Why Some Clients Gravitate Toward Alternative Frameworks: A Guide for Therapists to Navigate Stigma, Sensitivity, and Misalignment

In a world shaped by rigid norms and materialist frameworks, individuals with heightened sensitivity often find themselves dismissed or misunderstood. Their experiences, which defy conventional explanation, are frequently framed through societal stigmas that caricature sensitivity as weakness, irrationality, or otherness.

Over time, these societal projections can become internalized, shaping how individuals perceive themselves and influencing the identities they adopt. For some, this process leads to the embrace of culturally distorted archetypes—symbols such as the “witch,” “seer,” or “mystic”—that reflect societal narratives more than authentic self-expression. While these identities may provide a sense of validation or belonging, they can also function as defense mechanisms, shielding individuals from deeper vulnerabilities or unresolved pain.

For therapists, it is important to understand that such adopted identities are often rooted in internalized stigma rather than intrinsic alignment. Recognizing these dynamics enables practitioners to guide clients in disentangling their true selves from imposed narratives and fostering greater self-awareness. However, not all clients’ engagement with alternative frameworks is reactive; some authentically resonate with certain practices as an expression of their genuine identity. For these clients, therapists can focus on fostering discernment and clarity about their underlying motivations, if needed.

Understanding the Drive Toward Alternative Frameworks

Seeking Agency Amid Disempowerment

Many clients are drawn to alternative or esoteric practices not purely out of curiosity but from a sense of disempowerment. Experiences of rejection, trauma, or societal marginalization often compel individuals to seek frameworks that promise control, validation, or transcendence of their struggles.

• Exploration of Harmful Practices: Clients may gravitate toward rituals involving the summoning of malevolent entities, seeking contact with destructive forces, engaging in practices that prioritize power over balance or light, or embracing symbolic practices aimed at harnessing unseen power. These pursuits can stem from a deep desire to regain agency in the face of life circumstances that feel overwhelming or invalidating.
• Cultural or Symbolic Archetypes: Some clients are drawn to culturally recognizable figures, adopting archetypes such as the “witch” or “shaman.” While these identities offer an appealing sense of mystery or strength, they are often shaped by societal narratives that distort the original meanings of these roles.

The Need for Recognition and Significance

For some clients, alternative frameworks provide a perceived affirmation of uniqueness or worth, often shaped by external validation or arising from reactive identity formation as a response to feelings of alienation or exclusion in conventional spaces.

• Superficial Engagements: A single experience with ayahuasca or psychedelics may lead clients to adopt titles like “shaman” or “medicine man,” conflating brief exposure with mastery.
• Projection of Unresolved Needs: In some cases, the adoption of these identities reflects unaddressed feelings of invisibility or marginalization, where symbolic roles serve as placeholders for unmet emotional needs.

Signs Therapists Might Observe

Clients navigating sensitivity and alternative frameworks often exhibit patterns that reflect an interplay of disempowerment, societal narratives, and personal identity struggles. These signs can help therapists understand the underlying dynamics:

1. Adoption of Symbolic Archetypes
   • Clients may embrace identities such as ‘witch’ or ‘seer’ as a way of affirming their difference or creating a perceived sense of reclaimed power. However, in this context this often represents a reactive attempt at empowerment rather than a genuine reclamation of personal agency or authenticity.
   • These choices might feel defensive, rooted in a desire to shield against societal rejection or invalidate past feelings of powerlessness.
2. Engagement in Esoteric Practices
   • Clients may pursue rituals like dark spirit communication or invocation, drawn to practices that seem to offer access to hidden knowledge or control.
   • Such pursuits can reflect unresolved disempowerment, where the unseen world offers an escape from real-world challenges.
3. Appropriation of Cultural Traditions
   • Some clients claim identities like “shaman” after brief exposure to cultural practices, often failing to respect the depth and lineage of these roles.
   • These appropriations reflect a longing for significance or a misunderstanding of the tradition’s responsibility.
4. Patterns of Alienation
   • Clients might isolate themselves.
   • This separateness reinforces an “us vs. them” dynamic, which can perpetuate feelings of isolation rather than foster connection.
5. Rejection of Balance
   • A disproportionate focus on symbols or practices associated with rebellion, revenge, otherness, or darkness often reflects unresolved pain rather than alignment with personal values.

The Historical Context of Stigmatized Roles

The archetypes often adopted by clients—such as the “witch” or “seer”—are steeped in historical and cultural significance. However, these roles have frequently been distorted through societal fear and misrepresentation.

Western Constructs: The Witch and Beyond

The “witch” archetype in Western culture exemplifies how societal narratives distort alternative roles. Historically, healers, midwives, or wise women were demonized during witch hunts, their knowledge and independence reframed as threats to patriarchal order.

• Distorted Imagery: The bubbling cauldron, the pointed hat, and dark clothing symbolized malevolence, masking the actual practices of herbalism and folk healing.
• Repression Through Caricature: By associating these figures with darkness and evil, societies justified persecution while silencing alternative knowledge systems.

Cultural Appropriation in Modern Times

Beyond Western narratives, global practices such as Peruvian shamanism and Native American rituals face modern distortions. Misinterpretations and superficial engagements reduce these traditions to aesthetic experiences or personal branding tools, trivializing their cultural and spiritual depth.

The Therapist’s Role

Therapists have a unique opportunity to help clients navigate the complexities of their chosen frameworks with discernment and authenticity. By fostering reflection, therapists can support clients in integrating their sensitivities while challenging reactive or misaligned behaviors.

1. Validate Sensitivity as a Strength
   Sensitivity is often pathologized, yet it is a profound capacity that enriches the human experience. Reframing sensitivity as an asset empowers clients to view their traits positively.
2. Encourage Reflection on Motivations
   Invite clients to explore the deeper reasons behind their choices. Are their practices rooted in alignment with personal values, or do they reflect reactions to external pressures or past traumas?
3. Challenge Appropriations Thoughtfully
   Help clients evaluate whether their engagement with certain practices or traditions respects their original context. This fosters humility and encourages responsible exploration.
4. Support Critical Evaluation of Practices
   Encourage clients to question whether their chosen practices genuinely serve their growth or perpetuate confusion and disconnection.
5. Foster Authentic Self-Expression
   Guide clients in crafting identities and practices that align with their true selves rather than societal projections or caricatures.

Opportunities for Healing and Reclamation

Healing involves reclaiming sensitivity and alternative frameworks as sources of authenticity and empowerment. By disentangling themselves from imposed narratives, clients can explore their sensitivities with clarity and purpose.

Key strategies include:

• Reconnecting With Core Values: Helping clients identify what truly matters to them, free from societal influences or appropriations.
• Engaging in Grounding Practices: Encouraging practices that anchor clients in their personal experiences and values.
• Developing Critical Awareness: Supporting clients in thoughtfully evaluating their choices to foster intentionality.

Toward a Richer Understanding of Sensitivity

By challenging reductive stereotypes and fostering intentional engagement, therapists can help clients navigate their sensitivities and chosen practices with clarity and balance. This approach not only supports individual growth but also contributes to a broader cultural understanding of the diverse ways sensitivity can enrich human experience.