Empires of mind: Colonial history and its implications for counselling and psychotherapy

Abstract

Living in a post-Colonial culture, many people have a connection with empire. This might be as descendants of former subjects from far off lands, the pink portions on the old world map, or as the offspring of those who went out to those countries to run them. Those days are collectively looked back on as a golden age by traditional British society, when the UK led the world in industry and commerce. I am interested in how this pride in a time gone by affects us as therapists and people who use therapy. How do stories of empire leave its mark on us all, what do we make of the images in colonial literature, for example, Paul Scott’s Raj novels, Forster’s A Passage to India, and more recently Andrea Levy’s Small Island? How are we as therapists affected in the consulting room and in what way might the therapy be influenced under the intense pressure of the transference when at least two cultures and backgrounds are in the room?

Keywords:

• transference
• colonisation
• culture
• creative literature
• attitude
• psychotherapy
• change