"Psychotherapists" are often considered providers of techniques for relief and improvement of mental and often physical health. The view and position that symptoms have meaning and that their remission alone is not enough to "be well", is, for many who begin treatment, a revelation. Humans need sufficient time to reveal ourselves. To experience the quality and extent of our mental space. But also to determine - perhaps redefine - the ways in which this mental space of ours coordinates, interconnects, intertwines with the mental space of others.
Experience
The mental space, as the conscious and unconscious experience of the Self, includes the body. A space with an infinite possibility of expansion - as an oceanic experience - but also a possibility of crushing - as a claustrophobic experience. As much in the experience of merging with an infinite space as in the claustrophobic experience of the loss of space, there is a loss of the possibility of action. And perhaps the belief that "somewhere" such a space exists, where we feel ourselves together with an optimal sense of self-energy and creativity, leads us to search. Or in the satisfaction of the ambition to find him. We meet in this mental space personal experiences, memories, impulses. But we also meet the Other as a relation of the past, the present and the future. Or as a therapeutic relationship.
Landscape
Mental space is also a landscape of symbols and metaphors. It is a language spoken in dreams, fantasies and slips of the tongue. It is a field of communication of the unconscious in an attempt to bring to consciousness what has been forgotten or neglected. By exploring this language, we can decipher messages. Uncovering the underlying meanings that shape our thoughts, actions and lives.
Archetypes
In this psychic space we also encounter archetypes, collective and social unconscious. These universal motifs and symbols, shared across cultures and times. That touch the deep well of human experience. They reflect the timeless themes and truths that resonate with the universality of our existence. And they bridge gaps between individuals, connecting us on a deeper level.
People
Psychic space is not limited to individuals. It extends beyond the boundaries of the self, intertwined with the social and cultural fabric of our world. Within this interconnection we define the roots of our identity, our relationships and our place in society. By exploring the interconnections and resonances of mental spaces, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. But also of the complex web of human connections that surround us.
Frame
Interactions between individuals and groups of individuals in a group and social context are fundamental to the negotiation of mental space. In group situations individuals are dynamically involved with each other. They are shaped by and shape social dynamics. Group settings provide fertile ground for the exploration of psychic space. In the safe context of the group that ensures support and reflection. In such a context it is possible to negotiate with the interior, relate to others, share and integrate the different aspects of the psychic space.
ID card
Social identity, which is influenced by social expectations, norms and group relations, plays a crucial role in shaping a person's mental space. The formation of identity takes place through a process of identification with social stratifications. Such as gender, ethnicity and social class. These social identities do not only affect the individual's self-concept. They also affect his interpersonal relationships and his involvement with the wider society. Consequently, the negotiation of psychic space is deeply intertwined with the navigation of social identities and their associated roles and expectations.
"Club"
"Group" is not an object of our sensory perception. Sensory receivers, although they can inform us about individuals, are not capable of "telling" us anything about the possible "ties" that exist between individuals. The Group does not have a character of timeless stability, nor does it have any objectively determinable limit, it does not grow, reproduce and decay according to natural laws.
Unity
It is defined as a unity of parts, each of which can, at any time, be separated and regain its full autonomy. There cannot be a group without individuals. Individuals are related so as to "produce" groups, and these relationships are subject to scientific observation and investigation in terms of necessities, drives, individual needs, and group or social approaches to their fulfillment and satisfaction.
Properties
From the very first phases of his development, man shows a tendency to assume the essential aspects of relations with others as constitutive properties of his own mental space. From the beginning, the human being becomes in this process identical - identified - with the behavior and desires of another, in a more or less extensive and stable way.
Subjectivity
Subjectivity therefore, from the beginning, imbues emotion and self-activity. It relocates through the relationships it creates, as another transplant. Initially it is probably almost completely confused, it coexists in a merger. The subject can then progressively distinguish himself from this confusion through his reflective capacity and his own symbolic creativity.
Individuality
Biological individuality therefore coincides with the concept of identity, through the stability of the genetic stock and endowment and the uniqueness of the individual. However, psychological individualization and individuality arise both from subjective components, which are expressed in terms of creative reflexivity, and from relational components, which manifest as continuity with others within one's own internal experiential field and mental space.
Needs
Most groups satisfy unrealistic needs. Any group formed under the pressure of realistic needs invariably tends to acquire emotional characteristics contrary to its realistic goals. It thus becomes a group of Basic Cases -BA D/P/F (WRBion, 1961). This line of thinking highlights not the autonomous subjectivity of the individuals who make up the group, but the polarity of belonging to the group matrix. (SHFoulkes, 1964). There - in the group matrix - the psychic space finds a ground for self-affirmation but also for the dissemination of the primary cultural tradition through "belonging" to new, as well as ancient social groups.
Stability
Any social group reaches a relative stability when, through a series of mutual arrangements, all participants have jointly constructed a relational pattern to which each individual can adequately coordinate. The advantages derived from finding and maintaining a relational "least common denominator" entail the sacrifice of more or less extensive portions of the particular and highly personal characteristics of the psychic space.
*Cover photo: Decorative Paper (1717) The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope.
Dimitris Karamanavis, psychiatrist, psychiatriclarisa.gr