Born in ’47

A personal journey through the changing zeitgeist of psychotherapy in Aotearoa

  • Rod Sandle
Keywords: groups; erotic bonds; vagina dentata; phallus; zeitgeist; ego; self; relationship.

Abstract

Just like a personal ego, the zeitgeist of a practice such as psychotherapy is constantly changing, influenced by both internal and external events. As with the personal ego, not only is it changing but it is also resisting change, leading to a state of imbalance and potential conflict. A psychotherapeutic relationship can help an individual re-establish balance in the changing world and live more fully in the present, but the relationship with an organisation or group can be more challenging. Just as we can identify with our ego, so can we identify with a group: does the onus fall more on the individual or the group to adapt, both to change and to the resistance to change? What can help in this process of adaptation? With the Freudian concept of the erotic bonds of love and hate in the background, I will call on my personal story as a psychotherapist born in the year the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists (NZAP) was founded, with the aim of exploring these questions with a focus on the changing zeitgeist of NZAP.

Author Biography

Rod Sandle

Rod Sandle, a Certified Bioenergetic Analyst, Transactional Analyst and member of NZAP for thirty-eight years, has a long interest in the relationship between individuals and the groups to which they belong. In recent years he has sought to deepen his understanding of the nature of this relationship with regard to sexuality, spirituality, aggression and creativity, and the way in which psychodynamic theory helps with this exploration. His understanding of time is informed by the myths of Oedipus and Maui and the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

Published
2022-12-30
How to Cite
Sandle, R. (2022). Born in ’47: A personal journey through the changing zeitgeist of psychotherapy in Aotearoa. Ata: Journal of Psychotherapy Aotearoa New Zealand, 26(2), 11-24. https://doi.org/10.9791/ajpanz.2022.07