Pretenses are an attempt to get Attention, Adoration and Admiration from others. They are ways of acting where we try to convince someone we care for them. The goal is to convince others that we have what they need. This means we are always seeking new ways to gain their interest. What we want is be useful to a partner, so they will desire to engage us. We apply effort to maintain a connection because, essentially, we make Pretenses up to convince ourselves we have something to offer.
They are about reminding others how much we do for them. The challenge is that Pretenses to do not reflect who we are; they distract us from authentic ways of being. Pretenses are always designed to put our best foot forward so others will have a positive first impression. Over time, the Pretense becomes stifling (in the relationship) and we need to re-emphasize and justify it by making it look like we are sacrificing ourselves for our partner's benefit. In this way, Pretenses become a hook or reason why our partners believe they need us.
There are four Pretenses: Expectations, Romantic Mythology, Control and Seduction. In each, we falsely believe our partner needs us more than we need them. In Expectations, we try to confirm that our partner wants what we want. What gets in the way is either not knowing what we want or accepting what someone else wants as a way to keep our own options open.
Pretenses are patterns of personality behavior that we provide in exchange for getting some of our needs met. A Pretense is an unconscious support activity that is a substitute for authentic Autonomy or Intimacy. These four pretenses are substitutes for Autonomy and Intimacy: Expectations (distracts us from requiring either Autonomy or Intimacy): Romantic Mythology (minimizes Autonomy), Control (minimizes Intimacy); and Seduction (denies both completely). Each pretense becomes a fixed position from which those individuals negotiate the best deal they can. A pretense is a false way of being that covers up a weakness by making it appear to be strength. The more our partners believe it is strength, the more we can use it to create what we want in the relationship at their expense.
Pretenses are made up or constructed to soften defensive differences. While we may or may not be operating in a way that is defensively aligned with our Pretense(s), a Pretense is always is based on what we perceive our partner needs. We try to leverage our value and make partners beholden to the 'service' we offer on their behalf. We learn Pretenses in the form of parental modeling. One of the challenges in having a Pretense is it reveals an unconscious attempt to gain security (with our partners), because we do not know the value we are bringing to a relationship. Eventually, we learn to create our own security and do not need others to need us to have the kind of relationship we want.
The Attention, Adoration or Admiration we divert upon others, over time, causes us to be resentful, which provides more fuel for our insecurities. Comparative self importance is re-enforced through Pretense behaviors. We use judgments about relative anxieties and how Pretenses are applied to clarify importance rankings. The more we feel we need acceptance and affirmation, the more we will use Pretenses to entangle others. Ironically, this lowers our relative rank compared to them! This form of entanglement pulls both partners down because neither are being authentic or real with the other. The goal is to go unconscious and merge. The more conscious we are, the less we use Pretenses to be connected, because we understand the self-limiting nature of the framework.
The objective is to neutralize all Pretenses, so we no longer deny our natural creativity. To do this we must first notice and accept the degree to which we operate in Pretenses. Second, we need to ‘grok’ the cost of not having authentic creativity and connection, and the loss of energy experienced maintaining Co-Dependent patterns. Pretenses end up being, for many, the only way to feel partially connected to others. Third, we need to evaluate if our partner is able to reduce their Pretenses, as many will feel it degrades their experience of safety and security. To have a choice about how to connect, we need to be an example to our partners. Fourth, in a new relationship we need to operate counter to Pretenses (by neutralizing or counter-applying them) so others cannot lock into our former Pretenses at all.
In this course we focus on identifying the three Pretenses we do most in our daily lives: Expectations, Romantic Mythology, and Control. With each process, we describe the patterns, practice revealing them, and provide ways to counter their influence. Since the individuals attracted to this class are not master Seducers, we offer a fourth class that identifies and describes how Seducers work and how to effectively deal with them! Recover Your Energy by Eliminating Pretenses!

Class structure

    1. Romantic Mythology

    2. Romantic Mythology ~ Audio

    3. Romantic Mythology ~ PDF

    1. Expectations

    2. Expectations ~ Audio

    3. Expectations ~ PDF

    1. Control Pretense

    2. Control Pretense ~ Audio

    3. Control Pretense ~ PDF

    1. Recognizing Seduction

    2. Recognizing Seduction ~ Audio

    3. Recognizing Seduction ~ PDF

    4. Class Completion

About this course

  • $95.00
  • 14+ hours video lessons
  • Includes audio & PDFs

Instructor

Founder, Higher Alignment Larry Byram

My name is Larry Byram, the founder of Higher Alignment. Over the last 40 years we have worked with thousands of couples and singles to assist you in building conscious co-creative relationships. We invite you to explore and embody your unique creative design in your relationships and life contribution.

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