The psychotherapy group is often portrayed with a maternal image and the conductor who relates to the group frequently has a maternal role. In the experience of group members, merging and separating and associated fears of annihilation resemble those of the mother—child couple in their individuation process. Structures and self-images change and in each context there may be fears of engulfment, intrusion or abandonment. This paper considers these psychosocial changes as having some analogy to changes in our physical and biological environment and reviews analogies in traditional shamanic practices and group primordial experience.
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