PSYCHOTHERAPY IN PSYCHIATRY

The author examines from various standpoints the topic of abolishing t he splitting between biological and psychological phenomena in psychia try: Freud's hope and question that in future psychological phenomena might prove to be definitely biophysiological, led him to the new infa nt research findings and their insights into the development of percep tion as well as to the physiological findings of brain research includ ing the techniques of PET and SPECT. The concept of ''representation'' to him becomes a model for explaining the changes in the patient's pe rsonality effected by the therapeutic relationship between physician a nd patient. This concept means: perceiving and experiencing the enviro nment and other persons can be realized ana responded to from birth on in different ways. In addition the author refers to new research work showing that psychotherapy leads to the same physiological changes as psychopharmacological treatments.