We all go astray

Radical = Psychology
Volume Seven,=20 Issue 2

We all=20 go astray

Leon Redler [*]

Introductory Comments on=20 =E2=80=98Recovery=E2=80=99

What=E2=80=99s in a = word?

I want to comment on the title=20 of our panel, =E2=80=9CTaking Recovery Seriously=E2=80=9D, by taking, = and inviting you to take, the word =E2=80=98recovery=E2=80=99 seriously = and to question it=20 thoughtfully.

What are we really talking about when we speak = about=20 =E2=80=98recovery=E2=80=99 in the context of = =E2=80=98madness=E2=80=99? In a loose, imprecise way, = we=E2=80=99re=20 meaning a return to a prior level of relative well being, or to a less = disturbed=20 and/or disturbing way of being, that had been disrupted. We speak of = what had=20 disrupted our earlier condition as a breakdown, illness, psychosis, = existential=20 or spiritual crisis or have other ways of naming, understanding or = framing the=20 origins and nature of the distress. We might even be = =E2=80=98recovering=E2=80=99 from treatment received, = =E2=80=98iatrogenic=E2=80=99 troubles, as=20 well as from ways we=E2=80=99ve been treated, or mistreated, by any = others in relation=20 to us.

When framing the return (if it is one) as = =E2=80=98recovery=E2=80=99, what is=20 inside and what=E2=80=99s left outside the =E2=80=98frame=E2=80=99? Is = that framing (=E2=80=98recovery=E2=80=99)=20 adequately respecting and doing justice to the multiple contexts in = which these=20 phenomena come to be and unfold? I think not.

Do we ever get back = to the=20 pre-existing (i.e., pre-morbid, pre-distress, pre-disrupted) state or = situation?=20 Can we get back to quite where we were or who we were, as though = we=E2=80=99d had a=20 fixed identity and place that, post-distress, we were taking up once=20 again? I think not.

Were not the seeds of the later = disturbance=20 present in what we, perhaps naively, self-deceptively and/or mistakenly, = considered the earlier state of =E2=80=98well being=E2=80=99? I think = they were. And, if so,=20 wouldn=E2=80=99t =E2=80=98recovering=E2=80=99 that leave us again = vulnerable to further and perhaps=20 unnecessary distress and disruption of our lives? I think that it = would=20 and
I therefore question the usefulness and validity of word = =E2=80=98recovery.=E2=80=99=20

We can benefit from being more thoughtful about this widely = used,=20 =E2=80=98common sense=E2=80=99 and well-intentioned, but I think = misleading, term. Many funded=20 projects are based on =E2=80=98recovery=E2=80=99. That=E2=80=99s a = practical, but only a short term, obstacle to = reconsidering our use=20 of the word and finding better ways of saying what we mean that are more = in=20 accord with how things really are.

I know we have the potential to learn from deep = disruptions of=20 our lives, the potential to wise up, mature, open heart and mind and = deepen our=20 ways of being ourselves, with others, given good enough conditions for = that to=20 occur. But that=E2=80=99s saying more than the word recovery implies.

Perhaps=20 paradoxically, given all of the above, I suggest, in the text that = follows, that=20 most of us (humankind, beyond any Us and Them) may need to = =E2=80=98recover=E2=80=99 use of, but=20 really un-cover, awaken to and = connect with, an inherent potential = for=20 well-being which we seem out of touch with (to a greater or lesser = degree).=20 Releasing such potential would benefit us individually as well as help = us all=20 better understand and responsibly respond to each other and to the = prevailing=20 madness of the day.

Our shared world is in many ways dysfunctional. That=E2=80=99s = evident to almost all of=20 us as we watch (in October of 2008, as I prepare to submit this paper), = the=20 effects of the breakdown and near (metaphorical) = =E2=80=98meltdown=E2=80=99 of an irresponsible=20 world financial system and the potentially more profound and = devastating, actual=20 meltdown of our glaciers or icecaps, a function of our unwise, = short-sighted and=20 irresponsible care-taking of our planet earth. In this shared world we = find=20 ourselves in, or may come to find ourselves in, the thoughtfulness, uncovering and releasing alluded to offer us sound and radical ways forward.=20

We All Go = Astray

I want=20 to =E2=80=98perform a = composition=E2=80=99 consisting of=20 a =E2=80=98Prelude=E2=80=99 and 4 =E2=80=98Movements,=E2=80=99 as my way = of addressing the matter of madness,=20 civilisation and social justice, while taking =E2=80=98recovery=E2=80=99 = seriously.

