Group analysis in the Vale of Soul-making: Rethinking the therapeutic relationship 1

Abstract

This article tries to flesh out an intuition: that psychotherapy (group or individual) is better thought of as a kind of soul-seeking and soul-making (Keats), rather than the more usual description of ‘treatment’. It is the mortal, perishable soul that is being spoken of.

I will call on Ian Suttie, Raimond Gaita and Martin Buber, to argue that the values of ‘analysis’ — neutrality and detachment — has the potential to subvert the therapeutic project. I will argue that the therapeutic encounter takes place in the realm of I-Thou, and this necessitates the therapist to be engaged (rather than detached), transparent (rather than opaque) and responsive (rather than impassive). But because such moments are rare and cannot be bidden, the ethos of I-Thou signals a direction of travel rather than a place of arrival. I conclude that what is required is a reconfiguration of the relationship between one-who-tries-to-help and the ones-who-come-for-help.