A Brief History of Aletheia Coaching

In the remainder of this article, I will offer an example of how memory reconsolidation can be integrated into developmental coaching as illustrated in Aletheia Coaching, a methodology that I originated. To understand the methodology at a high level and the coaching transcript that follows, a brief history of how the method unfolded and an introduction to its core concepts will be helpful.

I completed my initial coach training and certification in 2002. Like many coaches, I spent most of the next decade studying various developmental methodologies spanning both psychological and spiritual ranges of development. To me, a few things were striking that left me puzzled. First, all of the methods I learned were very different from each other. I naively expected that most self-development approaches would be variations on a theme. This is not what I found. Second, I noticed that despite these differences, every method I learned was powerful and effective. However, third, I also noticed that each method also failed to work with certain clients. This puzzled me. All methods both work and also fail to work. From this experience, I developed an eclectic coaching practice. I tried my best to assess the needs of each client and determine which method would fit them best. Sometimes I would mix and blend different methods in a single coaching engagement. This created mixed results, working sometimes and failing others. From my conversations with many other coaches, I learned that the journey from certification to eclectic practice was, by far, more the norm than the exception.

In 2012 I had an integrating insight that solved the puzzle I had about which method to use. I suddenly realized that the methods I knew each operated at different depths. Immediately I could see how these methods easily grouped into four depths. Each of the methods that I knew were specialists at one depth but generally ignored the others. When clients were functioning from the depth a method specialized in, it was powerful and effective. However, if the client was functioning from another depth, the same method was cumbersome or plain didn’t work. This insight helped to explain why all methods work and all methods fail to work. The crucial factor is depth.

What is depth? The experience of depth arises from the relationship between what is foreground and what remains in the background of awareness. In Aletheia Coaching, there are four depths at which the present moment can be experienced. Generally, this is not recognized because the deeper depths exist in the background of awareness where they remain hidden until they are unconcealed.