Suffer the Children

is my hero!

Watching the preview of "An Ecology of Mind" by Nora Bateson one night when I could not sleep, I discovered that both Ms. Bateson and Gregory were awaiting me.  And I found myself thinking about my whole life since I "met" him reading Steps as I walked in swirls of surf on the beaches of Maui around this time of year 1977, and of course Carl Whitaker, and the families with whom I worked, always Gregory was in the background.

"An Ecology of Mind" presents the work of Gregory Bateson in the fields of biology, ecology, evolution, anthropology, cybernetics, general systems theory, and family relationship theory, work that continues to be a major foundation for family-systems psychotherapy. The treatment of families began in the early 1950s.  The early pioneers included Nathan Ackerman, Salvador Munition, and Carl Whitaker.  At about the same time, the field of ethology was also emerging, led by Julian Huxley, Niko Tinbergen, and Konrad Lorenz.  From 1946 to 1953, the Macy Conferences were held, out of which the fields of cybernetics (cognitive science), communication theory, and general systems theory were either conceived or brought to life.  Both Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead were important contributors to these interdisciplinary conferences.

Family psychotherapy, now generally referred to as family-systems psychotherapy began in this scientific milieu.  From 1953 to 1963, Gregory collaborated with Don Jackson, Jay Haley, Paul Watzlawick, and John Weakland at the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto, where the field of “Strategic Family Therapy” was created.  At the same time, he was also collaborating with Carl Whitaker, Thomas Malone, Richard Felder, and John Warkentin at the Atlanta Psychiatric Clinic in Atlanta, where “Experiential Psychotherapy” was born, an important element of which was considering the whole family as the patient entity. Much of what has become family-systems psychotherapy is based on the work these early pioneers, especially Gregory Bateson, one of the true intellectual giants of the 20th century.

Nora Bateson’s film is very peaceful. It tells a story, weaves a story, in a way that reminds me both of the time I spent with Gregory, and also the many hours of listening to the audiotapes that used to circulate.  I love how Ms. Bateson uses her father’s interest in her learning to express the idea of the importance of people being observant, asking questions, and learning. It's interesting that Ms. Bateson is both narrator, and a subject - at various stages of her life in the film.

I love the music!  Sometimes, I play the preview on my laptop while I work on my desktop, so I hear Ms. Bateson (whom I’ve not met) in different voices, and Gregory, and the music, and I look over and see  . . . and Ms. Bateson has just said, "He was always learning, from everyone, and everything around him."  So, the preview of the film has been a nice companion recently.  Whitaker was the same way about learning - always a student - always quoting others.  I guess I've thought of it as a documentary . . . but it isn’t . . . more a work of art, a bit mesmerizing (in a good sense - not the Mesmer sense).  Ms. Bateson’s using herself as a child is a nice way to demonstrate natural excitement about learning.  Gregory really isn't a teacher, is he?  One learns in relation to him in the context of his storytelling.

Ms Bateson has created a work of art, hence it isn't "Steps to . . . ," but is "An Ecology of Mind."