Psychagogical psychotherapy

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Psychagogical psychotherapy is a concept presented by René Bloch in his book "Die Psychagogische Psychotherapie", which pursues the goal of detecting and treating harmful effects on the individual in the current environment. From a general criticism of civilization from the author's subjective point of view, very broad offers of change are proposed. Psychagogics is defined and chosen in the sense of an overarching methodology.

Premises

Mental and psychosomatic states of suffering lead more and more people to the doctor and psychotherapist. Erich Fromm , from whom Bloch u. a. was inspired by the middle of the 20th century already foresaw an increasing alienation and development of schizophrenic symptoms under the given cultural conditions. The digital revolution of the past decades has created a growing risk situation for humans. The incidence of mental and psychosomatic illnesses has increased almost exponentially with a correspondingly strong increase in the number of days absent from work. After a careful psychological structural analysis of the personality, psychagogic psychotherapy deals with the detection of noxious substances from the environment and their management. The therapist acts at eye level with the patient, whose environment he can also actively try to influence. By specifying guiding principles, the patient should also be sensitized to humanistic values.

Structure of the book

The presentation of psychagogical psychotherapy by René Bloch takes place within a broad framework, which is intended to explain the nature of psychotherapy against the background of social change. Contents of the book, which is described in the subtitle as a thought model for the 21st century:

  1. On the emergence of psychiatry without borders or psychagogical psychotherapy.
  2. What is psychotherapy?
  3. Man in postmodern society.
  4. The role of the psychiatrist in postmodern society.
  5. Prevalence and symptom change.
  6. The indication for psychagogical psychotherapy.
  7. On the theory of psychagogical psychotherapy.
  8. The self-discovery of the individual in the context of psychagogical psychotherapy.
  9. The patient as a therapist.
  10. The golden rules of psychagogical psychotherapy.
  11. The scenario of psychagogical psychotherapy.

Psychagogic psychotherapy is intended to create a new communication relationship between patient and therapist who are in an equal position to one another. Regressive reactions of the patient should be warded off and his psychological defenses mobilized through a challenging conversation. The duration of the therapy is kept as short as possible until a noticeable success is achieved. The therapy tries to change the patient's mind. He should be led out of a passive way of life and into an active strategy for coping with environmental problems. Acceptance is only required in the context of individual resilience and meaningfulness. In parallel group therapy, the participants are given a leadership role alternately, while the therapist remains in the background. Psychagogical psychotherapy can also develop a reformatory effect on society, analogous to the treatment goals of Freud's psychoanalysis, which strives to liberate the socially restricted instinctual nature. By demedicalizing humans and accepting the pathogenic causes in the environment, a broad impact can be developed.

The theorem of the multiple conditioning of mental illness, biopsychosocial, has been part of collective psychiatric thinking for several decades. According to Bloch, the pathogenic social circumstances are becoming increasingly important in the production of psychological states of suffering. The human being seems to be more and more defenseless and the society seems powerless in the defense against harmful effects of the environment on the psyche and also the physical health of the human being. The reports of the increase in physical illnesses that can be ascribed to climate change and of psychological decompensation phenomena in the wake of the increasing dominance of technology over people follow one another ever faster. Doctors and psychotherapists are called to be more vigilant about these dangers. Psychagogic psychotherapy tries to take into account the new social conditions and their potential for disruption for a new therapeutic approach to the suffering person.

criticism

It is not a ready-made therapy concept, but is primarily an analysis that uses therapeutic or psychagogical terminology and concepts. Taverna sums up his review like this: Who would not like to change the world from the consulting room. The demands of the teaching are enormous, the means mentioned are in no relation to them. No statement is fundamentally wrong. But a little professional reluctance would have done the noble goal more .

literature

  • René Bloch: Psychagogical Psychotherapy - A Thinking Model for the 21st Century. Verlagshaus der Ärzte, Vienna 2014, ISBN 978-3-99052-084-0 .
  • René Bloch: Destructive Drive and Transcendence - The Endangerment of Creation and the Position of Man. Königshausen and Neumann, Würzburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-8260-6171-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ René Bloch: The Psychagogical Psychotherapy on pubpsych.zpid.de Verlagshaus der Ärzte, Vienna. ISBN 978-3-99052-084-0
  2. ↑ René Bloch: Psychotherapy as a cultural phenomenon Schweizerische Ärztezeitung 2014; 95: 1
  3. ↑ Erhard Taverna: Lehrstücke (book review on René Bloch: Die Psychagogische Psychotherapie) Swiss Medical Journal 2014; 95: 49 p. 1872