Chair's Bulletin
17 April 2009
This week I was interviewed for an article on the Slow Down London campaign. As the campaign's website explains: 'Slow Down London is a new project to inspire Londoners to improve their lives by slowing down to do things well. Slow Down London will hold a campaign and festival (24 April - 4 May 09) offering ideas and opportunities to help us challenge the cult of speed and appreciate the world around us.'
From conversations we have had with many practitioners, the notion of regulation and other government initiatives seems a long way removed from the immediacy of the work we do in the consulting room. Perhaps part of the reason for this is that we offer a space in which time takes on a different meaning. Trust and safety are based on not only being in the presence of a professional, and trust is an essential requirement for change. The connection between the idea of slowing down and the way we relate as individuals and groups is about the level of control that we need to feel safe as we travel faster.
If getting 'somewhere' is our main goal, then speed is of the essence. The way we achieve that speed is to make sure we have a clear track on which to travel. Keeping the track clear of impediments and threats is essential to getting there. This drive to get there is linked to the notion that if we are going in the right direction we will control the anxiety that makes us feel unsafe. The paradox is that the anxiety we are trying to control is displaced by a greater sense of threat by others and a persistent sense of loss. All of these forces are exacerbated by being sold the idea by the corporate world and governments that if we are to maximise speed and safety we have to have rules and laws to make sure we are safe and that those who threaten us will be prevented by doing so because of the threat of punishment.
Obvious failures can be seen in government, FSA, banking and public systems which are creating chaos in the current financial market. Other failures in health care, social care and the justice system are self evident. Could slowing down and relying on relationship as the governing ethos give us better outcomes?
UK Council for Psychotherapy | Registered Charity No. 1058545 | Company No. 3258939 Registered in England
