This week has been a time of learning from he wisdom of elders. Deep in the woods of Connecticut along the Connecticut River I was initiated into the master training of a psychotherapy master: Peter Levine the founder of Somatic Experiencing therapy. While it was an awe-inspiring experience to sit and watch him work with four clients in live sessions - one in which a person went into a full body collapse - it was equally impressive to meet some of the other masters present during those three days.
Ann was an art teacher in London during the late 50's and early 60's where art was integral to the curriculum. Every school teacher was trained in both basic education and art! She tells me this is true to this day. Quite a difference from the US. Her belief is that education in England is more about the child and in the US it is more about the numbers. Ann is a master potter and she developed a kiln technique which is now used widely across the US - a form of raku firing. She was invited to teach raku in upstate Vermont near the Canadian border in early 1970's and she never left. She tells me she no longer makes pots at 87 because of her hands, but she does still paint and draw!
Her friend Zeborah is a New Yorker and an analyst. It seems they attend conferences together.
Zeborah is 91 and still sees several clients in Manhattan. She told me her story: Attending Queens College in the late 30's before the second world, she joined the WACS when the war broke out and found herself working in a medical unit in Georgia. There she moved through various wards with veterans until the nurse in the psychiatric unit asked if she wanted to become a psychologist. When she balked the nurse said, "The position is open and you know just as much as anyone else who might take the job." She received hands on training and was supervised by other medical staff. When she returned to NYC the army paid for her to receive formal training as a PhD and her career was set.
The perspective and wisdom of these two women cannot be bought for love or money.
Ann
Ann was an art teacher in London during the late 50's and early 60's where art was integral to the curriculum. Every school teacher was trained in both basic education and art! She tells me this is true to this day. Quite a difference from the US. Her belief is that education in England is more about the child and in the US it is more about the numbers. Ann is a master potter and she developed a kiln technique which is now used widely across the US - a form of raku firing. She was invited to teach raku in upstate Vermont near the Canadian border in early 1970's and she never left. She tells me she no longer makes pots at 87 because of her hands, but she does still paint and draw!
Her friend Zeborah is a New Yorker and an analyst. It seems they attend conferences together.
Zeborah is 91 and still sees several clients in Manhattan. She told me her story: Attending Queens College in the late 30's before the second world, she joined the WACS when the war broke out and found herself working in a medical unit in Georgia. There she moved through various wards with veterans until the nurse in the psychiatric unit asked if she wanted to become a psychologist. When she balked the nurse said, "The position is open and you know just as much as anyone else who might take the job." She received hands on training and was supervised by other medical staff. When she returned to NYC the army paid for her to receive formal training as a PhD and her career was set.
The perspective and wisdom of these two women cannot be bought for love or money.
Ann
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