ABSTRACT
Taking legal action was seen by others as acting out. I believe acting out is important because it is part of a process that enables moving on, and allows for personal growth and development. I see it as a form of research, collecting data for analysis and reality-testing, then progressing to verbalizing the communication rather than acting it out. It is therefore important to explore the communication in the acting-out behaviour which, in the permissive therapeutic community, is tolerated and yet taken seriously.
