[The development of psychotherapy in the 20th century]

Abstract

The appearance of Freud's earliest writings at the beginning of this century marked the birth of modern systematic and scientific psychotherapy. The following development was explosive in its depth and breadth. It was primarily the group psychotherapies that contributed most to the development in breadth. They practised the reverse of Freud's basic teaching that the whole healing process should occur within a psychic realm. A development in depth was not possible until a reflective review of the presuppositions of psychotherapy concerning the nature of the human being was admitted. Prior to this, the rapidly appearing new schools of psychotherapy were superficial and even thoughtless in their basic tenets. Ludwig Binswanger's thinking initiated a new approach to the understanding of the basic condition and meaning of human existence. Following the example of the philosopher Martin Heidegger, he was able to replace the name of what had previously been called "psychotherapy" with the designation "Daseinsanalyse". It then became possible to give up the ever vague and opaque conception of a "psyche" in favour of the strictly scientifically defined "Da-sein" of the human being.