As this process continues, one or two group members will begin to take an interest in the personal problems of some of the others and express a desire to help. They will ask questions for more information, express sympathy or empathy, and begin to offer suggestions. It is at this point that the process of group interaction begins to acquire a focus on healing and problem solving. Frequently, these expressions of desire to help one member will encourage him or her for the first time to begin to accept the kind of person he or she has been, to realize that "I _have_ been too hard on myself because I'm so damned perfectionistic," "I _am_ a controller; I want other people to do things _my_ way," or "I live in a suit of armor; I'm just afraid of other people." As members of the group come to know one another as real personalities, they tend to become impatient whenever anyone tries to put on his public mask again. The group demands and expects members to be honest about themselves. Feelings can run hot whenever Fred tries to make Alice accept his suggestions because he _knows_ what she really needs. Group members can show quick impatience with Judy whenever she tries to persuade herself, even though her husband has severely beaten her several times, that her marriage is _really_ OK. Group members quickly gain a good deal of information about how others see them and feel about them. As a result of an implicit commitment to honesty, some members' ways of behaving gradually change: a rough tone of voice becomes less abrasive and calmer; offensive gestures and judging looks {191} disappear; self-centeredness gives way to a certain amount of sympathy and interest in other people. Some of the values of group therapy are sensitively expressed in this passage from a letter written by a client to his group: "I have come to the conclusion that my experiences with you have profoundly affected me. I am truly grateful. This is different from personal therapy. None of you _had_ to care about me. None of you had to seek me out and let me know of things you thought would help me. Yet you did, and as a result it has far more meaning than anything I have so far experienced. When I feel the need to hold back and not live spontaneously for whatever reasons, I remember that twelve persons ... said to let go and ... be myself and of all the unbelievable things they even loved me.... This has given me the _courage_ to come out of myself many times since then...."[1] [1] Quoted in Carl R. Rogers, _Carl Rogers on Encounter Groups_ (New York: Harper and Row, 1970), p. 33. THE RISKS Unfortunately, like many healing processes, group therapy is not for everyone. There are recognized _risks_ of entering group therapy.