Long before I started working with couples or teaching others to work with couples; long before I knew anything about TA, ego states or physis; long before my first marriage imploded; I imagined every romantic partnership having a communal pot that couples could contribute to as well as draw nourishment from.
In this workshop, I’d like to further develop Muriel James’ concept of the ‘Third Self’, which she described as “a third self created between two people, in a family or in a group” to which each “person gives and receives energy from the inner core spirit [physis] to this non-seeable yet knowable self when each is willing to be fully present to the other.”
Could the physis of this co-created third self be transcendent and transpersonal and energise our connection with ourselves, with others and the universe as we become aware that we are both separate and not? Join me in exploring how we might apply this to inspire our own relationships and those of our clients.
“[We] are like trees walking. Because of [our] humanness [we] are physically rooted in this earth and [our] roots intertwine. Because of the spirit [we] may transcend this earth, reach up, branch out, bear fruit and touch. [Our] branches intertwine. [We] are not separate.”
(M. James, 1981)
Sarah Demaree
PTSTA-P, MSc (TA Psych)
Sarah is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor based in London, England. In her teaching work, her recent focus has been on family systems, neurodivergence, and couples, including neurodiverse couples and blended families. She is also keenly interested in developing greater understanding of the impact of women’s health issues such as PMDD and endometriosis on mental health. Together with her husband, Paul McManus, they have established Couples London offering couples counselling, training, and workshops in London and online.
Contact:
sarahkdemare@gmail.com