ABSTRACT
I believe it was the analyst John Klauber who once remarked that it takes ten years of post-training practice to truly “become” a psychoanalyst. Presumably what he meant by this was that it takes years of reflection, accumulated professional experience, and plain personal growth to come to one’s own mind, as it were, on what one is about. I think the same applies to becoming a group analyst, even if there is no magic in the number ten. Part of becoming a group analyst, at least for those with an active interest in theory, is deepening one’s understanding of the basis and potential of group analytic concepts. My contribution in this book has taken approximately eight years; that is how long it took to come to my own mind (critical distance?), albeit in fits and starts and with prolonged bursts and a few respites.
