The History of Psychotherapy
From magic to science
The art of healing the soul How do other cultures deal with mental illnesses? What did non-literate societies do in the face of psychological ailments? How did today’s diversity of therapeutic approaches develop from these magical roots? Wolfgang Schmidbauer tells the fascinating story of psychotherapy from the beginnings of mankind until today. He shines a light on the numerous, often contradictory aspects of the role of the helper and healer that ranges from emphatic artist to stern scientist, from spiritual leader to modern service provider. He shows the strengths and weaknesses of the different schools and lines of psychotherapy as well as the potential in their further development.
Dr Wolfgang Schmidbauer studied psychology and wrote his dissertation on »Myth and Psychology«. While training to become a psychoanalyst, he founded an institute for analytical group dynamics and family therapy with some of his colleagues. Today, he lives in Munich, Germany, where he works as an author, psychotherapist, and training analyst. Apart from non-fiction books and articles for professional journals, he also writes narrative texts and works as a columnist for the ZEIT magazine.
The art of healing the soul How do other cultures deal with mental illnesses? What did non-literate societies do in the face of psychological ailments? How did today’s diversity of therapeutic approaches develop from these magical roots? Wolfgang Schmidbauer tells the fascinating story of psychotherapy from the beginnings of mankind until today. He shines a light on the numerous, often contradictory aspects of the role of the helper and healer that ranges from emphatic artist to stern scientist, from spiritual leader to modern service provider. He shows the strengths and weaknesses of the different schools and lines of psychotherapy as well as the potential in their further development.
Dr Wolfgang Schmidbauer studied psychology and wrote his dissertation on »Myth and Psychology«. While training to become a psychoanalyst, he founded an institute for analytical group dynamics and family therapy with some of his colleagues. Today, he lives in Munich, Germany, where he works as an author, psychotherapist, and training analyst. Apart from non-fiction books and articles for professional journals, he also writes narrative texts and works as a columnist for the ZEIT magazine.
PDF-Download