My view of psychotherapy in modern time: 17.12.2009

Introduction:
Hello. I am Benjamin Katz, a clinical psychologist from Copenhagen, Denmark. I am 64 years old and I wish to present for you some of my thoughts regarding the near future of both psychotherapy and psychology.

To start with I wish to thank Rob McNeilly for granting me this unique opportunity to join in the first arranged Ericksonian Cyber conference. I view this conference as important symbolic act, showing people how conferences and meetings in the future can be held without using enormous resources on transportation.

My fascination with Milton Erickson´ teaching started in the 70eeth, when I studied psychology in the University of Copenhagen.
His style, innovative methods and capacity to help clients to create life affirming narratives were new in field of traditional psychotherapy at that time.

What fascinated me most was his approach of placing the psychotherapist as an active narrator in the client life story; the narrator who helps the client to find the elements in his life which can be integrated into a motivating and meaningful life story. The idea of capturing the client` fantasy and resources in order to improve his life was what made Erikson a great psychotherapist.

But Erikson was not a God or a semi God. He lived in certain reality and was bound to see human problems and solutions from the perspectives of this reality. He was unaware of the threats we face today due to adverse climate change, global pollution and overpopulation, which will inevitably change our values ,life views and eventually also psychotherapy.

Times are changing and the focus on the well being of a client which is isolated from the problems which we face as species is impossible to keep.
Australia, where this conference is taking place risks losing its coral reefs within few decades. It has already being plagued by draughts, raging fires, storms, over flooding and the extinction of more than 40% of its animal habitat.
This means that the welfare of people cannot any longer be based entirely on the individual micro world and with this I mean work, family, friends and existential questions, since the problems we all face as global citizens affect more and more our private spheres and welfare.

What is my point? Erickosnian psychotherapists like other psychotherapists with different observance, do better by including these new perspectives, which affect our well being in the new ,brutal reality which emerges, into their praxis, if they wish to avoid becoming redundant.

Human psychology must integrate the emerging global demands and necessities of our time in its discipline, including working actively for the prospects of a sustainable future for our tip grandchildren, if it does not wish to become outdated.

2)
Let me go back to Erikcson` exceptional capacity to help clients identify their resources and the life affirming elements in their lives.
This approach appealed a great deal to me and I came to use it as the backbone of my psychotherapy.

I wish to tell you on my childhoods` narrative so you will better understand my view of the emerging psychology and psychotherapy and the elements which I use as building bricks to help create a meaningful narrative in this time.

