It is our goal and commitment to provide all natural health supplements to help increase the quality and longevity of your life.
Home » Depression » Depression » psychotherapy
any form of treatment for psychological or emotional disorders in which a trained person establishes a relationship with one or several patients for the purpose of modifying or removing existing symptoms and promoting personality growth. Drugs may be used as adjuncts, but the healing influence is exerted primarily by words and actions that are believed by sufferer, therapist, and the group to which they both belong to have healing powers and that create an emotionally charged relationship between or among them. Modern individual and group psychotherapeutic methods are used to treat all forms of suffering in which emotional factors play a part. These include behaviour disorders of children and adults; emotional reactions to the ordinary hardships or crises of life; psychoses, characterized by derangements of thinking and behaviour usually so severe as to require hospitalization; psychoneuroses, which are chronic disorders of personal functioning often accompanied by bodily symptoms of emotional strain; addictions; psychosomatic disorders, in which tissue damage is caused or aggravated by emotional components; and stress. Psychotherapeutic principles are also emphasized in rehabilitation programs for the disabled and chronically ill.
Early treatment of mental illness was based on either a religio-magical or a naturalistic view of disease. The former, originating before recorded history, saw certain forms of personal suffering or of alienation from one's fellows as caused by an evil spirit that gained entrance into the sufferer. Treatment was based on participation in suitable rites under the guidance of a priest-physician, medicine man, or shaman. The naturalistic tradition viewed mental illness as a phenomenon that could be scientifically studied and treated. Treatment consisted of measures to promote bodily well-being and mental tranquillity.
Chances of successful treatment are generally held to be related to the degree of the patient's emotional involvement in the treatment process. This is influenced by the intensity of his suffering and by his faith in the therapist and the treatment method. The patient's expectation of help is enhanced by the therapist's ability to convince the patient that he understands him intimately and is dedicated to his welfare. Personal qualities of the therapist seem important in the development of a successful therapeutic relationship.
Article ID: 328
Word Count: 432
Total views: 376
Rating: Not yet rated
