Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Hart on inner healing

Karl Menninger, after decades of work in psychotherapy, lays aside all learned talk both of psychic maladies and of therapeudic techniques, and utters one simple overarching truth: It is unlove that makes people unwell, and it is love and love alone that can make them well again. His contention is buttressed by more general studies and surveys, in which it has been shown that those therapists are most successful in bringing health back to their clients who are best able to convey love. Their theoretical framework may be Freudian, Jungian, Rogerian, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, or anything else; the most telling factor is still the ability to communicate care, reverence, and hope to the troubled person. This explains in part why some psychotherapists seem to do so little for people even after months and months of appointments, and some complete amateurs are able to make significant difference in a short time.

Thomas Hart, The Art of Christian Listening, p.18

2 comments:

  1. "It is unlove that makes people unwell, and it is love and love alone that can make them well again." That was a bit that struck me too.

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  2. ...."it is unlove that makes people unwell, and it is love and love alone that can make them well again."

    I'm sure this is applicable to the lives of many people.

    I think our culture has forgotten what it really means to love and be loved. This is why there are so many hurting and desolate souls.

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