Prelude

O Freunde, nicht diese=20 T=C3=B6ne!
Sondern la=C3=9Ft uns angenehmere
anstimmen, und=20 freudenvollere!

Oh friends, not these=20 tones!
Let us raise our voices in more
pleasing and more = joyful=20 = sounds!

Let=E2=80=99s = hear Beethoven=E2=80=99s=20 introduction [1] to = Schiller=E2=80=99s=20 Ode to Joy as a prelude to = various=20 allusions to voice, vocation and callings.

My involvement with the Philadelphia = Association=20 began at Kingsley Hall (a place where Ghandi had once stayed), in = London,=20 in 1965. My informal apprenticeship with R D Laing, based at = Kingsley Hall=20 and at Ronnie=E2=80=99s consulting rooms at Wimpole St., was primarily = concerned with=20 inquiring into ways of radically understanding and responding to =20 =E2=80=98madness=E2=80=99.

The prevailing understandings, = approaches and practices of=20 the medical-psychiatric establishment of the day (and context of my = prior=20 psychiatric training in the USA) seemed unthoughtful, harmful in diverse = ways=20 (including but not limited to the harmful =E2=80=98side effects=E2=80=99 = of treatment), and=20 ignorant and/or disrespectful of the complexity and singularity of the = life=20 situations of the patients it attended to.

Could a=20 phenomenological approach, bracketing preconceptions about = =E2=80=98mental illness=E2=80=99,=20 free of reductive, objectifying psychiatric thinking and rejecting = psychiatric treatments seeking to control experience and behaviour, = also =20 encourage the opening up and healing of hearts and minds and invite each = person=20 to find his or her own voice, joyfully if and when possible? =

For=20 some of us, whether designated =E2=80=98mad=E2=80=99 or not, the journey = of finding one=E2=80=99s own=20 voice, and vocation, and becoming aware of the=20 constrictions of heart and mind, and possibilities for release, can be a = long=20 and difficult one, as it certainly has been for me.

What might be = the=20 best ways and means of opening our hearts and minds? Looking back then, = from=20 now, there were basic first = principles=20 that informed what made the PA network a good one for me to be involved = with,=20 even if I could barely realize them at the time.

Ronnie Laing = kept=20 returning, and re-turning = others, to=20 these as best he could. I would now=20 articulate these as including:

Being mindful, with a relaxed = vigilance=20 and aspiring to embody that awareness

Putting ourselves in=20 question

Releasing or letting go of what we=E2=80=99ve realised = as unnecessary=20 physical, mental or emotional tensions

Finding the skilful means = for=20 putting all these in to practice

And perhaps first and = foremost=20 among the first principles, and arguably both the easiest and most = difficult to=20 embody, taking to heart St. Augustine=E2=80=99s advice: Love . . . and do as you will.

First=20 movement

=E2=80=98Beethoven=E2=80=99s=20 last musical thought=E2=80=99

One day, listening to BBC = Radio 3 in London,=20 I heard of a brief letter that Beethoven wrote to Karl Holz (a trusted = friend=20 and 2nd violinist in the quartet that played Beethoven=E2=80=99s late = quartets) in=20 December, 1826. He closed his letter with a four-measure, two-part canon = accompanied by the text: "Wir irren alle samt nur jeder irret anderst" = which BBC=20 presenter translated as: =E2=80=9CWe all go astray, but each in our own = way.=E2=80=9D=20

Whatever Beethoven may have had in mind, I am going to take the = liberty=20 of making use of that sentence in my own way, even while acknowledging I = might=20 be going astray from his understanding and/or meaning.

=E2=80=9CWe all go astray . . = .=E2=80=9D

Do we all go=20 astray? Or do just some of = us go=20 astray?

