The story of Echo and Narcissus has given us a word we hear frequently today: narcissism.
But what happens when we look beyond the label and explore the ancient myth through the lens of psychotherapy and Family Constellations?
This illustrated story explores longing, rejection, the desire to be seen, and the possibility of finding ourselves again.
A Family Constellations Perspective
In the myth, Echo loses her own voice and becomes consumed by her longing for Narcissus. Narcissus, meanwhile, is unable to look away from his own reflection.
In Family Constellations, we might explore what happens when we become so focused on another person that we lose our connection with ourselves.
What changes when Echo turns away from Narcissus and begins to recognise her own place, her own roots and her own life?
The story offers a possibility: we can acknowledge our longing for another person without abandoning ourselves.
Perhaps love becomes freer when we can say:
I see you. And I see myself, too.