduce therapy to mere techniques. Instead, understanding PSACS involves recognizing and tracking the non-verbal cues and physiological states that clients exhibit, providing deeper insight into their emotional and psychological states.
It is a more holistic approach and view, considering the entire person rather than focusing solely on verbal reports or symptoms.
Paul Ekman's2) research on microexpressions3) and non-verbal cues provides a foundational understanding for observing and interpreting PSACS. There is the TV series “Lie to me”4) to get an idea about this. Ekman identified specific facial expressions and body movements associated with various internal states such as happiness, sadness, anger, and fear.
Joseph Riggio5), a trainer from the society of nlp, produced a model called mythoself or mythogenic, methodogenic process. Joseph Riggio's Mythoself process helps individuals understand and access peak states by focusing on the physiological imprint of these states. This process involves identifying and replicating the specific physical and emotional conditions associated with peak experiences. By consciously accessing these states, individuals can achieve greater control over their emotional and psychological well-being. In the context of IEMT, therapists can use this approach to help clients access and maintain positive states, improving their overall therapeutic outcomes by enhancing their ability to manage and shift their emotional states.
The Stanislavski system6) of acting, which emphasizes accessing the identity of a character through physiological relaxation and authenticity, complements the use of PSACS in IEMT. By focusing on complete muscular relaxation, actors learn to identify and release residual tension, which is crucial for practitioners to recognize in their clients. This method aids practitioners in understanding how physiological states influence emotional experiences and non-verbal communication. By applying these principles, practitioners can better observe, interpret, and address the embodied aspects of a client's emotional state.
Practical Applications
By watching the clients facial expression, body movements, gestures, and physiological changes practitioners can track, predict and time how long states are there.
Identify incongruencies between the (socially congruened) verbally expressed state and the (more important) nonverbal PSACS.
If a person says, “I can do that,” in a whining voice and slumped shoulders, it is pretty likely that they don’t actually believe it, and will not actually do it. As with all NLP work, the nonverbal is often a much better indicator of the unconscious aspects of behavior, and what is actually going on. As John Grinder used to say, “All words are to be taken as unsubstantiated rumor unless confirmed by nonverbal behavior.” …. Steve Andreas(Andreas, Steve, January, 2001)
Identify patterns into and interrupt access to negative states
Discover what the client's tongue is doing when they mentally rehearse an unhelpful strategy, especially just before buying cigarettes. A change in a tongue movement can help someone to change the strategy, but other help would probably be needed for the emotional side of smoking.Mavis Kerrigan
Attaching a taboo to access cues, so we're incapacitating their ability to accidentally enter into the negative states
I've worked with the historical data of their past traumas, but now what i want to do is to start to interfere with their ability to feed forward the remnants of these things through their enculturated behaviors into their future patterns.Andrew Austin
Become conscious of and manage you own state