Method of Levels

The Method of Levels (MOL) is a cognitive approach to psychotherapy based on perceptual control theory (PCT). Using MOL, the therapist works with the patient to resolve conflicts by helping the patient shift his or her awareness to higher levels of perception in order to allow reorganization to take place.

Psychotherapy has focused, understandably, on pathology. PCT contributes a useful perspective in understanding psychological disorders by first providing a model of satisfactory psychological functioning. Dysfunction then is understood as disruption of successful control (Carey 2006, Mansell 2005), and distress as the experience that results from a person’s inability to control important experiences. No attempt is made to ‘treat’ the symptoms of distress as though they were in themselves the problem. The PCT perspective is that restoring the ability to control eliminates the source of distress. Internal conflict has the effect of denying control to both systems that are in conflict with each other. Conflict is usually transitory. It is when conflict is unresolved and becomes chronic that the symptoms recognized as psychological disorder become apparent.

The core process is to redirect attention to the higher level control systems by recognizing ‘background thoughts’, bringing them into the foreground, and then being alert for more background thoughts while the new foreground thoughts are explored. When the level-climbing process reaches an end state without encountering any conflicts, the need for therapy may have ended. When, however, this ‘up-a-level’ process bogs down, a conflict has probably surfaced, and the exploration can be turned to finding the systems responsible for generating the conflict—and away from a preoccupation with the symptoms and efforts immediately associated with the conflict.

MOL is currently being tested in England, the United States, and Australia.