Many of our culture=E2=80=99s predominant institutions = and laws are=20 founded, at least in part, on the notion that it=E2=80=99s just some of us that go = astray, whether=20 because of bad genes, bad morals, bad company or other varieties of bad = luck.=20

Some of us indeed do get stunted, stuck, wounded, wound up and = twisted=20 along the way of life and suffer, and/or are seen to be suffering, more = than=20 others. Features of their suffering include:

Ways of not being=20 ourselves
Ways of not being at home in our own bodies, our breathing = and=20 bodies in disarray
Distracted, me-centred, often divided selves = precluding us=20 from sensitive sensing of the world, including our own hearts and minds, = preventing us from embodying a sense of wonder and = enjoyment.

These=20 features, aren=E2=80=99t well or widely recognised or understood, nor = are profound and=20 radical means of responding responsibly and effectively widely = embraced.
But=20 it seems to me that those features are common=20 to us all, to a greater or lesser extent, and that we all do go astray.

If that = is so,=20 what is it we go astray from?

It seems to me, at least in some = lucid=20 moments, that we are astray from living in accord with a way of being = ourselves,=20 a way whereby all aspects of who we are=E2=80=A6of body, breath, mind, = energy, spirit .=20 . . are in harmony.
Most of us, most of the time, are not living = that=20 harmony.
Most of us are astray in a way that can do with some = re-turning . .=20 . back to basics.

But to speak of how we =E2=80=98are=E2=80=99 = is already misleading. A=20 major feature of our being astray, or of our errant ways, is that we = don=E2=80=99t=20 realise, live and embody the fact that we inter-are, and are inter-dependent.

Awakening = and tuning=20 in to inter-being [2] is = enhanced, as=20 are ways of love, joy and realisation of sublime possibilities, when the = me-centred =E2=80=98I=E2=80=99 recedes, moves well away from centre = court.

Such=20 possibilities aren=E2=80=99t really, and really aren=E2=80=99t, = =E2=80=98my=E2=80=99 possibilities.
=E2=80=98I=E2=80=99=20 can=E2=80=99t do anything to =E2=80=98get=E2=80=99 that way, or get on = the way. =E2=80=98I=E2=80=99 have to, or the =E2=80=98I=E2=80=99=20 has to, get out of the way.

How we live=20 with others helps or hinders our finding our way. How we are with = each=20 other, how we course and inter-course is, of course, of fundamental = importance.=20 That=E2=80=99s obvious, = isn=E2=80=99t it? Yet we seldom live in and with the presence = of awareness of that fact. = That=E2=80=99s obvious too,=20 isn=E2=80=99t it?

There is continuity and connection between our = breathing, body,=20 mind, energy, spirit . . . and how we relate to one another . . . and = the health=20 of the body politic.
Most of us would agree that the body politic = seems to=20 be in fairly poor health, when we consider all concerned. All = concerned=20 are not really well considered.

How bad do things have to get = before=20 each of us is ready and able to take responsibility for what is often = done in=20 our name and/or with our passive collusion?

Is there a radical possibility of something = other? What=20 might be a way, or ways, that might enhance our sense of inter-being, = might=20 enhance our common sense . . . or, should we say, the possibility of a = most=20 uncommon common sense?

For some Christian, Sufi and other = religious=20 mystics, and others embodying teachings of Yoga, Zen, Dzogchen . . = . the=20 way is one whereby one is neither merged nor fused, yet also not = separate from=20 all and everything, . . . not fused, not apart . . . not one, not two . = . .=20

Speaking of this is, of course, already problematic. = It=E2=80=99s beyond our=20 usual notion of experience, which involves a subject of experiencing, = and object=20 of experience and an act of experiencing. That doesn=E2=80=99t, however, = mean that it=E2=80=99s=20 nonsense. It may point to a singular, precious, and freely accessible = gift of=20 non-duality, or non-dual=20 =E2=80=98experience=E2=80=99.

So . . . is that what we go astray = from, or stray from a=20 realisation of what is actually the case, from an embodied knowing of = who and=20 how we inter-are?

2nd = Movement

Then, = The Open=20 Door

Then, at the time of the beginning, the Philadelphia = Association had=20 in it=E2=80=99s literature a motto. After noting the derivation of the = name for the=20 Association from philia, there = translated (from the Greek) as =E2=80=9Cbrotherly or sisterly = love=E2=80=9D, there was a=20 quotation from the Book of Revelations (3:8, Authorized King James=20 Version)
.
=E2=80=9C . . . Behold, I have set before thee an = open door, and=20 no man can shut it . . . =E2=80=9D

(I cite this and later = passages from the New=20 Testament in a non-sectarian spirit.)

