Dangers Inherent in the Trivialization of Psychotherapy
DEFINITION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
For the purposes of this essay, I will use the term “psychotherapy” to refer to a particular type of interpersonal process intended to facilitate conscious awareness of that which had previously been unconscious. It is not meant to include the direct attempt to modify behavior, whether overt as action or covert as thoughts and feelings, through medication or manipulation of the external consequences of behavior. Similarly, it does not include counseling, coaching, advising, or teaching as its primary goal.
THE RECENT HISTORY OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
In its current form psychotherapy has been popular for only about a century, although its roots are ancient. Freud called attention to the importance of the personal unconscious, repository of those thoughts and feelings which are unique to a particular individual and presumed to be a result of his or her personal life experiences and genetically transmitted instincts. Jung invited us to notice the collective unconscious, where we find ourselves connected to all of humanity through shared patterns of thoughts and feelings. Each of them found the contents of a person’s dreams to be of particular value in accessing the unconscious, whether personal or collective. Many followers of these two pioneers have refined the methodology for accessing these two types of unconscious material and integrating it into one’s conscious awareness, particularly with regard to the manifestation of unconscious material in the transference and countertransference. However, Freud and Jung deserve most of the credit for making popular in modern culture the idea that the exploration and integration of unconscious material is a very