‘Conflict resolution? No thanks, I prefer peace…’

When peace broke out on Christmas Eve in 1914 on the Western Front, it had nothing to do with conflict resolution. Soldiers exchanged gifts with the enemy, sang carols and played football together in no man's land. How such peace can come about and its relationship to conflict is the subject of this blog. ‘Break … Continue reading ‘Conflict resolution? No thanks, I prefer peace…’

The double betrayal at the heart of becoming a psychotherapist

This blog is about the implicit betrayal of traditional psychotherapy training, and how it lays the ground for a further necessary and explicit betrayal on the part of the nascent psychotherapist. The traditional route to becoming a psychotherapist involves several years - usually five - spent in training, hundreds of supervised practice hours, years of … Continue reading The double betrayal at the heart of becoming a psychotherapist

The value of being eaten and other ‘dark arts’

I recall, during my initial psychotherapy training at the Whittington Hospital in North London, the day I had to choose a supervisor. My tutor read out the names of several candidates, many of whom sounded exotic to me. He gave us little detail unless a group member enquired further. One person, in particular, stood out. … Continue reading The value of being eaten and other ‘dark arts’

‘I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar…’

Psychotherapy is a conversation between two people who are both willing to become inarticulate. This can happen when trying to say something not yet thought, when experiencing ourselves in a new way, or as a new paradigm emerges. It can also be due to the limitations of language and grammar, or our grasp of them. … Continue reading ‘I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar…’