Welcome to Back from the Abyss. I'm Dr. Craig Hecock. During my third year of psychiatry residency

at the Rhode Island Hospital Intensive Outpatient Program, I unexpectedly fell in love. Now, not with a person

or with the hospital's clam chowder, because in those days, Butler Hospital had the best clam chowder,

hands down. I fell in love with a process.

For this was my first time being introduced to process-oriented group therapy,

and I was blown away by its beauty and mystery and riskiness and inherent wisdom.

Learning to be a group process therapist was completely fascinating and

so different than doing one-on-one therapy. Process groups are a very specific type of group,

not a support group, not an educational group, but rather a container for group members to work

out their transferences and projections in a supercharged way.

Group process therapy can be like individual therapy on steroids, and I found that totally compelling.

I ended up doing an extra year of group therapy training during my fourth year,

and I fully expected to make group work a significant part of my

psychiatric practice. But, alas, the realities of working post-residency and a big hospital system

is set in. And I never did get to play out my dreams of being like Irvialam, leading therapy groups

with thoughtfulness and discernment and the occasional provocation.

Yet group therapy has not gone away by any means, and in certain realms, group work is integral,

such as in addiction recovery or in the emerging psychedelic space. Besides the supercharging

of transference and projection, groups have economic advantages

and could potentially allow more people access to care.

Today, I sit down with Carrie Haynes, a colleague and Colorado-based group therapist

and host of the podcast, The Art of Groups.

...