These issues come up frequently particularly with my 4th year
psychotherapy students. I get them to read Hellinger, and there is a
lot of reaction. One of the things often discussed is the spectrum of
responsibility. In some kind of sane world, people have to be held
responsible for their actions. The application of systemic thinking
on a linear level can be used to excuse responsibility or even to
blame the victim. This is of course not what we mean, and can be
dangerous. Unless someone is deeply grounded in systemics, they will
take the words and phrases we use and put them into linear thinking.
This is why I am very cautious about talking to clients about
systemic ideas, though I am completely guided by them.
Responsibility is such a rich topic. Everyone is responsible, but are
those with more power more responsible? The answer has to be yes, yet
as we know systemically, all parts of a system have their own power
and thus in some ways their own responsiblity. The common meaning of
responsibility is about allocating blame, an all or nothing affair.
Co-responsibility is less understood, and responsibilty in an
existential sense is beyond the grasp of most people. However, the
principles underpinning existential philosophy - which can be so
empowering in the therapeutic domain - can also be applied in their
own distorted way to focus everything on the individual, and reduce
the context to background. Whereas from a systemic point of view,
context is the main focus, and the individual simply a small part.
The subtlety of our practice I think involves an ability to hold all
these truths at once. Paradox and complexity are however not part of
most public discourses, and so its generally difficult to talk about
such things without ending up in seemingly polarised positions. Thus
I appreciate the depth of the discussion here.
Vinay
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Northern Rivers Gestalt Institute
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NSW, 2480 Australia
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Perceive all conflicts as patterns of energy seeking a harmonious
balance in a whole."
Dhyani Ywhoo, Etoway Cherokee
* GESTALT training in the Northern Rivers:
http://www.gestalt.org.au
* GANZ (Gestalt Australia And New Zealand):
http://www.ganz.org.au
* Prout - an alternative socio-economic vision:
http://www.prout.org
* Follow your life-dream - excellent support from Barbara Sher:
http://www.barbarasher.com
* Health and Healing in Cebu:
http://www.amwellness.org
* Online Gestalt course:
http://www.zurinstitute.com/gestaltcourse.html
