Psychological Methods of Healing
- Author:
William Brown, M.D., D.Sc., F.R.C.P.
University of London Press, 7/6.
The preface states that this book aims at outlining the main schools of thought in medical psychology, and giving an accurate statement of the writer’s own views. It fulfils its aim, although it would seem that the several chapters on suggestion, hypnosis, etc., might well have been condensed and run together; whereas in their present form (where papers delivered at various conferences are reported) the subject occupies too large a space in relationship to the rest of the book. Thus laymen may be led to think too much of suggestion methods and too little of analytical, although the latter are usually admitted to be far more fundamental and important.
Dr Brown makes a clear case of the correct way to use hypnosis, i.e., as a means of getting the patient to relax the convulsive grip by means of which he keeps dissociated material out of sight, and so allowing him to bring it to the surface. And the point is made that hypnosis can only legitimately be used in such a way as gradually to diminish the ability of the therapist to hypnotise his patient, because he is becoming a more integrated and positive personality as a result of it : a point too little regarded by many socalled psychotherapists.
For the rest, we are given a clear outline of Freud’s and Adler’s psychologies, and an adequate though necessarily incomplete study of Jung, with critical comments on these. The 6nly point at which T join issue with the author is in over-valuing the Oedipus Complex, by taking it as a radical factor in the causation of neurosis and giving it an absolute value, instead of seeing it as a part of a much deeper and more philosophically real system.
In short, this is a good introduction to psychotherapy in general, and being easy to read, it is one to be recommended to the beginner. L. J. B.
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