What is the =E2=80=98open = door=E2=80=99 referred=20 to? What is it=E2=80=99s relevance to madness and justice?

How = can we create open=20 doors, in practice, such that the opening might especially present = itself to and=20 invite vulnerable others who have had doors shut in their faces or been=20 otherwise defaced? How can we nourish and cultivate a spirit and = practice so as=20 to show an open door and welcome people who are so lost, confused and/or = terrified that they can=E2=80=99t tell an open door from one that is = shut, or see an=20 open door right before them, or see it but may be unable to make the = move to=20 cross the threshold? These are questions that need to be renewed in = every fresh=20 encounter with suffering others.

Now, let=E2=80=99s consider another = New Testament=20 text, First Corinthians, Chapter 13,12-13 (Authorized King James Version), = where the time=20 of 'Then' is yet to come.

=E2=80=9C12. For now we see through a glass, = darkly;=20 but then face to face: now I = know in=20 part; but then shall I know = even as also=20 I am known. 13. And now = abideth faith,=20 hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] = charity.=E2=80=9D (King James=20 translation)

Heinz Cassirer, a man Ronnie held in high regard,=20 translates the passage as follows [3] = :

12. At=20 present our sight of things is one through a mirror which throws them = into bewildering confusion, but there = will be a=20 time when we shall see them face to face. At present my knowledge is one = yielding but partial glimpses, but there will be a time when I shall = know=20 completely, even as God, from the first, completely knew me. 13. = Meanwhile,=20 faith, hope and love endure, these three; but the greatest of them all = is love.=20 (Cassirer, Heinz, 1989. God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation. = Grand=20 Rapids: Eerdmans)

Levinas and=20 the Face of the Other [4]

= For the=20 late and great philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995), my relation = with the=20 =E2=80=98face=E2=80=99 (or call) of the Other calls me to profound = responsibility for her (or=20 him), calls me to ethical relatedness. The Other is singular and the = alterity,=20 or radical otherness, of the Other is precisely what I can never = appropriate or=20 make mine. (It is this singularity, alterity and call that the capital O = is=20 meant to indicate.)

His works are difficult and complex and but = deserve=20 and reward serious readers. His work calls to be included in any = discussion of=20 madness, civilisation and social justice
Might some forms of madness=20 (individual and/or collective) be understood, in an ethical (rather than = a=20 legal) way as involving diminished responsibility, perhaps understanding = the=20 roots of madness in part through considering the genealogy of = responsible=20 responding and relatedness, or lack of=20 it, in the genealogy of the madness considered?

For Levinas, my = very=20 subjectivity is a function of my being subjected to the obligation to = respond to=20 face of the Other, respond with something like a =E2=80=98Here I am, = here for you=E2=80=99. =E2=80=98I=E2=80=99=20 am she or he who responds to the Other=E2=80=99s calling me and calling = on me. I am who=20 I am in being responsible for = the Other.=20 In this matter, as Levinas derives ethics as first philosophy, I am=20 irreplaceable. Nobody else can relieve me of my responsibility. =

He wrote=20 of the trace of God, or goodness, in the face of the Other. We can be = moved by=20 the Other, moved to open our hearts and minds, moved to goodness, moved = to=20 respond in responsibility.

Responsibility for the Other can be = thought of=20 as a centrifugal force, from me outward, in contrast to our ego-centric, = centripetal appropriative moves.

The Other, by calling on me, and = subjecting me to the obligation to respond, gives me an opportunity to = get out=20 of my egocentric prison. That=E2=80=99s quite a good opportunity!

When there = is just=20 the Other, I am ethically obliged to her. But as soon as there is a = third, as=20 there always is (my and the Other=E2=80=99s other others, even if no 3rd = is present),=20 politics and the scales of justice come into play.
The extension of = the=20 ethical relation to and within a wider social and political context can = provide=20 a sound basis for the possibility of=20 justice, of justice that may come to=20 be.

Time and turnings

The accounts and passages = above point=20 to a spirit which some of us may have encountered, at least in passing . = . .=20 unless, of course, it might have passed us by, gone right past us . .=20 .

