The routes of encounter within psychotherapy: the influence of J. L. Moreno on the dialogical philosophy of Martin Buber

Abstract

The abstract of this reflective article was written by Jose Fonseca, psychodramatist. In the 70's I defended a doctoral dissertation, exploring the philosophical correlations between Martin Buber and J.L. Moreno. According to my conclusions, both authors had been influenced by Hassidism and Kabala, despite the fact that most of the literature I consulted indicated that Buber was the pioneer of the concept of Encounter. Consulting Robert Waldl's text, the reader can imagine what impact his revelations had on me. He doesn't just simply confirm that Moreno had written about the concept of Encounter first (Einladung zu einer Begegnung, 1914 – Invitation to an Encounter, 1914), but also that Buber's book ‘I and Though' (1923) was directly influenced by Moreno's style and language. In our written correspondence with Waldl, he has told me that when Moreno emigrated to the United States in 1925, he had left behind a box for his younger brother, with the expectation that he would take it to the US later on. William had indeed taken the box, but Moreno never collected it. The box was finally opened in 2006, many years after they both had died. Among other documents, it contained a letter written by Moreno to Buber, dated 1919, certifying that he was sending him a copy of the 4th number of DAIMON. According to Waldl, it was exactly this number of DAIMON that contained an article written by Moreno, which then Buber used ‘almost word by word' when writing his excerpts on Encounter a few years later. This new information dismantles some of the truth about the correlations between Moreno and Buber's thinking, it opens up new questions about the philosophical concepts of these two authors, and highlights the pioneerism of the creator of psychodrama.