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Time is the insistent nattering monkey on my shoulder; one that is preoccupied with the nature of endless time when we say "time stands still", and those episodic temporal events that seem here one moment and gone the next. With this in mind I bookend the chapter with two images: Norwegian midnight sun and the Northern Lights, to touch on our temporary temporal occupation of this planet. In the body of this chapter an image of dwarfed human habitation suggest another context.Preoccupation with time predates Parmenides but only infrequently becomes the focus for therapy. Ideas about "time-limited" therapy can obscure the importance of the quality of time experienced: we see as if with "eyes wide shut". Both statements are true; "We know what time is' and "We don't know what time is".This chapter explores the importance of a temporal perspective in therapy, paying attention to ritual and time; ritual in therapy; therapy as ritual, as well as the spaces in between in moments of change. The often ignored "liminal" as a-temporal space for change opens alternatives that are non-specific to any particular model of therapy.After reflecting briefly on psychodynamic and systemic models, and life cycle and transgenerational frameworks, the value to clinicians of exploring temporal perspectives from philosophy and anthropology is discussed. This creates a unique perspective on time in therapeutic healing, considering what is common to good practice and unique for each individual.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-39061-1_4

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