My own narrative from childhood:
In 1957 launched the Russians a rocket named Sputnik with a dog named Layka in it.
We, the children in a kibbutz in Israel seemed to hear Layka barking up in the star filled night sky.
After long contemplation we, who had some knowledge of ballistic rockets, jet motors, horsepower etc. decided to take the Russian` challenge up and send our home made Kibbutz rocket up to the heavens.
The mission had three main purposes; two practical and one metaphysical, but all with an ideological flavour:
1) To save Layka’s life and free her from captivity.
2) To transcend the force of human gravity. As a child, I was much fascinated by Daedalus´ and Icarus’ bold attempt to break away from the bonds of earthly, dusty life. To defy and challenge our humane mental and physical “Straight jackets” became for me the true extension of ”Great deeds and challenges are what make people great”.
3) To figure out, once and for all, whether or not God dwelled up in heaven, and, if God did, whether He had a better vision than our human made one .In my childhood kibbutz we believed in socialism.
A friend and I studied the basic construction of space rockets intensely. Another friend stole a substance called carbide, which when mixed with water gave us the required horsepower to lift the rocket.
From the kibbutz kitchen we”borrowed” two big and empty conserves tins. The first one had contained green olives, the second one salted cucumbers.
The next step was to find appropriate candidates for our space mission.
We seduced and caught four candidate astronauts, all cats, by using the heads of slaughtered chickens.
The first cat was quickly disqualified, being too big and heavy compared to our rockets’ ballistic capacity.
The second one was – to be honest – either dumb or stoned, without the slightest sense for technical skills.
The third astronaut was somewhat queer. After a short investigation it turned out to be a hedgehog, and was likewise disqualified.
The last cat was the darling of our schoolmaster. Its name was Ben-Gurion. Since Ben-Gurion did not protest too noisily over its destiny, we proceeded to the next stage. In the bottom of the olive tin we laid some old cotton clothes. This tin served as Ben- Gurions’ sleeping and eating chamber, and also as the Instrument Navigating System of the craft.
In the cucumber tin we put the carbide next to a dish filled with water. The two elements would be mixed together in the Count-Down- Phase.
We made a little hole in the bottom of the cucumber tin and threaded a little rope through the hole. We soaked the rope in petrol, which we”borrowed” from a tractor motor.
Now all was ready for the Count-Down. We put Ben-Gurion, who at the last moment became a little apprehensive and protested by scratching the instruments in his chamber. We mixed the carbide with the water, and lit the rope.
With great excitement we watched as the little flame moved slowly into the cucumber tin.
Many years have passed, but I still remember vividly the hard beating of my heart as the flame reached the Combustion Room, the gas in the cucumber tin exploded and up into space our rocket flew. It was a magical moment.
Everything in the rocket functioned perfectly. In a few seconds the rocket reached the height of our house windows (it was a one story house), and the first stage of the rocket departed as scheduled. The only thing on which we hadn’t planned was the fire it started in a nearby field.
The olive tin kept on flying higher and higher towards the vastness of the Universe, but as it came closer and closer to the roof of the house, it became apparent to us that its original speed was dramatically reduced. At that very crucial moment I became a bit uncertain: would our rocket break free of gravity? The rocket shot upward, reaching an altitude a little bit higher than the roof and then another explosion occurred. It was not as big as the first one, but the smell was much fouler. Our spaceship fell on the roof of the house next to the water container.
Shortly afterwards, our astronaut emerged out of his space ship, healthy and in fine shape but a little bit blackened and sooty. He looked at us with a mixture of contempt and indifference, stretched his body in a typical cat movement and crawled down the water pipe and back to earth. We looked at each other, pretending not to care, and went home.
As one might expect there was a final act for this event.
The kibbutz fire brigade captain, who had extinguished the fire in the nearby field, exploded in an impressive tantrum.
The school master was also a bit dissatisfied once he found out that his cat had lost its lust for mouse catching and instead looked for salted cucumbers all the time. But all this was nothing compared to the feeling that we did not accomplish any of our three aims and that I had to lay aside my career as a rocket scientist.
Time went by, and the dreams of a child were aborted by the harsh reality of life. In the following years, many friends and acquaintances perished in the wars between Israel and its Arab neighbours. This blood shedding was seen everywhere throughout the 20th century and the beginning of this century.
Slowly it became clear to me, that dreaming of ascending is not escapism or the enemy of reality; it’s our blessing by opening our minds to new horizons much greater than our all too prevalent rational, greed prone, religious or short –sighted narratives.
It became clear to me, that there is a mighty taboo in our lives, our tacit conspiracy to ignore who or what we really are and can become.
My childhood Narrative has taught me that unless we become much wiser , more farsighted, as to transcend our limits – we will keep on ”setting fields ablaze” and getting nowhere.
How do we create the framework of such uplifting narrative? Basically it is a rather simple task if the therapist can see beyond his own time our evolving, grand journey, and is good at communicating, motivating clients
There are three questions which can help you build up such personal narrative.
Where did I come from? Who am I right now? And where do I go? What are my goals beyond my personal interests ? If these three questions will be answered sincerely – with the active supervision of the psychotherapist- the client will be granted not just a new narrative but a new life perspective.
The narrative I help create together with a client does not comprise only of love, compassion, acceptance, merriments and forgiveness. It is as much a narrative of fighting skillfully against difficult people and burdensome circumstances. It is a narrative of resilience, of defiance against people who try to discourage us or against our own mind which resigns too easily. It is the narrative of the battler – warrior in us, who knows how to fight for a good cause and how to win and prevail. In my book “Global Psychology” I explain this issue more thoroughly.

