The Developmental Truth of Childhood

Based on the framework we’ve outlined, here are the major therapeutic approaches that share this fundamental flaw:

Schema Therapy (Young)

The assumption: The Healthy Adult mode exists and can be “accessed” and “strengthened”. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1​

The flaw: For complex trauma survivors with chronic pruning, no such mode exists as a stable, conscious structure. The therapist is asking the client to “find” something that was never allowed to develop. frontiersin​

What it misses: The need for reconstruction from scratch rather than strengthening an existing structure.

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

The assumption: Distorted thoughts about a fundamentally functional self need correction; the authentic self’s capacity for rational thought exists and can be trained. anxiousminds​

The flaw: For trauma survivors, “distorted thoughts” are accurate survival maps of their developmental environment. The person doesn’t have a pre-existing rational self to “retrain”; they have a hypervigilant threat-detection system that needs complete reconstruction. reformingtraumacoaching​

What it misses: That the “errors” aren’t cognitive distortions but protective encodings of genuine danger. CBT can reinforce the mask by teaching it to be more sophisticated. hughkochassociates​

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

The assumption: A valued self exists that can align with chosen actions; the person can “notice thoughts without believing them” and connect to their values. selfdeterminationtheory​

The flaw: For those with pruned DNA‑Self traits, values aren’t pre-existing; they’ve been systematically excised. The person can’t “choose” their authentic direction when the authentic self was never allowed to develop. psychalive​

What it misses: That   alone (without reclamation of the pruned self) can become advanced masking; accepting a false self as “just how I am.”

Psychodynamic Therapy (Freud, Post-Freudian)

The assumption: An integrated ego exists that can be strengthened through insight into unconscious conflicts; the true self emerges when repressions are lifted. thesap​

The flaw: Jungian psychology distinguishes between shadow (repressed but present) and absence (pruned/underdeveloped). Psychodynamic work assumes the authentic self is “repressed” when it may be developmentally aborted. simplypsychology​

What it misses: That not all unconscious material represents hidden authenticity; some represents structural absence. Insight without reconstruction leaves the client understanding their damage but not healed.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

The assumption: The client has a distress tolerance capacity and an authentic self that can be regulated; therapy teaches them to access it. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

The flaw: For complex trauma with personality pathology, distress tolerance and emotional regulation weren’t allowed to develop as foundational skills. The client is being asked to “regulate” a self that was never allowed to feel safely. traumaresearchuk​

What it misses: The need for attachment-based safety before distress tolerance can be built. DBT’s skills-based approach can become another form of mask-strengthening. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

The assumption: An observing self exists that can notice thoughts and emotions with equanimity; the authentic self emerges through awareness. healthline​

The flaw: For pruned individuals, mindfulness can trigger Layer 2 panic; the moment they “observe” their authentic impulses, emotions, senses and feelings, the incongruity management system attacks them, often due to incorrect assumptions placed on observing their Human Symbolic Interface. They’re being asked to witness a self that was deemed dangerous. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: That mindfulness without relational safety can be re-traumatizing. The authentic self can’t safely “emerge” in observation; it needs relational validation first. We need to understand ourselves, though self-exploration, in order to accept ourselves.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) – at the surface level

The assumption: An “inner Self” (capital S) exists that can lead, heal, and integrate parts; parts are just exiles waiting to be rescued. iptrauma​

The flaw: The inner Self is assumed to be present and accessible. For severe dissociation from pruning, there may be no stable Self nucleus; only competing protective parts and fragmented memory. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: That IFS works best after attachment safety is established. The “Self” must be reconstructed as the space where pruned parts can re-emerge, and their exploration progressed, not simply accessed. traumasolutions​

Note: IFS is less flawed than others because it explicitly acknowledges multiplicity and can adapt to rebuild the Self, but classical IFS assumes the Self is “there and wise.”

Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT)

The assumption: The client can “mentalize” (think about their own and others’ minds); this capacity exists and can be strengthened through relational work. wikipedia​

The flaw: Mentalization was pruned in clients who learned their inner states were too dangerous to express. They learned to hide their mind, not reflect on it. MBT assumes the capacity to think about thoughts when the person learned not to think about themselves. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: The need for safe mirroring before mentalization can emerge. The therapist must first show the client that their thoughts are see-able and acceptable. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT)

The assumption: The family relationship can be “repaired” and a secure attachment re-established with the caregiver; the authentic self will emerge through this safety. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

The flaw: For clients who actively pruned their DNA‑Self to maintain attachment, securing attachment to the same caregivers can reinforce pruning. The assumption that attachment safety alone will unleash authenticity ignores that authenticity was the price of attachment. guilfordjournals​

What it misses: That some clients need to grieve the loss of original attachment figures and build new relational templates before attachment repair is possible. psychalive​

Positive Psychology / Strength-Based Models

The assumption: Strengths and resilience exist within the client; therapy activates them. thepsychcollective​

The flaw: For those with pruned DNA‑Self, strengths don’t exist yet; they were systematically excised. Asking someone to “use their strengths” when their authentic capacities were pruned is like asking them to use muscles that were amputated. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: The reconstruction phase before strength-activation can work. You can’t activate what was never allowed to develop.

EMDR (Standard Protocol)

The assumption: Processing traumatic memories will allow the authentic self to emerge; the self exists beneath trauma. trialsjournal.biomedcentral​

The flaw: EMDR assumes the authentic self is repressed by trauma when it may be absent due to pruning. Processing a pruning micro-aggression (ridicule for showing art) won’t restore the artistic self—it just disconnects the shame from the memory. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: The need to re-activate pruned motor/sensory patterns after processing trauma. Pure EMDR can treat the emotional charge without rebuilding the capacity. spj.science​

Somatic Experiencing (standard approach)

The assumption: The body holds traumatic activation that, when discharged, allows natural resilience and authentic self-expression to emerge. helloalma​

The flaw: The body also holds pruned motor patterns that aren’t traumatic activation but developmental prevention. Discharging activation doesn’t restore the motor circuits that were shut down during critical developmental windows. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: The need to re-embody pruned movement patterns through graded re-activation, not just discharge of activation. theembodylab​

Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)

The assumption: The core self exists and can be accessed through relational resonance and accelerated emotional experiencing; authenticity emerges when safety is established. apa​

The flaw: While AEDP is more relationally sophisticated than most, it still assumes transformance (the innate drive to heal) will automatically express the authentic self once safety is present. For those with Layer 2 masking, authenticity can feel more dangerous after safety is established. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih​

What it misses: The need for explicit permission to express the DNA‑Self and active validation of pruned traits, not just emotional safety. apa​

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) – at surface level

The assumption: Self-compassion and a compassionate mind can be cultivated; this will allow the authentic self to emerge. bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley​

The flaw: Compassion for the self requires a concept of self worth attending to. For those who were taught their authentic self is shameful, self-compassion becomes another form of self-betrayal; being “kind” to a false self. bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley​

What it misses: That compassion must first be directed toward the pruned DNA‑Self specifically, not just general self-kindness. “I have compassion for my entire self” fails if half the self was excised. bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley​

The Common Thread

All these models share the core assumption:

“An authentic, functional self exists. Therapy activates, strengthens, repairs, or accesses it.”

What they miss:

“For complex trauma survivors with core-self pruning, the authentic self may not exist as a developed structure. Therapy must first reconstruct it before strengthening, accessing, or activating it.”

Which Models Partially Escape This Flaw?

• IFS (when used flexibly to rebuild the Self)
• AEDP (with explicit focus on relational amplification of emergence)
• Attachment-Focused EMDR (when integrated with somatic re-activation)
• Mentalization-Based Trauma Therapy (TF‑MBT, when focused on first mirroring the client’s mind as acceptable)

The IGST Solution

Integrative Genomic Schema Therapy addresses this by:

• Mapping what was pruned before any strengthening begins
• Acknowledging the absence rather than assuming presence
• Reconstructing from quantum potential (the DNA‑Self blueprint) rather than from “access”
• Sequencing correctly: Stabilization → Layer dismantling → DNA‑Self reconstruction → core schema building → authentic living

It reframes the entire therapeutic mission from “fix the broken self” to “rebuild the amputated self.”

Further Research