Psychotherapy: healing by culture

Culture, defined as a system of beliefs, values and behavioral patterns, plays an important role in psychotherapy, albeit a role that most psychotherapeutic theories hardly acknowledge. Psychotherapeutic and anthropological research over the last few decades has indicated that common beliefs concerning illness and cure shared by therapist and patient are a central factor in determining illness behavior and outcome of therapy. In fact, such belief systems may account for up to 60% of therapeutic efficacy. Psychotherapy thus appears by and large to be healing by culture. Training programs in psychotherapy should therefore pay more attention to the role of culture.