3) My narrative challenges our freedom to realise our selves without taking in account the broader context of our life, like available resources or pollution. It challenges our institutional stupidity and promotes extended self knowledge.
Our freedom in the Western world is, in my view, based on the premise of “Live and let live”, which means that as long you do not damage me, I will not interfere in your affairs.

Our prevalent notion of oneself as a separate ego enclosed in a bag of skin, (“individualism”) has caused much alienation in our minds towards our selves and our planet.

So what am I to do if your way of living has negative cumulative, yet profound effect on my children and grandchildren prospects for a decent life? We have our freedom to move freely, a fact that has created the car industry and mass travel culture, which are both polluting and strain our ecology to a breaking point. Is this a freedom we should accept regardless its consequences? My point is that “live and let live” has to be bound to down to earth individual obligations and commitments in regard to how much we are allowed to pollute, waste and consume. That means the end of the excessive freedom which we have practiced in the West. That means that our view of the individual is going to change as he will be more than ever bound to common long term goals of global sustainability. As a result, mainstream psychology and its priorities will change and with them our view of the goals of psychotherapy including self- empowerment and- realization. The point is if they will change when the damage is already been done?
My narrative focuses on our worst adversary; Human institutional stupidity.
The Persian Sufi philosopher Jalaluddin Rumi, told the following story that illustrates clearly the impact of human stupidity upon us:
In a lake there were three fish, one wise, one half-intelligent, and the third, stupid.
Some fishermen came by with their fishing nets. The three fish got frightened.
The wise fish evaluated the situation and decided to leave the lake immediately, seeking the safety of the ocean. It didn’t find it opportune to consult with the others, for they were very attached to their lake, and would weaken his resolve to flee. The two others viewed the lake as HOME. The wise fish was convinced that their attachment and lack of knowledge would keep them there.
The wise fish told them “I’m leaving!” It struggled along and, like a deer being chased by the dogs, suffered greatly on its way, but finally made it to the safety of the ocean.
The half-intelligent fish thought: “My guide has gone. I should have gone with him but I didn’t, and now I have lost my chance to escape. I wish I’d gone with him.”
He mourned the absence of his guide for a while and than decided to pretend to be dead. Maybe that would save his life. And he did so, floating on the surface of the water. He was picked up by his tail by a fisherman who spat upon him and threw him on the ground. He rolled over and over again and slid discreetly into the lake.
Meanwhile the dumb fish was agitatedly jumping about, trying to escape the fishing nets. Using his agility and being confident of his cleverness, he was sure that he would escape. But alas, a net caught him, and as he was put on the frying pan. A thought rushed through his head: “If I ever get out of this, I’ll never live within the confines of a lake again. Next time-the ocean! I’ll make the infinite into my home.”

In this metaphorical story, the wise fish is strategic in his view and execution of his plan. It creates new perspectives, horizons and possibilities for itself.
The half-intelligent fish is a short sighted tactician without a clear overview and grand scheme, and its attitude is very risky in dangerous times, as the story points out. And the dumb fish, well, it pays the price for being dumb in a dangerous time. The parallels to our time’s predicaments and how people, institutions, governments, and agencies view them and ignore them are self evident.

