Getting in touch with desires

Group analysis traces the individual's difficulties back to early relationships, but could it be used to tackle society's larger problems?

DESPAIR, DIALOGUE, desire. These three words are both the theme and the title of an international conference on a type of therapy known as group analysis which will be held in Dublin this summer.

Group analysis is a form of psychotherapy which traces the individual's psychological difficulties back to earliest relationships within the family which have in turn been shaped by the social, political and physical environment. The therapeutic group (which usually meets once a week for 90 minutes) aims to provide a place and space for people to identify their difficulties and work through their confusions, so that they can rediscover their authenticity and restore balance in themselves and their relationships.

The conference title itself goes right to the core of why people turn to group analysis, according to group analyst Jude Bowles. "Despair is something we all know about and in group analysis, we use dialogue to work with and through despair to come to a place where we can be in touch with our desires."

However, behind this neat synopsis lies a lot of exploration of poor communication patterns, unresolved personal issues, unhappiness, isolation, anger and sadness.

Bowles suggests that many people swallow their own needs. "Many people feel they are not heard and that their wishes and needs are not worthy of fulfilment. And sometimes, what happens then is their need for fulfilment gets displaced onto unhealthy behaviours."

Group analysis takes a psychoanalytic approach and views addictions as a defence mechanism which prevents us from getting in touch with our deepest desires, often because of a fear of failure.

Liam Breen originally came to group therapy to help him cope with the challenges of his job as a social worker. "I worked with a group of men who were violent and I began to see the violence as a much broader issue. I began to see that the roots of conflict were in despair and that the pain of this was turned into addictive, violent or self-destructive behaviour."

Breen has since begun to train as a group analyst to explore further the subconscious terrain that results in such problematic behaviours. He is currently facilitating a women's group with people who have never been in group therapy before.

"One woman said to me that coming to the group is the best part of her week. It gives her a space to share the pressure and distress of daily living and a chance to say things to other people who can recognise and accept what she's saying."

Group therapy in all forms - from the global network of open weekly sessions of Alcoholics Anonymous to specific therapy groups for bereavement, panic, anger management or separation and loss - is best known for its focus on the personal.

Yet, some approaches also focus on organisations and businesses.

Belinda Moller, a trainee group analyst, has a particular interest in the effectiveness of organisations. "In many organisations, it is very difficult to name the conflict. For instance, in Irish society there is currently a conflict around the role of the health professional who was traditionally a vocationally driven carer and now has the desire to be a professionally recognised service provider."

According to Moller, the public is also conflicted around these issues, making it difficult for the health sector to move forward. She argues also that only by teasing out these problems and looking closely at management styles and practices can people work better together.

"Different management models are far more to do with fashion and currently we are seduced by the large strategic corporate model," she says.

When working with organisations, group analysts encourage people to build on their capacity to think and listen rather than move into action as a means of protecting themselves from emotional distress of problems within the organisation.

"In many workplaces, there is a resistance to connection and trust at a deeper level. People are more likely to trust their roles or tasks which prevent them from trusting each other as individuals," says Moller.

Group analyst David O'Brien suggests that the current workplace is a lot more stressful than in the past: "There is a lot of paranoia, competition and depression in organisations and the pressure around survival is quite extreme."

He says that the international conference itself will give insights into what issues society is currently dealing with. "Particularly, it will be interesting to see what the large group sessions in the conference will throw up. Often, in these sessions, you get access to the primitive fears that society is trying to manage and suppress," he says.

• Despair Dialogue Desire, the 14th European symposium in group analysis takes place in Trinity College Dublin from August 18th to 22nd. Among those in attendance will be psychoanalyst Lord John Alderdice and Mexican psychoanalyst Dr Juan Tubert-Oklander. An experiential programme will also give participants the opportunity to join in daily small, medium or large groups to respond personally to the conference theme. Log on to www.dublin-gas-symposium.com or tel: 01-2969392 or 01-2969393.