Richard Dennison considers the power of therapy in a group setting and how it can often lead to the kind of breakthroughs that don’t happen in individual therapy…
Musing on the purpose of life, what brings us together, and what provides some satisfaction, I always return to being with others.
Intersubjectivity - where two subjects meet in a mutual dialogue and discover the importance of learning how to engage in the meeting as a process - is, at times, wonderful and, at other moments,
difficult.
This process of intersubjective engagement is worth examining, as well as having the wish and ability to learn the subtleties that move the dialogue or contact one way or the other.
Sartre has a view on meeting 'the other', which to a degree emphasises his view on humanity, which is negative. I have no intention of going in that direction here, but Sartre had a deep interest in freedom; ‘the other’ takes away our freedom to move and be as we wish. To what extent we allow that to happen or let the other have their freedom is interesting for ourselves and others around us and often a challenge. I could find life difficult when I do not get my way, or maybe the difficulty is knowing how to get my way after learning that there is no point in ever trying. The intricacies and subtleties of how this occurs are intriguing and usually connected to past experiences.
The phenomenological examination of the process of intersubjectivity is a wonder that, as a Gestalt therapist, I was taught and, as a philosopher, I have learnt from. Phenomenological examination examines individual experience moving toward the world and then engaging with objects and subjects. A phenomenological examination is the ‘how’ of the process as an experience that can illuminate the essence of actions or reactions that help us understand who we are and how we got to where we are. The unfolding that occurs as a discovery can shed light on many of the patterns and habits William James said in 1890 makeup 99 per cent of human behaviour; there are many habits within intersubjectivity.
The essential ingredient in therapeutic sessions for a Gestalt therapist is how we meet in a relationship.
The uncovering of the feelings and habits that are present when we meet each other and how we engage in this process is available for investigation in a one-to-one therapy session. There are fundamental opportunities in most sessions for uncovering and learning about all the subtle patterns that are present and have been utilised possibly without awareness; patterns that have been learnt from situations where there has been a necessity to use those patterns but now with a change in the environment are no longer needed. One to one therapy is an excellent place to start.
Now, I have come to the essence of this writing, and the essential questions I am moving towards are what stays hidden and how change can be best served.
Group therapy is one opportunity that can look at those questions. I learnt very quickly when I engaged in group therapy the many issues that remained covered during all my years in individual therapy. Going back to Sartre and 'the look', in group therapy, it is multiple looks, and a different feeling and response is needed in that situation that is not usually present in one-to-one work, all of which can be challenging.
There is an opening to the views of others and my views on them, and there are multiple opportunities to come together.
Richard Dennison is an experienced Gestalt Therapist, over 15 years experience. He sees individuals, couples and groups in Exeter, Bristol and Bath.
