PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC MEDICINE AND THE ART OF LIVING

In this very personal communication the author, independently of affil iations to a particular psychotherapeutic school of thought, attempts to illuminate ways in which, certain characteristics inherent in the p rofessionalisation of psychotherapy can lead to various forms of alien ation as well as an impairment of the therapist's capacity for genuine interpersonal encounters. He advocates the restitution of a concept o f the human being which, more explicitly than is the case in most of t he theories of psychotherapeutic medicine, actively acknowledges the s tatus of every human being as part of a superordinate order - Nature a s a whole and as an explorer actively engaged in enhancing his/her own art of living. A scientifically grounded form of counselling based on the concept of salutogenesis can to be regarded as having the same po tential value as curative psychotherapy itself. If we investigate peop le's genuine creative power and their capacity for development, the co mmon diagnostic tools and frequently schematic approaches of the profe ssion may be helpful, but of ten counterproductive. Many selective ins truments used by the therapeutic professions, for example the advisory screening and report practices employed by the health insurance schem es, actively divert attention away from the art of living. They involv e the risk of simplistic classification, pathologization and possibly even exploitation of people seeking psychotherapeutic aid. As a correc tive to this tendency, the author suggests focussing therapeutic atten tion more consistently on the question of how to achieve a heightened awareness of the elementary somato-mental life-energy of the individua l patient. The steady cultivation of one's own ability to love is part and parcel of this process. The therapist's awareness of the potentia l for self-experience and self-expression through artistic activity ca n be helpful in acquiring a broadly developed ability for interpersona l response. This self-experience must then be integrated into psychoth erapeutic practice as completely as possible. The members of the helpi ng profession should ask themselves from time to time to what extent t hey are likely to be perceived by others as masters in the art of Livi ng.