Crisis Intervention: Global Psychotherapy Peace Summit for World Leaders
IN FOCUS, 23 Sep 2024
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. | DWF News – TRANSCEND Media Service
19 Sep 2024 – As I watch the increasing threat of nuclear war due to the war in Ukraine and the nuclear arms race, in desperation I have asked myself if key world leaders need crisis intervention in the form of a special psychotherapy summit conducted by psychologists?
A breakthrough to world peace eludes the United Nations despite its excellent step forward by passing the The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons. It entered into force on 22 January 2021. Wikipedia
When you talk to almost any concerned citizen about nuclear weapons, they almost invariably conclude that having more and more nuclear weapons is “crazy.” Logically, they seem correct. The more rattlesnakes in our midst, the bigger chance of getting bitten. Sooner or later, the more nukes in the world, the increasing chance of a nuclear Armageddon. Yet the leaders of the nuclear powers disagree, or don’t care. They continue in a nuclear arms race, and put their trust in a deterrence policy.
The nuclear powers feel protected, and appear to believe that more nukes equals more deterrence, hence protection against nuclear war. IS THERE AN ERROR IN THIS THINKING? It assumes that decisions about using nukes is done on a rational basis, using reason and logic. Much of the public thinks this way, too. “They will never use nukes, it could end the world!” they say confidently.
But psychologists know that all too often critical decisions are made on hunch and emotion, not on logic or reason. This fact is most clearly illustrated in intimate personal relationships. Everything seems to be going well when out of the blue, unexpectedly, it isn’t. A fight erupts.
We are exploring here the idea of a Global Psychotherapy Peace Summit for World Leaders directed by psychologists. We need the leaders of Russia, USA, China, India, EU, South and Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the UN under the same roof to get to know each other personally, and to get to know themselves psychologically.
I have speculated that an extended group therapy marathon (10 to 14 days) might be a useful strategy. Can you imagine Putin, Trump or Harris, Xi Jinping, Modi, and a leader each from the EU, UN, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia all together and agreeing to group psychotherapy for two straight weeks in a marathon setting?
It may or may not work. But this idea of competition instead of cooperation is killing the world. If either Russia or the USA leadership is considering first strike nuclear warfare, perhaps they will change their mind after personal group psychotherapy getting to know their supposed “enemy.”
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Roger Kotila, Ph.D. is a peace activist and a psychologist (ret.) with many years of clinical experience with the California Dept. of Corrections doing psychiatric diagnosis and treatment with inmates. President of Democratic World Federalists he is co-editor of DWF NEWS, and editor of Earth Federation News & Views. He supports a “new UN” under the Earth Constitution. www.earthfederation.info Email: earthstarradio@aol.com
Tags: Democratic World Federalists-DWF, Elites, Psychopathy, Psychotherapy, World leaders
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 23 Sep 2024.
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