My approach to psychotherapy is like a spirited Tennis game....

"I like to dance in the pressure storm" Jannick Sinner, Tennis no1, interviewed by McCrae, Observer 25th May 2024

I have used the quote from Mr Sinner because he has a great name! His face is angelic, and his name is well....open to interpretation. But I also think that psychotherapy is rather like a game of tennis! Sure, there are no balls, or net, or court, or umpires, but there are rules of engagement. The white lines are the timings of the session, and the fact that the patient and therapist do not mix socially.

In psychotherapy, just like in Tennis, we are rallying, we are passing something back and forth. The pace changes from super fast to languid. In tennis it is a fluffy yellow ball we hitting across the net. In therapy we are lobbing words and feelings back and forth. In tennis, the ball moves so quickly, that players work from an instinctual place. They are good because they spend so much time on the court, and in competitive matches. They just don't have time to stop and think!

The same is sometimes true for therapy, especially on the crunch points. We say things, and it's only afterwards we can review what actually happened and how we really felt. What happened there? In tennis there are clear rules to contain the aggression and energy involved in playing such an intense game and the same is true of modern psychotherapy.

In therapy, I am responsible for sweeping the court and generating a suitable environment for the psychological work to happen. Is there water, is the clock working, are there tissues, is it too hot, or too cold? But these are merely simple if essential concrete facts, the more important facts are do I provide the patient with a receptive psychological environment? Tennis players grapple with these issues too! They pick on issue like the quality of court surface, is the grass even, is the clay well spread? But they are also hugely affected by other atmospheric conditions. Is the audience or umpire hostile or sympathetic to them? Some players play their best games when they actually feel the crowd is against them; for others they need to cheered and supported! In psychotherapy, we have the opportunity to find the best setting for you to do the work.

In a competitive tennis match I guess the point is to find your opponent's weakness in order to win a match. A dominant player may push their opponent, for instance, by probing their backhand. This is where therapy diverges. Therapy is more like a co-operative form of rallying, where therapist and patient work to keep words in play, and any vulnerabilities are treated carefully. The point of the psychotherapy is not to win, or even necessarily to provide a simple cure, but to help the patient find the space to understand what ails them.

In this regard, the world number 1, Mr Sinner is correct, that we need to dance in the pressure storm, because at some point, things become difficult, and that is when the psychotherapist and patient need the stamina to continue.

I provide psychotherapy for individuals and couples near Dulwich and from my offices in London Bridge (as part of the number 42 Psychotherapy practice). My style is not that of a mute or noisy spectator, I am not giving instructions from the side-lines, or the coaching box, I am on the psychological court with you. I will pass the ball to you and you will hit it back. If you are interested in a lively and potentially life changing psychotherapy experience, you are welcome to get in touch.