Synopsis
Time is the insistent nattering monkey on my shoulder; one that is preoccupied with the nature of endless time when we say “time stands still”, and those episodic temporal events that seem here one moment and gone the next. With this in mind I bookend the chapter with two images: Norwegian midnight sun and the Northern Lights, to touch on our temporary temporal occupation of this planet. In the body of this chapter an image of dwarfed human habitation suggest another context.
Preoccupation with time predates Parmenides but only infrequently becomes the focus for therapy. Ideas about “time-limited” therapy can obscure the importance of the quality of time experienced: we see as if with “eyes wide shut”. Both statements are true; “We know what time is” and “We don’t know what time is”.
This chapter explores the importance of a temporal perspective in therapy, paying attention to ritual and time; ritual in therapy; therapy as ritual, as well as the spaces in between in moments of change. The often ignored “liminal” as a-temporal space for change opens alternatives that are non-specific to any particular model of therapy.
After reflecting briefly on psychodynamic and systemic models, and life cycle and transgenerational frameworks, the value to clinicians of exploring temporal perspectives from philosophy and anthropology is discussed. This creates a unique perspective on time in therapeutic healing, considering what is common to good practice and unique for each individual.
Hugh specialised in becoming a generalist as a psychotherapist, both in drawing on a range of therapeutic models as a way to avoid “orthodoxy” and in working with a whole range of presenting problems. His therapy is based primarily on the quality of the relationship between therapist and patient from which to begin. In his early practice this was in the community with families facing multiple disadvantages. He has lead or been extensively involved in training programmes in Hungary, Romania, and Singapore.
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Notes
- 1.
Liminal comes from the Latin, limen meaning threshold. It is that place which is in neither space, betwixt and between. The Roman double-headed god, Janus, who looks in both directions, is the god of doorways. Hence subliminal; below the threshold. Liminal is an important concept for this chapter.
- 2.
BMW is a simple three-part ritual I created for her to help deal with moments of panic and dissociation that involves breathing (B), a personal mantra (M), and writing down (W).
- 3.
…tout sacrifice répète le sacrifice initial et coïncide avec lui. Tous les sacrifices sont accomplis au même instant mythique du commencement; par le paradoxe du rite, le temps profane et la durée sont suspendus. … dans la mesure où un acte (ou un objet) acquiert une certaine réalité par la répétition de gestes paradigmatiques et pas cela seulement, il y a abolition implicite du temps profane, de la durée, de l’ “histoire”… (Eliade <CitationRef CitationID="CR39" >1969</Citation Ref>, p. 49–50).
- 4.
A complex ritual interweaving past, present, and future to stop nightmares that had plagued the patient for over 40 years is described in Jenkins (<CitationRef CitationID="CR67" >2013</Citation Ref>: 262–265).
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Jenkins, H. (2016). Time: An A-Theoretical Framework for Therapy and Healing. In: Borcsa, M., Stratton, P. (eds) Origins and Originality in Family Therapy and Systemic Practice. European Family Therapy Association Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39061-1_4
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