Films & Docs / Recorded sessions
Journey into Self
A 1968 filmed recording of a sixteen-hour intensive encounter group facilitated by Carl Rogers and Richard Farson.
Viewing note
This film is an edited forty-seven-minute record of a sixteen-hour weekend encounter group held in the 1960s with eight adult participants who had not met before. Because it condenses sixteen hours into under an hour and reflects the 1960s human potential encounter movement, it is not representative of contemporary group psychotherapy.
Details
Title: Journey into Self
Year: 1968
Director: Bill McGaw (producer and director)
Format: recorded session
Country: United States
Running time: 47 minutes
What the work shows
Produced and directed by Bill McGaw and introduced by filmmaker Stanley Kramer, Journey into Self records an intensive group session led by psychologists Carl Rogers and Richard Farson at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute. The eight strangers in the group include a teacher, a school principal, a theology student, a cashier, a housewife and three businessmen.
The film shows participants moving from polite initial reserve to sharing personal grief, loneliness and interpersonal reactions in the group.
How closely it reflects practice
The recording illustrates Carl Rogers’s non-directive, person-centred group facilitation style, in which the facilitator listens closely and reflects feelings rather than setting exercises or interpreting motives.
At the same time, editing a sixteen-hour weekend down to forty-seven minutes highlights emotional peaks while omitting long stretches of ordinary conversation, and one-off intensive weekend encounter groups with cameras present differ from ongoing weekly group therapy.
Participation and filming
The eight group members were volunteers filmed specifically for the documentary at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute. The terms of their consent and any follow-up support after the weekend were not inspected for this entry.
Limits of this entry
Credits, running time and description rely on the American Film Institute catalogue and reference records. The film has not been viewed for this draft.
Sources and inspection notes
American Film Institute. AFI Catalog: Journey into Self (1968).
Supports: 1968 release year, director and producer Bill McGaw, 47-minute running time and participation of Carl Rogers and Richard Farson.
Wikipedia contributors. Journey into Self.
Supports: Description of the 16-hour group session with eight strangers led by Carl Rogers and Richard Farson and introduced by Stanley Kramer.