Like any creative and loving endeavor, guiding emergences can take an unlimited number of forms, the "infinite snow flakes, all beautiful" idea. Even so, these many forms all derive from but three styles of "Emergence as a Therapy." These three styles are, "P" Curves, Visual Dialogue, and Direct Emergence (play acting the "bad" guy).

Visual Dialogues are the main technique in emergence as a therapy and are used by guides about 80% of the time. In this technique, guides define and refine issues, make scene requests, hold in memory whatever the explorer can and can not internally picture, and process with the explorer whatever scenes emerge. If this list sounds like a lot, it is, and guides can expect to continue to refine their skills for as long as they guide.

"P" Curves are the most defined and yet, least personal emergence technique and as such, are probably the best place to begin learning to be an emergence guide. They are used about 15% of the time. Here again, guides define and refine issues, make scene requests, hold in memory whatever the explorer can and can not internally picture, and process whatever scenes emerge. The main difference between this technique and the other two is that here, the guide must also record the process and so, the required level of personal contact between guide and explorer is much less in that the guide's attention is divided between visual dialogue and recording. Thus, this technique is probably the least stressful of the three and is also the one best recalled later in that it results in a written record of the process. More so, groups of these written records later collectively form what is called, a "personal manual," a written guide book which the explorer can continue to consult when similar issues later arise.

Direct Emergence or "playing the bad guy" is the technique which requires the highest level of personal trust and as such, is best left to those having acquired at least a good working knowledge of the guiding process. So, although the actual process is relatively uncomplicated and easy to learn, the guide experiences a high degree of stress and must be able to remain conscious even when directly causing the explorer to suffer. This, after all, is one of the main functions of the guide in this technique, and this technique is used about 5% of the time.

the explorer's ability to internally picture
AND
the "keying" process