What is Core Transformation?

What is Core Transformation?

Core Transformation (CT) can be used for personal growth and change, addressing any emotion, behaviour, or thought in order to improve and enrich our life.

Designed to address some of our times' most pressing issues: healing and growth - emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Core Transformation provides a structured and flexible procedure for changing unwelcome attitudes, feelings, and behaviours and achieving goals that we may have previously thought unreachable.

Many people have used Core Transformation to help them with challenges such as;

• Changing problem emotions and behaviours (e.g., anger, self-consciousness, procrastination, fear)
• Managing Weight
• Improving Relationships
• Overcoming Depression and Anxiety
• Overcoming Addictions • Addressing Trauma and Abuse
• Finding Fulfilling Work
• Improving All Aspects of Health

What is the process of Core Transformation?

Parts

We commonly experience ‘parts’ when we are talking with other individuals.

Have you ever found yourself saying something like, "part of me really wants to lie on the sofa tonight and watch tv, but another part of me thinks I should go for a walk!" 'I want to feel peaceful, but another part of me just can't quit worrying!' is another example.

We may use alternative expressions of our experience of parts such as; 'on the one hand I want to attend to the concert, but on the other I don't if I have the energy', or 'My heart is telling me it would be great to leave my job and obtain a new one, but my head is saying you need to be very careful!'.

These "parts" or "aspects" of ourselves live in our unconscious and influence our daily lives by running our moods, behaviour, and ideas.

We all have sensations, habits, and thoughts that we enjoy and enjoy having. Others, on the other hand, we may not welcome or appreciate, especially if we find a mood unpleasant, a behavioural habit undesirable, or a thinking pattern unhelpful.

Problems and objectives

Many people seek assistance while they are trying to solve problems or achieve their goals.

When working with Core Transformation, we might state that any individual problem/challenge will manifest as a feeling, behaviour, or thinking - or possibly a combination of these.

When an undesired feeling, behaviour, or thinking becomes automatic - whether we perceive it to be beyond of our control or just feel helpless to stop it - this is frequently the point at which we decide to seek help.

Positive Intent

Core Transformation is based on the idea that any part of the unconscious that governs a certain habit, mood, or thought always has a positive motivation/intent behind it.

When we are trying to change, this (positive intention) might be a challenging concept to grasp! We may discover that we are battling ourselves or the situation and getting nowhere fast.  However, via the Core Transformation process, a smoker may discover that the good intent driving the part of their smoking activity is something like "to have time out" or "to take a break."  Of course, they may be quite upset with their smoking habit, but they can now begin to understand that, despite their negative reaction, the part's actual aim is something positive.

Being open to our parts' positive motivations or intentions can help us gain a better understanding of the part that is causing the difficulty, and in turn, the part can be more open to the option of doing things differently, or even completely abandoning an old pattern/behavior.

Deeper Outcomes

We have a unique opportunity to uncover what other purposes are deeper or more essential after we identify the first positive goal the component has that is behind a specific behaviour, feeling, or idea.

For example, a portion that originally desires "time out" may later acquire a deeper purpose, such as "relaxation."  We can learn more about what the part wants by moving on to the next steps of the Core Transformation process.  So, from 'to relax,' we may deduce that what the part desires is 'to be worry-free.' From there, we can discover that by being 'free of stress,' the part desires 'calm' as a deeper state.

A 'Core State'

After a part has realised its "deeper purposes," it can eventually reach what we call a "Core State."  A Core State is something that we perceive to be at the most profound level.

Other criteria also distinguish a Core State.  It is a state in which we are not dependent on 'having' or 'receiving' something from others. A Core State is also not dependent on being a specific way, doing something, and so on.  A Core State is said to be at the "beingness" level.

Here are a few Core States and some interpretations on how they might be experienced:

"Peace" - This could be a deep, profound sense of peace.

"Presence" - Being fully and entirely present in the here and now.

"OK-ness" is the experience of being "OK" with everything; with ourselves, with the world, and with others.

"Love" - A Core State of love could be described as experiencing love just as it is - rather than receiving, giving, or expressing love.

"Wholeness" - This might be defined as a sense of being complete and not separated.

"Oneness" - An experience of being completely connected to everything that exists.

There may be many different Core States we may reach, some of which we may not even be able to completely describe with words.

Core States may be described as'spiritual' by some.  To experience and benefit from Core Transformation, however, no spiritual or religious doctrine/philosophy/belief is required.  Core Transformation is also not affiliated with any religion or spiritual doctrine.

What about 'Transformation'?

