ABSTRACT
In the beginning, a historical overview of group psychotherapy would probably be somewhat remiss without a preliminary discussion of the concept of the circle, round, or sphere, as it physically represents the process of group psychotherapy. It is a most curious global phenomenon that clans, tribes, societies, and civilizations, no matter how primitive or advanced, have continuously used the circle as a symbol in their cultures. The circle or sphere is an entity that is self-contained; it has no beginning or end, and represents, theoretically, a perfect state in which the opposites are in mutual harmony before a contradiction begins to occur. It is the uroboros, a symbol from ancient Babylon, embodying the world, represented by a snake holding its own tail in its mouth, forming a circle. This chapter describes the contributions of a number of practitioners to the early history of group therapy.
