Group Therapy: Change Your Relationships for the Better
When it comes to group therapy, a wide range of theory and practice has developed over time. Many great minds have pioneered its existence, allowing for a space that cultivates people’s thoughts, feelings, identities, and interpersonal relationships. The group discipline of the mental health field is now over a century old, originating in the late 1800’s.
One of the most influential voices in the development of this work was Dr. Louis Ormont, a psychologist from New York who’s background came from a psychoanalytic framework. He began running groups in the 1950’s, and introduced techniques that would enhance the ways clinicians approached treatment for decades to come. He also contributed several publications to the field of psychology - specifically, his book “The Group Therapy Experience: From Theory to Practice”, has been increasingly revered and studied by mental health professionals over time.
Ormont highlighted the innate immediacy that exists in a group, in that members are able to engage in and reflect on their dynamics in real time. This is an important piece that is unique to the group experience. Not only are members able to learn from and explore their own patterns of behavior, but also witness and learn from those around them. Each interaction is a new opportunity to unlock deeper inner resistance and healing of past trauma. To do so, members focus their awareness on the here-and-now, get clear on what is ailing them, hold themselves and others accountable, learn to move forward, and increase their inner peace.
Ormont explained that this type of immediacy means group therapy will inevitably be more direct than individual therapy. To him,
issues that are interpersonal in nature are best addressed through interpersonal care.
The group itself represents a microcosm of the outside world, and how members interact within it is often representative of how they engage with those in their outer personal life.
Beyond increasing social skills, Ormont believed that the gold to be found in group was changing long-term patterns of behavior that may be holding members back and no longer serving them. This is because people are truly able to move awareness into choice, which leads to power in their own lives. As a result of this, he postulated that the group itself is the vehicle for change, not the therapist. What happens between members is magic that can only happen in the present moment, and the therapeutic relationships built are the most effective tools for healing. It is important to remember that with all of this will come challenging moments as members explore themselves. However, this also means that there will be the space for and support from the community around you.
Another important aspect of group work that Ormont brought to prominence was the power that saying something in front of a group of people has. He posited that this holds more power than saying something to a single person because there are more hearts and ears holding one accountable. This unavoidably increases our opportunity and bandwidth for change as we explore our working edges.
As members develop and maintain personal goals, bolster meaningful relationships, learn to healthily express their emotions, increase self awareness, make more choices that align with their aspired sense of self, and discover helpful resources within and outside of the group - their quality of life increases. We can all benefit from being seen and heard in a society that sometimes makes it tough to truly meet each other where we are at. When was the last time that you shared and were really listened to?