GASi President

Here I am, in the middle of my presidential term. For some reason, I have been remembering climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, 50 years ago. On the way up, we passed through a succession of worlds – deep tropical forest, savanna plains, barren scrublands…then, when the twin peaks of the mountain loom ahead, a space opens up and embraces the advancing climber. A great plain, shrouded in grey volcanic dust and littered with rocks, the size of human heads.  Halfway across this timeless landscape, looking back and looking forward, I felt transfixed – suspended on a vast geological treadmill, where, for hours on end, my puny attempts to progress encountered an unblinking denial of my efforts.

What I most value, in the group analytic encounter, is the emergence of the unexpected voice. We never know where this will spring from: the silent individual, who suddenly gives form to  shared truth; the noisy members, who finds a different register to say what has always been missing from their attempts to express themselves; from oneself, when a thought takes shape, which seems so much of the present that it might never have occurred outside this moment.

When I took on the role of GASi President, one of my motivations for doing so was to find out what voice I might discover, for myself, in taking the role.  It can take time to find a voice, in a new situation. In the early stages, I often felt I had lost mine.

Right now, there is a pressing need for us to listen to new voices, within GASi.  The Online Symposium, which circumstances forced upon us, taught us important lessons about what we can learn from those who are giving birth to group-analytic outposts. It was a joy to find myself in groups with Rwandan, Indian and Palestinian colleagues.  Long-established members may find new voices in these strange times but, most importantly, we need to hear from new members. They have much to teach us about what Group Analysis means, when it is planted in new soil.

I will be pleased to receive messages from members, at gasipresident@gmail.com . The Management Committee needs help to keep in touch with the different circumstances in which members are working and to understand what you are experiencing. We need new people to join our committees and I shall be delighted to discuss what you can contribute.

David Glyn