The Society for Existential Analysis Hermeneutic FEBRUARY Circular 2014 HERMENEUTIC CIRCULAR FEBRUARY 2014 CONTENTS From The Editor 3 When The Penny Drops By Charlotte Heckscher 28 Committee Members 4 A Meditation On Love And Fear By Emma Wilkinson 29 Placebo By Charlotte Heckscher 30 Report From The Chair 6 Poems: Resilience By Ali Ross 31 A Referral to Adult ADHD Services For Diagnosis: 7 Maturation In Anxiety By Mehrshad Arshadi An Existential Phenomenological Perspective By Christos Christophy Authenticty and Bazzano By John Rowan 32 Book Review: ‘Sexuality and Gender for Mental Health 33 Reflections On Being Granted The Hans W. Cohn 8 Professionals – A Practical Guide’ by Christina Richards Scholarship By Iro Ioannou and Meg Barker By Rosemary Lodge Application of Logotherapy With Refugees 9 Second Impressions Of My First SEA Conference, 34 By Mehrshad Arshadi By An Aging Novice By Martin Barber A Conversation Between Diana Mitchell 12 News From The New School 35 And Ernesto Spinelli Society of Psychotherapy Programme 2014 35 The Sparkly Slippers: Exploring The ‘Chosen Past’ In 23 What I Offer As An Existential-Phenomenological 36 Existential Therapy By Betty Cannon & Reed Lindberg Psychotherapist? By Jonathan Hall Becoming An Existential Therapist By Emmy van deurzen 26 Crossword 38 The Society for Existential Analysis Publicity Officer Claire Marshall BM Existential Committee Member Mike Harding London Committee Member Digby Tantam WC1N 3XX Tel: 07000 394783 UKCP Registration Officer Donna Billington www.existentialanalysis.org.uk Secretary Natasha Synesiou The SEA is a Registered Charity No. 1039274 Treasurer Paola Pomponi SEA Contact Details Webmaster Haran Rasalingam Newsletter Editor Susan Iacovou Existential Analysis Editors Prof Simon du Plock, Dr Greg Madison Newsletter Design & Production Katrina Pitts Chair Dr Pavlos Filippopoulos Change of Address Please note, it is members’ responsibility to let us know of a Northern Discussion Group Organisers change of address. If you have not notified us we will not be Meg Barker and Helen Spandler able to send out a second copy. You will of course be able to Conference Organisers Murray Blacket, Natasha Synesiou buy a second copy. Practice Matters Derek Bean Disclaimer Distribution & Marketing Martin Adams Views expressed in this Circular are those of individual contributors Hans Cohn Bursary Sarah Young and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or of the Society. Equally, publication of advertisements is not an endorsement Publicity Claire Marshall of the advertiser nor of the products and services advertised. COVER THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.COM PHOTOGRAPH: 2 HERMENEUTIC CIRCULAR FEBRUARY 2014 FROM THE SUSANEDITOR IACOVOU She turned to the sunlight to age and develop. This is an important issue for me as Editor, as it is the final issue of my first full year in the role. It seems And shook her yellow head, to have flown past and I identify with Ernesto when he says that at his age a year seems to take about as long as 3 months And whispered to her neighbor: did when he was younger! We are delighted also to bring you an abridged version of an essay read on Radio 3 recently by ‘Winter is dead.’ Emmy van Deurzen. To have the thoughts of two of the world’s most eminent existential thinkers represented in one issue is A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young truly a privilege. Publishing in the Circular is not just for those with decades of experience, however, and we are equally delighted to give a voice to some new existential practitioners/ philosophers as they offer some thought provoking factual and appy New Year and welcome to the fictional pieces with existential themes. The next Circular is Spring 2014 edition of the Circular. As due out in June, with a deadline for submission of the end of yet, the daffodils have wisely stayed May. So whether you are in training or a seasoned practitioner, below ground, waiting for the mild do consider submitting your pieces. Thank you to all who H weather that signals to them that their contributed this time around. I do hope you find this edition to time has come. For all living things have be varied, provocative and intriguing. their time. This is the subject of Diana Mitchell’s fascinating interview with Ernesto Spinelli, a landmark article that forms the centerpiece of this issue. As Susan Iacovou Ernesto reaches his 65th birthday, he reflects on what it means [email protected] 3 HERMENEUTIC CIRCULAR FEBRUARY 2014 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Pavlos meetings and the AGM. This entails Awarding the Scholarship is dependent on Filippopoulos compiling an agenda, as well as taking funds available, so I maintain contact with and circulating minutes of the meetings. the Treasurer and Committee. I also ensure Chair: I am still I liaise between committee and other SEA that payments are made by the Treasurer new to the role of members, respond to various enquiries when fees are due, and that Scholarship Chair and it is still and, as a trustee of the SEA I uphold information is up to date on the website