But =E2=80=98then=E2=80=99 can also refer to=20 what is yet to come:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but = then=20 face to face

At present our sight of things is one through a = mirror which=20 throws them into bewildering confusion, but there will be a time when we = shall=20 see them face to face.

When will that time be?

Surely = it=E2=80=99s got to=20 do with how we live together and treat one another and the possibility, = in a=20 time which may come, of something, yet no =E2=80=98thing,=E2=80=99 = taking us by surprise,=20 transforming how we are.

When egoic =E2=80=98I=E2=80=99 gets out = of the way; when I am he=20 or she who is the one responding to being called, perhaps even prior to = hearing=20 a call; when between us we = find=20 ourselves in our inviting and opening that possibility, that=E2=80=99s = probably on the=20 way to seeing face to face in a time that may come to be.

3rd=20 Movement

Losing = and=20 Finding, Questioning and Putting Ourselves in Question

A = while=20 ago, I saw the Polish Song of the Goat theatre company [5] = perform=20 fragments of The Epic of Gilgamesh. They were performing a complex = weaving in=20 and out of stories, of narrators, of narratives; telling, with passion = and=20 grace, about and birth and death; about the agonies and ecstasies, = conflicts and=20 bonds, of gods, men and women, animals and spirits.

They were = performing=20 a text on a time of creation, of one of the ancient stories of how we = came to be=20 and of the complex fabric of our lives. They were telling us how it was = and how=20 it is, calling on us to remember and questioning who and how we = are.

They=20 reminded me how the threads of the complex and delicate fabric of lives, = or the=20 stories we tell ourselves or are told are our stories, can come undone, = how we=20 sometimes lose the thread, or = the threads and how the texts of lives = may be=20 disrupted.

We (individually and together) can even lose the plot. While such = experiences can be=20 disrupting and disturbing, they just might open up an opportunity = to find=20 ourselves, perhaps even finding ourselves liberated from destructive and = painful=20 repetitions of the plot, a plot that may never even have been = one=E2=80=99s own=20 plot.

There are perhaps modes of telling that help us listen and hear our stories in ways = that help=20 us remember and that may help re-member=20 us as we remember.

Most of us can use re-minding, reminding, for example, = of how=20 short, how impermanent this life journey is; how we get in the way of = letting=20 others be, with love; how when we can=E2=80=99t love, we might = nevertheless try to avoid=20 doing harm; and how we need to learn to distinguish care-fully between = loving=20 and harmful acts.

We need to understand the experience and = diverse needs=20 of others whose lives have been disrupted if we aspire to help them = discover the=20 roots, the radical origins, of their distress that may, in turn, point = toward a=20 more sound way of being who they are.

But how can we co-create, invite and/or = allow such=20 spaces, and optimal conditions (whatever they might be, in each singular = case)=20 for people to unwind, begin to get their bearings, and become more aware = of the=20 pleasures as well as problematics of their being-in-the world-with=20 others?

Who of us can claim to know, and on what grounds claim to know, how to live = even our=20 own lives wisely, compassionately, opening and flourishing in our being = with=20 others in the world?

Who of us can openly and wholeheartedly, = respond=20 to another (who might be a friend, partner, family member, = neighbour,=20 stranger, patient or client) who is terrified, confused, fragmented, = without a=20 sense of his or her articulation with others, lost in psychic and social = space?

How can we come to know and embody the skilful means needed for = the=20 radical understanding of and responsible responding to another is severe = distress?

These are matters that I think we all need to keep = inquiring=20 into, deeply and critically, for the sake of all concerned.

4th=20 Movement

Way-ing

Given that we = all go=20 astray, each in our own way, clearly when we go astray, we need to find = our own=20 way, find our own way of way-ing in relation to others, in our own way, = in our=20 own time.

Just as our way of going astray is singular, so our way = of=20 finding our way needs to be singular.

I think it=E2=80=99s = helpful for each of us=20 to think about how one would like to be treated, or would like someone = we care=20 about to be treated, in the event of severe breakdown, some kind of = crisis in=20 ones being, whether or not there=E2=80=99s reason to think that a = biochemical imbalance=20 or disorder is a primary or contributing factor. Obviously that = will vary=20 greatly for each person and situation, but what would each of us like to = find in=20 an ambiance where we or others sought asylum, refuge relief from = suffering and=20 access to encouragement, guidance, formal therapies or other kinds of = help we=20 might need?

