Before people like Freud, Jung, and Pavlov studied
behaviour and the mind,
very little was really known within the academic world about the human process. Those
that wanted or needed help would often talk with the local priests, village
elders, witch doctors, and others who were considered wise or caring.
Today there are so many forms and styles of therapy it can be
a daunting task for the inexperienced to find the right person to help resolve
the difficulties of modern life, family problems, and emotional difficulties.
This is especially the case if you are looking while you are going through a difficult emotional
time.
This information may help you understand the basic background
and methods used by psychotherapists.
On a very basic level, psychotherapy can be considered from
two vantage points; a form of pure mental process considered on a purely
cognitive level at one extreme and that of
spiritual karma or soul process at the other.
Most forms of psychotherapy are
somewhere between these two poles. Each will have it's own teachings,
understandings, and broadly shared objectives.
It must be said that there is "no right or wrong" form of therapy, each has it's
merits and in choosing, one needs to consider ones own needs, desires, and
perceived problems as well as one's own background.
For example someone who has grown up in a very logical family
with no spiritual teachings and understandings or even appreciations of sole or
deep emotion may find it
very difficult to see a therapist who uses the teachings of Christianity or Buddhism
as a bases for their form of therapy. Likewise someone who has a tendency to
feel in a bodily way rather than there brain may prefer to see someone who
accepts and understands there process without telling them that they should be
using their brain.
Logic does play a part in psychotherapy but as most people
realise, our emotions are not always logical and therefore a balance needs to be
found if we are to lead a fulfilled life.
So where to begin... Freud looked in great detail at the
unconscious mind by analysing thought patterns, dreams and how people
associated. Much of his work used hypnotism to uncover the unconscious mind.
Freud could be considered the father of psychoanalysis.
He lived from 1856-1939.
