As they were dancing, the Northcote School for Crippled children were suddenly more than they thought they could be.
I have no idea whether the freedom the children experienced that day led to ongoing physical or psychological changes. What I would say, is that for the psychotherapy to work, the patient usually has to develop new capacities. Making their old capacities work better, will not be enough.
Perhaps the most important capacities for the patient to develop are; the ability to live in themselves, rather than in their heads thinking about themselves; to be able to live in the world, rather than in their heads thinking about the world; to be able to live with who they are, rather than who they should be; to live in the world, rather than in a constant battle to get what they want.
Here’s a flashmob performance of Ode to Joy in Sabadell, Spain.
In the next blog we consider how the Northcote children can help get us out of our heads.