Considering my lessons from the past, learned though = decades=20 of experience relevant to these matters, I=E2=80=99ll outline below what = I take to be=20 key points along the way to keep in mind.

What follows is not = intended=20 as a comprehensive list. One does, of course, need to respond to each = person and=20 situation in a singular manner. But if these points were taken to heart = by a=20 responsible group of people offering asylum and a helping hand to = others, others=20 who are finding their very being in the world with others very = difficult, when=20 others may be finding being with them difficult as well, the chances for = salutary outcomes would be increased and = enhanced.

=E2=80=A2    An=20 authentic welcome to the = household, with=20 clarity about the hopefully thoughtful and minimum requirements for the = safety=20 and well-being of all concerned

=E2=80=A2    Courtesy and respect for the Other=20

=E2=80=A2    Auto-rhythmia [6] : = Inviting and=20 allowing each person to find her or his way, unconstrained by cultural,=20 institutional or familial imposed schedules regarding when and how and = with whom=20 (given mutual consent) one eats, sleeps, gets up, eliminates, goes in or = out,=20 and so on

=E2=80=A2    Discovering how 'bodymind' can = unfold=20 and open when relatively free of outside pressure to conform and = becoming aware=20 of the constraints we impose on ourselves and have habitually = maintained.=20 Clearly there may be times when any of us might be need less freedom and = more=20 containment. But that should, to whatever extent possible, be arrived at = by=20 mutual understanding and consent, with clarity as to the purpose and = time frame=20 of any limiting of someone=E2=80=99s free choices and clarity regarding = what=E2=80=99s at stake=20 and for whose benefit someone=E2=80=99s choices may be=20 limited

=E2=80=A2    Becoming more aware of body, speech = and=20 mind, starting with basic mindfulness of breathing, = noticing =20 patterns of disturbed breathing, learning to let ourselves =E2=80=98be = breathed=E2=80=99 and=20 breathe freely

=E2=80=A2    Observing and acknowledging = whatever=20 thoughts and feelings are arising (as in basic eastern meditation = practices)=20

=E2=80=A2    Unwinding from all the ways = we get=20 twisted, physically, mentally, emotionally; unwinding from being wound = up and/or=20 wounded

=E2=80=A2    Releasing Through = mindfulness of body=20 and mind, learning to release unnecessary tensions, holdings on, = contractions,=20 constrictions, at all levels

=E2=80=A2    Coming to one=E2=80=99s = sense as unwinding and=20 releasing open the way for feeling more, seeing more, perceiving more, = and in=20 more open, relaxed and likely less distorted = ways

=E2=80=A2   =20 Enjoyment -- Beginning = to enjoy=20 what one may perhaps only now be beginning to feel as one=E2=80=99s own = life space, less=20 obscured and constricted and dampened by previous defensive comportments = and=20 manoeuvres

=E2=80=A2    Dwelling and being with -- = Being able=20 to take one=E2=80=99s time, in one=E2=80=99s time, in time shared with = another and others, to=20 dwell, linger, wander, wonder, form diverse kinds of relationships with = others,=20 including Eros [7], = Philia, Agape,=20 different kinds of loving = possibilities

=E2=80=A2    Meeting oneself and others = --=20 Beginning to have a sense of who one is, how one is, and, from that = previously=20 obscured place, meet others.i.e, meet the Other (the singular, = Levinasian Other=20 who calls on us) and the others previously seen very partially and in = distorted=20 ways . . . and finding ways of respecting the needs others also have to = find=20 their way, without impinging on their way

Responding to the face = of the=20 other . . . .and open to the call of the other

Moving toward=20 responsibility . . . responsible for the Other and others

And = toward a=20 justice to come . . .

The houses back Then, in the early days of = the PA,=20 were embedded in a social = network =20 where cultivation and enjoyment of the arts (music, painting, = literature, and=20 lots of in-house theatre!) and learning about and practicing diverse=20 =E2=80=98body/mind/spirit=E2=80=99 disciplines (e.g., yoga, mediation, = martial arts) as well as=20 the psychotherapeutic arts (and their intellectual foundations as well = as=20 questioning
those foundations), were all on our way. Indeed, = they were the way of the PA. But we were = only at=20 the beginning of a long = learning=20 curve.

