Just Like the human body, the human mind is always striving to maintain its health, and the many modern forms of psychological therapy, or "psychotherapies," aim to stimulate and support this process. Traditionally, compassionate personal interaction in soothing surroundings has been used to heal the mind. Alongside this, however, was often harsh treatment for the deranged, who were thought to have been touched by evil, struck down by the gods, or affected by the moon.

A new era dawned in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century with the development of complex and effective therapies reflecting Oriental wisdom.

The Mind-Body Relationship

The complex relationship between the mind and body has now been acknowledged, and there is strong evidence that many illnesses are caused and exacerbated by psychological factors. All complementary therapies promote the idea of the body as a whole, and promote the idea of treating it "holistically" as a result. Psychological influences, such as stress, worry, depression, and anxiety have an enormous impact on health and are implicated in a number of conditions, including migraine, eczema, asthma, digestive disorders, headaches, and vision problems. Psychological therapies aim to address the parts of the body that some Western medicine has yet to reach successfully - the mind and the sense of well-being necessary to good health.

Healing The Mind

What can psychotherapy achieve? By working together, the therapist and the client can transform a problem into a turning point: the beginning of something better. It is done by using any of a variety of methods, usually classified as follows:

Behavioral Introduced at the beginning of the 20th century and based on learning theories, behavioral psychology aims to predict and control behavior in a, scientific way. Cognitive therapy, which developedi the 1960s, is concerned with perception and belief systems: changing the way we view things can change their outcome.

Analytical Instituted at the end of the 1911 century and now comprising many variations (including psychodynamic), analytical theory regards person's mindset as the outcome of conflict between internal forces and seeks answers from the unconscious. It aims to uncover and analyze the effects of early experience on present difficulties and to look at ways of working to resolve early blocks.

Humanistic This optimistic view emphasizes the essential goodness of human beings and the belief that we all have choices. To realize our full potential we need to get in touch with our inner selves and true feelings, and to be able to express them freely. The attitude of the therapist in achieving and conveying understanding from a position of equality is critical.

Integrative Most therapists who work in this way have a humanistic orientation but also use elements of other therapeutic disciplines. Its ruling principle is the integration of "mind, body, and soul" to constitute one whole aware person.

Special Note Most of the therapies in this section are subtle and complex, and rely on the competence of a trained therapist to be properb effective. This applies particularly to the various psychotherapies and to hypnotherapy.