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Arthur Freundlich
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The secret of group therapy is that we can see what other people are doing wrong, while we are unaware of what we ourselves are doing wrong. Without being aware, patients in such a setting help each other. It is comforting to find out that YOU are not alone with your problems.
My role as a therapist was to keep the group active and give insight to patients to solve their problems. The therapist must always protect the weaker patients by not pushing them too fast and creating too much stress. In addition, the therapist must keep patients from wasting time by using"resistance." "Resistance" is anything the patient does to interfere and block the therapy. For example, talking about the weather, talking about the news, and talking about someone else's problems who is not in the group. Also, a patient might ask, "Isn't it true that if we believe in God, it would solve our problems?" This is clever "resistance" for if I say, "No" the patient replies, "Then you don't believe in God." If I say, "Yes" the patient answers, "I'm wasting my time, let's go home." Then the only answer I could give would be, "God works through man." In group therapy, anger may be expressed in many ways. In one case a very wealthy patient complained that her husband wanted to take her to Bermuda on a vacation. Another patient became furious and said, "Why are you complaining when your husband wants to be nice to you? I'm poor and can hardly get enough money to buy food." The poor patient did not discern that the evidently unhappy wealthy lady was having marital problems. A therapist would understand this situation. Group therapy sometimes acts as a catharsis, for while we all have problems, we will in the end be happy with the ones we have, which are not as difficult as those of other patients. (Arthur is a retired psychologist, licensed by the State of Maine. He was Professor of Psychology at Westbrook College and the University of Maine. He also maintained a private practice. Arthur and his wife Eleanor now reside at the Jack Satter House. He has lectured on many psychological subjects.)
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