Dear MON PETITES

By Fred Ford

17Sep01

I've been thinking and I've also been thinking about you. It occurs to me that this may be a time when we can test and put to use some of what we've been talking about in the AFTA Typology Study Group for low these many months. My first reaction to the depredation in New York was confusion and then disbelief. Not too long later it occurred to me that I needed to do something, not just sit here in a reactive stance. But what to do? I can't go to New York. Even if I could I wouldn't know how to be productive in that complicated and devastating situation. Then I thought, "You're supposed to be wise."

18Oct01

As noted above, I wrote this first paragraph more than a month ago. And perhaps I proved my point, "You are supposed to be wise." Thus, the better part of wisdom was not to take any action or commit myself to any position without further contemplation. What I was going to propose when I wrote the first paragraph was that we test the premise, "All systems are the same and different at the same and different times except for the exception." To test this, among other things, it would mean that we would continue to daily do what we usually daily do except in as many different ways as possible and tolerable. This would mean to save our infrastructure and build from there, all the while not denying any more of the threat and attendant anxiety than is/was necessary to continue to be functional. Fascinating as this is, I was surprised and dismayed to find in the ensuing days that something very similar was being proposed by people as important, as powerful, and as remote as the president's cabinet and the Congress. I wondered then and I wonder now if they or I know what this means. Instantly, I realized that I didn't want to share my personal view with people I regard as suspect, themselves. And, I still don't!

24Oct01

So where am I now? Somewhere in all this intellectual rattling I had a flash: (Now I'm getting close to wordlessness and the ineffable.) What about systems theory? Where does all this fit in systems theory? The minute my mind settles on this perspective the enormity of this World Trade Center depredation changes. Seeing these events and now the anthrax threat, as part of a system rather than the system was/is very helpful to me. It gives a perspective that I didn't have and makes me feel some safety and hope. As long as I see the current situation as "the system" it is just overwhelming. No hope there. If what is happening is part of the system then I know that there's a lot more going on and a lot more hope than is evident from reading the papers and checking out the various other news media. So, what to do? Let me take you back.

A long long time ago. It must have been in the late 60s or early 70s. There was another crisis that struck terror in the hearts of our countrymen. It was the Suez War. My patients came to my door in fits of anxiety and depression. Of course, I was anxious and depressed, too. So I had to cope with my own anxiety and that of 40–50 other people. This was quite a load. I wished to unload it. At first despairing and terrified, I somehow realized that more, much more was going on than these reactions to external events. That each person and group and/or family was adding his/her/their own bit of energy to the external threat. I began to explore with each person/group/family the internal dynamics of their feelings. In every instance it turned out that this allowed them an entree to material they had never faced before—and might not have dealt with at all. Thus, what was a disaster turned out in another part of the system to be an open door to personal growth. WE all got through it together. To my knowledge none of us perished. That doesn't mean there weren't any casualties. But the casualties were in another part of that system. Yes, I learned from my patients and, yes, the therapy was dynamic, and as exciting as a new love. WE (I mean all the people in my practice and me.) all profited from the threat and terror we experienced. And for most of us life went on.

This doesn't mean that I advocate instilling terror as a therapeutic technique. It does mean that if one continues on a little farther on the helix something unexpected and constructive will turn up. Now, I must try to put into words what I think this addresses. I've decided it is the infrastructure. Since I've never had this thought before I'm not sure this is the right word; I don't know quite what the infrastructure is. Maybe you all will help me with this. What I want to say is that I think this is a time to work on the infrastructure. Let's construct, not a new basis, but remodel the one we've been using so that it works better. I think this is what a lot of people are saying when they speak of feeding the Afghanis rather than bombing them. Of course, we have to be prepared for the fact that they can only respond in terms of what they believe and understand. For us that means to get as well acquainted with them as we are with our friends. A lot of hard work, but as we all know, very rewarding in the long run.

By now I hope you see the outlines of the TSG written all over this thinking. Yes, I'm suggesting that this is what we've been working on all these years. Chris says it's called "thinking outside the box." In the TSG meetings this is what I've been alluding to when I say I want to think the unthinkable. The terrorists have given us an opportunity to think and experience the unthinkable. I guess I don't need to remind you that there is a certain price tag attached and that this experience may be too risky. That means we will need to take good care of ourselves and see to it that our support systems (infrastructure?) are working well.

As always, I presume you are way ahead of me on this stuff. In any case, I'd like to hear what you think and about whether you have any internal systems going that may foment or aggravate your current view of the world events. And whether you've been able to help any of your patients or yourself deal with your/their internal terrorists. It seems there is a terrorist, or at least a tyrant, in most or all of us.

Fred Ford