Transformation is now possible once a part has reached its deepest Core State.

The part is able to experience what it's like to be in its deepest desired Core State, which often results in a completely different experience when the part revisits the original 'Outcomes' (or deeper purposes).

Also, the initial feeling, behaviour, or thought that the individual is attempting to transform is revisited, except this time with the part experiencing how different things are with a Core State fully available.

People are frequently surprised at how different their experience is when they return to the initial issue now that the Core State is fully accessible.

As we advance through the CT phases, we will have the opportunity to experience having the Core State across time in our own personal past, as well as taking it into our future.

With the Core State fully available, these steps of the process are specifically designed to allow us to obtain even greater enrichment in our lives.

What distinguishes Core Transformation (CT) from other methods?

Core Transformation does not necessitate any effort or application of force.   In fact, effort and force are not required in the Core Transformation approach.

When we employ force or effort - frequently in an attempt to influence things with our "will" - while this may be suitable when working with the conscious mind, it is not always appropriate when working with the unconscious.

We are engaging with parts of ourselves that reside in the unconscious mind when we use CT.  These parts produce automatic responses in the form of feelings, behaviours, and thoughts.  While we attempt to change automatic responses, it is unlikely that we will be able to achieve long-term change through willpower and logic alone.  In reality, most people have previously tried to solve problems in this manner, maybe discovering the futility of the solely conscious-willed approach.

When we approach our parts kindly and embrace them, regardless of whether we like the feeling, behaviour, or thinking that is created, they are more open to working with us.  If we start forcing things, that part is likely to dig its heels in and fiercely refuse to change!

It can be a comfort to realise that Core Transformation takes us past any need for fighting within ourselves to solve a problem or to help us achieve our goals.  We can observe that by welcoming these parts, they become more open and ready for change and transformation.

Another benefit that people usually mention about Core Transformation is that they liked not having to go over prior events in great detail or relive specific memories.  Yes, a part may have been involved in a previous event or experience, but with CT, we are focusing on giving the part what it has been seeking at the deepest level - its Core State.

Another advantage that clients have mentioned is that while they were undergoing Core Transformation for one issue, they noticed improvements in other areas as well.  For example, a person working on a sleep problem may claim both improvements in their sleep and improvements in a specific relationship.

Many people find the CT technique to be peaceful and gentle. Another frequently stated effect is a great sensation of ease and well-being as a result of the Core change experience.

Where does the Core Transformation process originate from?

Connirae Andreas developed Core Transformation in the late 1980s.

Connirae discovered the concept of Core States through her own experience as well as witnessing clients 'accidentally' accessing these states when working with other processes.

Before Core Transformation was fully established as a process, Connirae was working with a person wishing to stop nail-biting.  She was surprised to find that the person reported that the part that had been running the nail-biting behaviour had reached a state they described as ‘Oneness with God’.

Witnessing similar situations, along with her own personal experiences, inspired Connirae to investigate these happenings further, as she moved into developing the Core Transformation Model.

The Core Transformation process continue to be meticulously refined and updated, ongoing to this present day.

Is there any evidence that Core Transformation is beneficial?

There has been a significant quantity of "anecdotal" data from people reporting on the benefits they have experienced after undergoing the CT approach over the previous 30+ years.

Furthermore, in 2019, the first randomised, controlled study on Core Transformation took place and the report (authored by Dinesh J. Braganza, Richard M. Gray, et al.) was published in ‘The Journal of Counseling and Development’.

The study's participants underwent only one Core Transformation session and were evaluated on their general wellbeing and symptom reduction.  The measurements were taken four weeks and eight weeks following the single CT session.

 

The study discovered a number of intriguing findings, including the following: "..61% of those who could have had a clinical diagnosis before treatment no longer fell into this category 4 weeks after the CT session."

 

Another randomised controlled trial of Core Transformation coaches (in training) has been completed and is now being written up at the time of writing (January 2023).

 

What benefits can we obtain from Core Transformation?

I've been working with the Core Transformation process for the past ten years and have personally experienced substantial personal benefits such as stress reduction and improved sleep.

 

When guiding clients through the Core Transformation process, they have addressed varying issues including sleep challenges, relationship difficulties, cravings and many other issues. I have also been pleased to assist clients with more challenging problems such problems likely related to experiences of trauma or, adverse childhood experiences including experiences of poor-parenting and/or childhood abuse.

 

Overall, Core Transformation can be said to be very comfortable, very gentle and structured – which is what I believe makes it a refreshing approach when compared to many other methods for personal change and growth.