22 - Creating dialogical space in psychotherapy: meaning-generating chronotope ofma

Summary

This chapter investigates how therapeutic meaning is generated in the counselling process. The idea of positioning in dialogical self theory (DST) is useful in this context, especially the notion of meta-positioning. The chapter shows that the dynamic movement of positioning and meta-positioning develops a dialogical space. It introduces the Japanese cultural concept of ma in order to explain the characteristics of therapeutic shared space. The chapter argues that therapeutic meaning may be generated through semiotic activity in this space. The concept of ma explains the dialogical features of this in-between area. Finally, the chapter indicates how clients can reflect on and transform their unresolved emotions in the active space of ma. In the practice of counselling and psychotherapy, clients usually express contradicting emotions in their dysfunctional narrative. In the dialogical self, this contradiction may be a significant condition for change.