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Welcome from the editor

I often ask people I meet, ‘WhereÌýare you from?’, but a far moreÌýinteresting question is, ‘Where doÌýyou belong?’ I’ve been reflectingÌýon this question a lot, since readingÌýAmy Liptrot’s book, The Outrun.¹ It is aÌýbeautiful account of her recovery fromÌýaddiction and her relationship with place.ÌýShe describes how Orcadians (the peopleÌýfrom the Orkneys) ask this question.

Belonging seems to be an appropriateÌýtheme for this issue of Thresholds. TheÌýUK’s Office for National Statistics hasÌýassessed young people’s sense ofÌýbelonging to their neighbourhoodÌýas a way of looking at their socialÌýconnections. ‘The proportion of youngÌýpeople who agreed or strongly agreedÌýthat they belong to their neighbourhoodÌýimproved from 50 per cent in the periodÌý2009 to 2010 to 57 per cent in 2014 toÌý2015 […] Young people aged 16 to 18 areÌýmore likely to feel they belong to theirÌýneighbourhood than either those agedÌý19 to 21 or 22 to 24. This may be becauseÌýthose in the younger age group are moreÌýlikely to be living in the parental homeÌýwhere they grew up.’²

I find it sad to think that more than 40Ìýper cent of young people don’t agreeÌýthat they belong to their neighbourhoods.ÌýToko-pa Turner, author of Belonging,Ìýdescribes many different forms ofÌýbelonging: to a community or aÌýgeography, to a family, to someone inÌýan intimate relationship, to a purposeÌýor vocation, to a set of ways or traditions,Ìýto our bodies, to our own stories, withÌýthe earth itself, to something greaterÌýthan ourselves.³ I took part in an onlineÌýjourneying practice during the SoundsÌýTrue shamanic summit, The Power ofÌýShamanism. Julie Kramer, a shamanicÌýpractitioner, invited the participants toÌýjourney to a tree in their neighbourhoodsÌýand spend time reflecting on this tree.ÌýI chose one I liked in the Botanic GardensÌýin Oxford. After the journey, I decided toÌýgoogle the tree and I discovered that itÌýhad been felled in 2014. It was very sadÌýnews and I felt rather out of touch withÌýmy neighbourhood.

Ally Stott describes her wholearthÌýapproach to therapy. She takes herÌýclients outdoors and explores theirÌýrelationship to the earth. In her article,Ìýshe tells her personal story of herÌýrelationship with place, the grief sheÌýencountered when leaving the place sheÌýgrew up in and the journey to relationshipÌýwith the place she now lives in. OurÌýrelationships with our landscapes areÌývital for connection and belonging.

Mindfulness techniques, such as bodyÌýscan meditations, can encourage us toÌýreturn to a sense of belonging in theÌýbody. Embodiment is a popular wordÌýin therapy. What does it mean to beÌýembodied? Tracey Clare offers usÌýdetailed case histories showing methodsÌýof working with mindfulness resources,Ìýsuch as apps and websites.

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ has just announced a specialÌýpartnership with Cruse BereavementÌýCare.⁴ Working with bereaved clients is aÌývery valuable area; I did my first placementÌýwith Cruse. Gill Harvey explores theÌýrelationship between spirituality andÌýbereavement, an often ignored area.Ìý

People who are bullied often feelÌýthey don’t belong or aren’t welcome.ÌýAndrew De Smet has written an accountÌýof his own experience of being bulliedÌýand working with victims of bullying.ÌýHow can we, as counsellors andÌýtherapists, work with those whoÌýexperience bullying?

Too often, ageing is perceived negatively,Ìýand in our societies older people areÌýoften ignored, and loneliness is rife. TheÌýwisdom of experience is often not valued.ÌýLast year, I was fortunate to attend aÌýworkshop run by Jerome Kerner aboutÌýageing. Jerome writes in this issue aboutÌýthe important role of grandparenting.

I recently celebrated my 55th birthday.ÌýOne of my birthday treats was to visit theÌýcinema to see The Last Jedi. I offer someÌýthoughts on cinema, TV and spirituality.Ìý

So, I return to the questionÌý‘Where do I belong?’Ìýand encourage all ofÌýus to consider it too.

Amanda Anderson
Editor
thresholds.editorial@bacp.co.uk

References

1. Liptrot A. The outrun. London: CanongateÌýBooks; 2016.
2. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/youngpeopleswellbeingandpersonalfinance/2017#social-support-personal-security-and-sense-of-belonging (accessed 5 MarchÌý2018).
3. Turner T. Belonging: remembering ourselvesÌýhome. Salt Spring Island, BC: Her Own RoomÌýPress; 2017.
4. /news/2018/15-february-2018-new-partnership-champions-counselling-for-bereaved-people/ (accessed 5ÌýMarch 2018).

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