A Connection to an Old Therapy Session: The Gloria Videos w/Fritz Perls
When I look into the past, I usually have trouble seeing people as people. They often feel like a distant concept of humankind in which I have no connection. A different time, a different era. But after watching Gloria's therapy session in 1965 with Fritz Perls (the year my parents were born), I was connected to the past like never before. I love this video.
I'm currently (and finally) finishing my Bachelor's degree, and this summer, I am taking two accelerated courses: a history course and abnormal psychology. In a lecture, my professor suggested we watch some of The Gloria Videos. At first, I decided to tune in for about five minutes and then get back to the lecture (a recording for my web-based course), but then I realized that I was utterly enthralled by it. I couldn't stop watching. I think this is because we don't often get access to someone else's actual therapy session. These moments are almost always private or fictional in television and cinema.
Not only is this real but there is this generational gap that intrigues me. The video quality, the audio, the accents, and the apparel of the time all captivate me. This sort of gap would usually lodge space between me and that which I am watching. But this time was different. I felt so connected to Gloria. I feel like any of us could relate to the idea of feeling inferior to someone else, getting defensive, and wanting to feel safe and interact with another person on an equally human level.
I could assume many people do not like to feel embarrassed or talked down to (although Perls doesn't talk down to her from his perspective, he plays his role as a therapist). This recording further opened my eyes to how humans like and do not like to be treated. It makes us feel bad when others appear to be superior. (I want to be aware of when I give off blatant superiority). Of course, this is all Gloria's perspective, this is how she feels and how she views Dr. Perls, but it speaks to a much larger issue with human interaction. I love her openness. I love how she can explore and express herself purely as a human being (especially with the guidance of Perls). This footage is brilliant. Truly amazing. Is anybody else in the mood for therapy?