How in my narrative I define what is extended self knowledge:
Extended self knowledge is the knowledge which makes you free of self destructiveness in all its various ramifications and destructiveness towards your fellow men and your life conditions on earth. Such extended self knowledge is transformed into long standing efforts for sustainable and evolving future for your grandchildren and grand –grand children. Extended self knowledge implies clear balance in ones´ life between the rights one is granted and the duties and responsibilities for the common good one shoulders.
Deficient self knowledge is manifested when a person knows how he should act on a short and long term basis for promoting these purposes, yet he acts time and again self destructive by harming him self, his fellow men and our sustainable survival by reckless propagation, consumption and generating waste and pollution. His self knowledge is deficient when he acts blind, as if these realities did not exist, and as if he is not a partner in our journey as species in order to survive, prevail and evolve.
When he ignores these things, he is not a free man but a dangerous fool!

4) The narrative goes against escapism and for making a difference.

As psychotherapists we have to offer other ways of viewing our lives than self preoccupation or pessimism –determinism or even blind faith which amputate our greatest gift: The capacity to think, question, contest, test and verify our assumptions and observations.
I learned from bitter ,repetitive experience that life was not meant to give us meaning and that people who believe that life should supply them with such meaning are , in my view, wishful day dreamers. We are supposed to grant our lives meaning, and we are the ones who have always done it out of physical, mental, and emotional necessity. When will we understand this simple truth? And we do it in utter defiance of life’s ultimate silence, and this is how we form it. There is no other way!
Do we sense, looking at the night sky that we are a part of something incredibly awesome and wonderful, a quest more marvellous than most of us imagine?
‘To the stars through difficulty’ is, in my view the essence of the evolving narrative of reflecting, intelligent life.
Only by accepting the role of the reluctant creators of our own lives, we can free our narratives from our own confines, illusions and self deception.
Telling our selves that we are the creators of our journey and its meaning is to gestalt once in a while the miracle, where we can fuse what we are with what we wish to be and into what we must become. This approach alone is will save us from our selve in the long run.

5)
How do you leave an enduring mark?

Leaving an enduring mark in this world before leaving it consumes humanity. However, how do you leave a mark? I my book Global Psychology I introduce Eddie’s dilemma, a representation of countless people who possess self-knowledge and the potential to leave a mark but are self-focused, self-indulgent and passive about their responsibility to our world and future generations.

In the bible, after Adam has tasted the fruits of knowledge, God asks him, “Where are you Adam?” of course, God know where Adam hides, and therefore the meaning of the question is “Now, Adam, that you know who you are and your world as well, are you going to shoulder your responsibilities toward your world?”

The reply to this question and the commitment it implies will determine not only what kind of life each of us shape but also what kind of future humanity will form. I am firmly convinced that man is the creator of all things and all ideas and can accomplish miracles. Nevertheless, man is also bedeviled by opposites, torn by fears of failures, and is prone to self-deception, giving up rather easily and become comfort seeking.

In my last two books I introduced a vision that encompasses not only a new narrative but also practical, social, psychological, and political tasks that, if you carry them out, will leave an enduring mark in our world. It is necessary in our time to raise among us many leaders and people who understand what astringency is all about. Astringency means telling people what they don’t want to hear and leading them where they don’t want to go when it serves their long term goals . It’s not comforting people about their current situation and reas¬suring them it will get better. It’s telling them that the situ¬ation is likely to get worse and that only their collective, goal oriented and farsighted efforts can determine how soon it will start getting better.

6) Why do we sigh in this life?

We sigh because our difficulties and sufferings in this world seem sometimes endless and insurmountable.
This sigh follows us as we realize that human life will always be influenced by troubles, difficulties, ambiguities, battles for survival, great visions, dreams, and painful stumbling. The sigh is created to relieve us in our interaction with that reality, which disappoints us time and again and which we have to recreate time and again.
We also sigh because we are not omniscient or omnipotent, and therefore, our lives cannot be a victory march of free, unbending will.
We sigh because we keep stumbling over our own feet as if we were drunkards while ignoring the imperatives of our own times, even when the strategies to encounter them are visible. I sigh because we destroy our planet—our own garden—when we know all that is needed to know on how to make it sustainable, thrive, bloom, and evolve at the same time. I sigh , but will never yield!