It seemed to me that the first principles (I spoke of in = my=20 =E2=80=98Prelude=E2=80=99) and some of these points lost their place of = (uncontested) priority in the PA as = it became=20 more of a psychotherapy training and professional organisation, more=20 institutionalised and more involve d with bureaucratic and = administrative=20 compromises.

As psychotherapy and psychotherapists came to play a = larger=20 part in the PA=E2=80=99s houses, those houses also became less readily accessible to people in = acute and=20 severe distress.

Ways and means offering help to people, more at = the=20 heart of the PA in our earlier years, such as arts referred to above, = featured=20 less, or not at all, as psychoanalytic psychotherapy and meetings = convened by=20 psychotherapists became the primary and privileged way of helping = others.=20

A sense of a collective aspiration to cultivate = relationships and=20 activities that could enhance the possibilities of people going beyond=20 provisional limitations and flourishing, shared (more or less) by many = of the=20 people back =E2=80=98Then,=E2=80=99 diminished with moves toward = professionalization. =20

I think what was lost was a passion to inquire into the roots of = suffering and the possibilities for radical and profound healing or = prevention=20 of unnecessary suffering. Intimately related to that, the other side of = the=20 coin, as it were, was a passion find=20 authentic ways to celebrate, in a non-sectarian way, what=E2=80=99s been = called the=20 =E2=80=98sacrament of the present = moment=E2=80=99 [8], in = our shared=20 life space and life time.

The chances of =E2=80=98celebrating the = sacrament of=20 the present moment,=E2=80=99 flourishing and going beyond current limits = are diminished=20 by having to fit in with requirements of registration and funding = bodies, with=20 their various codes and rules. It=E2=80=99s not impossible, but it is = difficult and=20 certainly a real challenge

Yet celebrating the sacrament of the = present=20 moment, flourishing and going beyond current limits ought to be our = priority, as=20 they constitute perhaps the greatest gifts we can give each other and = ourselves,=20 Now . . . and Then, in the time =E2=80=98to come=E2=80=99, and to those = yet to come.

They=20 offers us a sound basis for embodied, wise, compassionate and = responsible =20 thought and practice as we attend and respond to the vital matters = of=20 madness, civilisation and social justice that call on us.

Notes

[1] Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No.9, Op.125 = "Choral",=20 4th movement, Baritone Recitative, from introductory words to = Schiller=E2=80=99s Ode=20 written by Beethoven, translation via Classical Music Pages, http://w3.rzbe= rlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven_sym9.html

[2] A term I learned from by Thich Nhat Hahn=E2=80=99s talks = and writings. See=20 http://r= adicalpsychology.org/vol7-2/www.plumvillage.org

[3] Cassirer, Heinz, 1989. God's New Covenant: A New = Testament=20 Translation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans

[4] See = E.Levinas,=20 Ethics and Infinity, Duquesne Univ. Press,1985; L Redler, = =E2=80=9COpen, Empty and=20 Other=E2=80=9D, Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. 1, No. 1, London, 2000; Gans = and Redler,=20 =E2=80=9CJust Listening=E2=80=9D, Xlibris, USA, 2001

[5] http://rad= icalpsychology.org/vol7-2/www.piesnkozla.pl

[6] R D Laing, http://laing= society.org/biblio/audio.colloquies.htm,=20 1987, interview with Dr. D Kelly, London

[7] From = the Greek=20 for erotic love, brotherly/sisterly love and love as compassion or=20 charity

[8] A term R D Laing called to my = attention about=20 30 years ago. He found it in the writings of Jean Pierre de Caussade, in = letters=20 of instruction to the Nuns of the Visitation at Nancy, where he was = spiritual=20 director from 1733-1740. I found this detail via Wikipedia.

Biographical=20 note:

Leon Redler qualified in Medicine in New York (1962) = and=20 left a psychiatric residency there when invited to work with Maxwell = Jones and R=20 D Laing in the UK.

He was apprenticed to Laing for many years,=20 re-searching the sources of our suffering and the possibilities of = profound,=20 ethical and effective responding to our distress. He remains in London,=20 practicing psychotherapy and teaching. Published work includes Just = Listening:=20 Ethics and Therapy, co-authored with philosopher/therapist Dr. Steven = Gans, in=20 2001.

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