What postmodern therapists are saying Latest Update: 03/10/06 I wasn't asking for a definitive judgment but a preliminary opinion. Glenda Boozer 02/24/07 One of the wisest things my analyst said to me was that once I knew what he was going to say to me, I didn't need to pay to see him. Katherine Levine 03/03/07 Binary thinking is the last resort for the lazy -- and for scoundrels Dan Bloom 02/21/07. These quotations were taking from the online conversation of a community of therapists interested in postmodernism. They were selected primarily because they were short and quoteable without a longer context. To read more about our postmodern conversations click here

What is Nostalgic Postmodernism?

Nostalgic postmodernism is what people feel when they lose faith in institutionalized "practices" but are uncomfortable with their own creative spontaneity.

Postmodern Therapists

There are many therapists who fit this profile although most of them do not recognize themselves as such. After all, one can be postmodern without knowing it, just as one might be nostalgic without knowing it.  A therapist can also do a postmodern kind of therapy without knowing it.  At the very least postmodern therapists are eclectic, ready to listen to clients more than to talk, and willing to change their minds based upon what they hear. 

Still, such therapists may not recognize themselves as postmodern because to self-recognize one needs a little familiarity with basic postmodern concepts.

If the concepts of "postmodernism" or "nostalgic postmodernism" are new to you, this book should change that, but the very fact that you have found yourself at this site and have read this far, suggests there is a strong possibility that you are postmodern, nostalgic or not.

Why Some Therapists Are Postmodern

Nostalgic Postmodernism will also show you how very natural it is for you to be postmodern at this point in western history. We live on the edge of rapid change -- especially since 1989 with the remarkable invention of the internet. You have been exposed to so many theories, to so many theorists arguing they have the answers -- compare your experience today with that of the therapist fifty years ago who was trained in a single school and who did not log online to see an array of competing schools.

And there is much else that is moving many therapists into a postmodern posture -- just as all of the west is increasingly postmodernizing.  This change has something to do with our globalization and  our increased awareness that there are many ways of making a life in this world.  Most important, the postmodernization of therapy is not occurring independently of a similar trend in the wider culture.   Many of our clients are more postmodern, too, today.  Therapists would be out of step to continuing doing therapy as our grandfathers did.

What We Can Do

There is no cure for postmodernism. It would be like curing enlightenment. You have seen the Wizard of Oz. You know he is neither a magician nor an evil culprit. What there is a cure for is your nostalgia. What you need for that is, however, quite simple. You need friendly colleagues who feel similarly to you, and perhaps a few books to help you make sense of your postmodern turn.

The process can be started on this website. Look around. Check out the book, but also check out resources. The resources include a way to join a postmodern therapy community hosted by the author of this book, and more.