a learning process. the legal requirements of the Charity and occasionally included in the Circular, So far it has proved Commission, as it applies to the Society. as well as keeping students informed about to be a combination of leading a strong it directly. I am also responsible for asking commitee and carrying the badge of the Murray recipients to write a paper for the Journal Society in a number of Psychotherapy, Blacket and/or give a presentation on their research. Psychology and other fields. (right), Natasha Paola Digby Tantam Synesiou Pomponi Committee Conference Honorary Member: Emeritus Co-organisors: Treasurer: I look Professor at the How do you capture a theme that after the financial University of engages, inspires and engenders real issues of the Society. Sheffield, Director debate for people from many walks of I balance the yearly of Research and existential life? How do you make this accounts, deal with the bank, keep all Deputy Principal at the New School as meaningful as possible, in just one financial documents on file, and help of Psychotherapy and Counselling, day? And how can that day come alive with any queries related to moneys, and co-chair (with Emmy van Deurzen) and make the SEA 2013 conference a receipts and payments. of the forthcoming World Congress of memorable one? These are just a few of Existential Psychotherapy to be held the questions we hope to answer as Ursula Berghaus in London in May 2015. Conference Co-organisors. Committee Member: More on this Claire role in the next issue. Marshall Derek Bean Practice Matters: Paul Silver-Myer Publicity Officer: Practice Matters Membership Secretary: I send annual I am responsible provides a space on membership renewal invitations and for managing and the website for organising provide a receipt and membership card. keeping members information I liaise with Distribution and updated on produced by the SEA, creating and Marketing, and the Circular Editors, professional practice matters. It is also disseminating relevant information, provide membership details to the planned to create a wider forum for developing the branding, promoting Registration Officer and Therapist List looking at and sharing concerns, issues interdisciplinary connections, Co-ordinator, and update the Treasurer and interests, focusing on existential maintaining the SEA’s profile amongst on fees received. Keeping an overview of psychotherapy as applied and as a working students as well as other public changes in member numbers and attending life. Watch out for further information or relation matters. to membership related queries and contact me at practicematters@ feedback is also part of my role. Mike Harding existentialanalysis.org.uk. Committee Susan Member: As the Sarah Young Iacovou former Registration Administrator, Hans Editor, The Officer of the SEA, W. Cohn Hermeneutic I am now the Scholarship: I am Circular: The Committee Member responsible for Hermeneutic responsible for registering ADEP sending out the Circular has gone graduates and other suitably qualified Scholarship from strength to strength under the practitioners for first-time registration application form and liaising with readers stewardship of previous editors and I with the UKCP. of completed applications (usually past hope to continue their good work. My recipients). The subcommittee of readers role is to encourage students, qualified Natasha Synesiou includes the Chair of the Society, so I keep practitioners and everyone interested Secretary: I coordinate monthly committee him/ her informed of any applications. in existential philosophy and 4 HERMENEUTIC CIRCULAR FEBRUARY 2014 psychotherapy to contribute articles, Psychotherapy at Metanoia Institute copies of Existential Analysis to poems, case studies, workshop reports and Middlesex University. Greg joined members and to people who buy back and adverts to the Circular. Help, Simon in co-editing EA almost six years copies. I also manage the subscriptions suggestions for future features and ago, after returning to the UK from a of EA to academic institutions across the feedback all welcome. brief stint on faculty at a Canadian world. As the book reviews editor I look university. Greg is a psychologist and out for and receive books that would be Simon du psychotherapist with interests in appropriate for review. On many Plock (top) developing an experiential-existential occasions I commission reviews. & Greg model of therapy and concerns about Madison the impact of globalisation and Paul Journal Co-editors: technology on human existence. His EA McGinley Simon du Plock has role includes working closely with the Representative to co-edited Existential whole journal team in our attempts to the Constructivist Analysis (EA) since produce two coherent high-quality and Existential 1993. He has worked publications a year. College: closely over this My role as period with Martin representative of the SEA on the Professor Ernesto Adams Executive Committee of the Spinelli, and Journal marketing ‘Constructivist and Existential Alessandra Lemma, and distribution, College’ is to support the SEA Chair in then with Dr Hans W.