and perhaps more chilling, implication of such record keeping is contained in the actual act of writing down for possible future disclosure to others, as yet unnamed, any meaningful part of what transpires in psychotherapy. It would be hard to imagine a mechanism more antithetical to the creation of the kind of trust and safety required for meaningful psychotherapy to take place.
WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
The problems arising from the trivialization of psychotherapy are the tip of the iceberg. The trivialization of introspection lies below it, with grave consequences for the Titanic of humanity if ignored. No amount of enforcement of current or future environmental laws have a chance of saving the earth in the long run unless a significant percentage of humans have a more immediate and personal experience of a deep connection to other humans in particular and to All Things in general. A similar statement could be made about the possibility that international treaties, tribunals, and organizations will save us from future wars or nuclear holocaust through their ability to impose external constraints on our behavior. As mentioned above, they may heighten our awareness of the problems we face, and they may helpful by starting meaningful dialogue between people who would otherwise be killing each other. However, if such dialogue does not ultimately lead to a greater appreciation of The Other, genocide will merely be postponed. Dialogue combined with introspection can provide the opportunity to genuinely experience “walking a mile in your enemy’s moccasins,” and this experience can in turn open us up to non-violent options for dealing with old hatreds and fears. Anything that facilitates the kind of introspection