ABSTRACT
The loneliness of Narcissus, who drowns in his own reflection, and the loneliness of Echo, who has no self but merges in a bleak desire to be Narcissus and, so, loved by him, reminds us that relationship is reciprocal. As group analysts we may be stifled by a world seen only through our own eyes, or a world through the eyes of a person who I hope will know me better than I know myself, and so allow me to exist. Both positions are safer than the unknown in a dangerous world, where not knowing leaves people open to challenge or even accusations and blame when things go wrong. Working with people is not an exact science and so things do go wrong and many clinicians are preoccupied with covering their backs while working in highly stressful settings. However, training is fundamentally about helping to build enough confidence and trust in a clinician so that they feel able to work with integrity, which includes not knowing and being curious to learn.
