In this time of the year where we spend more time in the dark and have less connection with the light, we have an opportunity to wonder about the meaning of this phase. Both of the year and also the time humanity is going through. It is a collective liminal time, going through global crises and potential transition to something new, something different. A lot is shifting in the world and in our consciousness. I like to spend time to allow my consciousness wonder in this exploration.
I observe in myslef, in my clients and my group members as well as my communities, a sense of wrestling with the container, checking whether the containment we have taken for granted still fits us. As a therapist, I like to provide a spacious container, in which fire, emotions, insights can combust. Creative energies have the opportunity to bubble up, co-mingle, and be expressive and creative. In groups and individuals today I see a reckoning with our inner energies, with our aspects that we used to think were binary. Today we see them as qualities on a continuum. Gender is one example and its expression through men, women and the various gender expressions of the human body and psyche. We are looking inside and are curious about our personal identities and expressions. The freedom to do so is a precious gift of life, not to be taken for granted.
Group therapy: The love I experience in group work shows me that we can see in our fellow humans, aspects of ourselves that we cannot or do not want to see in ourselves. Other group members help us identify our blocks to seeing these aspects and if we succeed removing those blocks, we become fuller, more wholesome humans with access to the shadowy and lighter sides of ourselves, enjoying a greater capacity for life. This helps our way on our individual journey as well as creating supportive, engaging communities. My hope that this, in turn, also help us more and more to see how larger societies and global dynamics mirror this holistic view of our inner and outer world.
