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Namah Notes on counselling

Thus, the concept of ETB carries some remarkable mean that in a progressive movement,
characteristics: non-economic factors might not dominate
a. It overrides the tyranny of economics, again. The aim of economics itself might
b. It reflects convergence with humanistic shift from fostering a consumerist mindset
ideals, to the encouragement of ‘the joy of work’ in
c. It is existentialistic as the person and not consonance with a subject’s psyche and the
one’s money assumes responsibility, and facilitation of “free leisure to grow inwardly(6).”
d. It carries a creative therapeutic potential. The therapeutic barter is not non-economic; it
only gives a concomitant place to humanism
“The ETB programme, as an open-ended, while providing an existential perspective and a
indeterminate and self-styling arrangement creative space in therapy. In fact, contrary
between two people, carries the relationship to conventional practice, a therapeutic
to a new level of responsibility: utilitarian barter may not necessarily be related to
components parallel the creative; the conceptual the economically disadvantaged only; a
and abstract balance the concrete; privately partial barter could be creatively used in
shared experience manifests itself publicly; therapy with a client, irrespective of his
the interpersonal struggle generates the or her economic background, to bring out
intrapersonal confrontation; and with both a hidden talents and facilitate re-integrative
finite product and infinite existential meaning, experiences.
the phenomenology of the barter becomes the
therapy of the barter (4).” References

The barter of course has resistances that have 1. Rappoport PS. Value For Value Psychother-
to be worked out and in certain cases the apy –The Economic and Therapeutic Barter.
enormity of resistance may lead to termination New York: Praeger; 1982, p. 8.
of the therapy. It is also interesting that the
phenomenon of transference may occur during 2. Ibid., p. 62.
the barter in a new denouement.
3. Ibid., p. 105-106.
Can the therapeutic barter survive in an age
where the economic factor is paramount? 4. Ibid, pp. 147-8.
However human society moves in cycles
and there was a time when non-economic 5. Sri Aurobindo. Complete Works of Sri Au-
factors were predominant. In ancient India, robindo, Volume 20. Pondicherry: Sri Au-
the economic man was “third in the scale”, robindo Ashram Trust; 1997, p. 170.
preceded by the man of learning and the man
of power and action (5). Today, the economic 6. Sri Aurobindo. CWSA, Volume 25; 1997,
factor has come in front but that does not p. 257.

Dr. Soumitra Basu, a practising psychiatrist and member of SAIIIHR, is the Director of a school of
psychology, Integral Yoga Psychology. He is also one of the editors of NAMAH.

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