This webinar will take the form of a conversation between Zefiro Mellaqua, TA psychotherapist, psychiatrist and author and Carole Shadbolt, psychotherapist, author and coordinator of the IARTA steering group. They will be using the Bernean concept of ‘Reachback and Afterburn’ to explore the rich process of writing, in particular Zefiro’s tour de force, “The Transactional Analysis of Schizophrenia – The Naked Self” for which he received The Eric Berne Memorial Award 2024.
In What do you say after you say Hello? (1972) Berne coined the expression ‘reachback and afterburn’ which describes ‘a future event (that) has an independent influence on a person’s behaviour and that period of time during which a past event has an independent impact on a person’s behaviour’. This idea has widely been used to look at the emotional labour leading up to an event and the corresponding winding down that happens afterwards, in particular it has been linked to anxiety.
However, there could be another way of looking at this ‘independent impact’; it can be seen as the opportunity to really account for and savour the conscious and unconscious processes that shape us in the journey towards an event – in this case the publication of a book – and similarly to allow the impact of it to shape us in the follow-up. In their discussion, Zefiro and Carole will ask ‘ What happens when we write? Where does writing come from?’
They explain “We will examine how writing involves a rich interplay of our history, our thoughts and ideas and the influences upon us, our values and ideals, the impact of the phenomenology of our clients and their families, and the poetry of emergence as the book takes shape, shapes itself even; this is set within Zefiro’s personal journey towards becoming a psychiatrist and a Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist. We will also explore the “aftermath”- the discovery of the impact that the process has had upon us”.
This workshop will focus mainly on the psychotherapy field, although other fields may find the discussion of interest.
Cost £18.00 members/£36.00 non- members.
A recording of the event will be made which you can purchase by signing onto the event, but please note, we are only able to issue CPD certificates for those who attend the actual workshop.
The Zoom Link will be sent out to all participants the day before the event.
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