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Making sense on the boundaries: on moving between philosophy and psychotherapy.
As I see it, this whole way of thinking about human activities - in terms of practitioners putting theories arrived at by professional experts into practice - is radically flawed. It assumes that the only kind of worthwhile knowledge is that arrived at by science, or by methods that in some way imitate those of science. This, I think, is a very inadequate view of the nature of human knowledge. Thus a part of what I want to do in exploring the relations between philosophy and psychotherapy, is to explore another kind of knowledge altogether: that which 'floats' around in an uncertain way within the everyday conversational background to our more orderly, institutional and disciplinary activities, in the boundaries or zones between the separate disciplines. It is a special kind of knowledge that, I think, has not yet been properly identified and described. I call it knowledge of the third kind.
Philosophical Foundations in Psychotherapy
It has always been a special wisdom to convince a person to know himself, to find his inherent strength and weakness, to determine from which side the threat comes, and which of the vices are the easiest to overcome! Any thought affects the body, and bodily forms, in turn, affect the moral side and character. Thus, studying these forms in accordance with intuition, it is possible to know the human character, and in the future, with the problems that await in this life.
Philosophical Practice in a Psychotherapeutic World
contemporarypsychotherapy.org, 2011
This paper explains how philosophical counseling is similar to, and different from psychotherapy. My viewpoint is informed by my certification as a philosophical counselor from the American Philosophical Practitioner Association.
Thaumàzein, 2018
The analysis of mental disorders necessarily requires careful and multilayered reflection. Psychiatry is indeed focused on complex phenomena and symptoms that can be only partly traced back to merely quantitative objectifiable data. This is the reason why we witness a growing methodological and conceptual “mutual enlightenment” between philosophy and psychiatry. Whereas philosophy offers notions that can help to take into account also the qualitative aspects and the lived experiences of pathologies, clinical psychiatry seems to represent one of the most relevant practical fields for philosophy to test its explanatory capacity in relation to its many important issues. The history of phenomenological psychopathology, in particular, shows that philosophers have demonstrated a keen interest in the practical consequences of these issues in the field of clinical psychopathology. It is important to note that, in diagnosing and analyzing some disorders as well as in providing therapeutic instructions, psychiatry turns to concepts that have a pronounced philosophical relevance. Human being, person, self, intersubjectivity, common sense, lived body (Leib) and inanimate body (Körper) are but some of the concepts employed to comprehend several psychopathologies – for instance, those entailing profound emotional and intersubjective disabilities such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and depression. These notions have been the object of lively philosophical discussions. It is therefore quite difficult to imagine, for example, that the connections between time, body and otherness which emerge in certain psychopathologies could be analyzed in complete detachment from the philosophical debate over these issues or without asking whether there is any relationship between mental disorders and the peculiarity of human existence. Considering these convergences, this special issue offers to its readers a series of contributions that investigate the possible relationships between specific psychopathological symptoms and some crucial philosophical issues from various viewpoints. Joel Krueger and Michelle Maiese argue that the notion of “mental institutions” – discussed in recent debates about extended cognition – can help better understand the origin and character of social impairments in autism, and also help illuminate the extent to which some mechanisms of autistic dysfunction extend across both internal and external factors (i.e., they do not just reside within an individual’s head). In his two papers, John Cutting explores the modus vivendi of schizophrenia and that of depression in relation to Max Scheler's phenomenology. Guido Cusinato develops a critical reflection on Cutting’s proposal, highlighting the intersubjective and enactive dimension of valueception impairments. Underlying this discussion between Cutting and Cusinato there is a different way of interpreting the relationship between the modus vivendi of schizophrenia and Scheler’s phenomenological reduction. The next issue of the journal will include Cutting’s response to Cusinato’s observations. Guilherme Messas and Melissa Tamelini analyze two concepts of a philosophical origin – that of dialectics and that of essence – which, in their strict application to psychopathology, could be of considerable value for diagnostic purposes and for the introduction and follow-up of therapeutic strategies. Lucas Bloc and Virginia Moirera propose an outline of clinical phenomenology for eating disorders inspired by Merleau-Ponty’s philosophical phenomenology. Francesca Brencio explores the “pathic” dimension of existence, which is the capacity of both being affected and being situated within moods and atmospheres. The broader purpose of her paper is to show how the “pathic” dimension of existence is related to psychopathology and clinical practice, for example in affective disorders and schizophrenia. Valeria Bizzari draws attention to the interaffective and intersubjective dimensions of Asperger’s subjects. Finally, Gilberto di Petta and Mario Rossi Monti highlight the importance of the debate on these issues that took place in Italy, retracing the history of the Italian Society for Phenomenological Psychopathology and the School of Phenomenological-Dynamic Psychotherapy. There will be a further issue of the journal on this topic. All together, these papers aim to promote a closer comparison and collaboration between psychiatry and philosophy, going beyond a reductive and merely symptomatological conception of mental illness and widening the horizon so as to research areas that so far have remained on the margins of phenomenological psychopathology, such as the dimensions concerning value and affectivity. John Cutting and Guido Cusinato
Toward a philosophical psychiatry (and how psychoanalysis could help)
The Vienna Psychoanalyst
I offer my reflections on the current state and future of psychiatry from the latest International Conference of Psychiatry and Philosophy celebrated in Madrid (November, 2017). Those who take seriously the philosophical nature of psychiatry are more sensitive to the lingering sense of impasse. Indeed, some openly expressed their frustration. Along the lines of my own research and presentation at this conference, I elucidate the problem by posing key questions for the field. Generally, I contend that overcoming this impasse necessitates an integrative, down-to-earth framework that does not misrepresent the rationality of biology at one end, and the humanity of psychoanalysis at the other.
Psychotherapy as a skilled practice
Journal of Analytical Psychology, 2020
While psychotherapy is related to both science and art, it is primarily a craft activity requiring the development of skilful practice, epitomized by the discipline of the analytic attitude. In terms of the forms of knowledge outlined by Aristotle, this places psychotherapy in the realm of 'technê' (arts and craft) rather than epistêmê (science). In particular, the technê of psychotherapy is concerned with the development of phronesis (practical wisdom) in both patient and analyst and its ultimate aim is concerned with the promotion of eudaimonia, a state of well-being considered by Aristotle to be definitive of 'the good life'. It is therefore fundamentally an ethical endeavour. The nature of psychotherapeutic skill is illustrated by analogy with three other forms of technêmusic, meditation and pottery. Clinical examples illustrate the crafting of interpretations and the art of patient holding.