A Particular “Group” Experience

I am going to write about a specific intervention of mine in a situation completely different from the group therapy type. I feel that such a moment had a strong impact on the people of the group and particularly on the person to whom my intervention was directed. A brief description follows.

I was in my native country on vacation and staying with close relatives of mine. This married couple has young daughters who are learning to play the guitar. Their teacher is a blind man, from a low socio-economic background. He comes to the house bi-weekly, guided by another person with whom he goes from house to house giving guitar lessons and thus earning his living. Occationally, I would see him come in, and at times I sat apart listening to the way he gave his lessons and carefully watched the movement of his hands and expressions of face (although he wore very dark eye glasses). The man was quiet, very sad looking and spoke to his two pupils only when necessary in a low, soft voice. He seemed — pleasant, so was my feeling for him, coupled with compassion. The few times that I saw him I could only speak with him for a short time; he gave his lesson and left for his next assignment. He was in a “rush” most of the time.

On the Saint's day of my aunt's name, (the name of a well “known” Saint is usually celebrated as a form of birthday of the bearer of his name in Catholic countries), the teacher was giving his guitar lessons in the late afternoon. Close friends began coming to see her. We were sitting at a distance, in a social circle. At one point I saw the teacher come towards the “group,” which was not expecting him. They were caught up by surprise. Apparently one of the daughters had asked the teacher to play some tunes in her mother's honor to which he had gladly consented. I quickly became aware of what was about to happen.

At this point I wish to make an observation concerning a particular behavior of the people of my country. Denial is one of the outstanding primitive de