ABSTRACT
In his discussion of the emergence of human consciousness, cultural philosopher, Gebser, suggests that the phenomenon of empathy is grounded in what he calls our ‘archaic’ consciousness; that is to say, the dim, pre-egoic consciousness experienced by our Stone Age ancestors. In Chapter 2 the authors discuss Gebser’s structures of consciousness; in this chapter, the authors focus on the implications of (t)his conceptualisation for empathic understanding (as Rogers tends to put it) or, more broadly, empathy. The chapter begins with an overview of the stages of human consciousness, before considering Gebser’s five stages of empathy—archaic, magical, mythical, mental-rational, and integral—as enacted in the therapeutic relationship. Finally, drawing on Stark’s work on modes of therapeutic action and Keith’s addition to this taxonomy a ‘two-person plus psychology’ (discussed in Chapter 8), the authors consider how different modes of empathy further their thesis of belonging, becoming, and being with the planet.
