Group Encounters of the Third Kind

Abstract

This title pays homage to the Spielberg science fiction adventure about a seemingly unrelated collection of people cosmically chosen to have an intimate encounter with extraterrestrial beings. The film thematically explores the human urge to make intimate contact with what is felt to be alien yet strangely familiar—a cinematic metaphor par excellence for introducing my topics of dynamic group therapy and theater. In my professional universe, I routinely conduct group encounters whereby strangers come together to share otherworldly experiences—like acting in a play and relating in a therapy group.