[Patients with Psychotherapy Experience in the GDR - Findings of an Interview Study on the Pre-Therapeutic Phase]

This study captures and contextualizes experiences of former patients treated in GDR psychotherapy, focusing on the pre-therapeutic phase, triggers, access, expectations, and political attitudes. It addresses a research gap on the patient perspective.Semi-structured interviews with 15 individuals treated between 1974-1989 were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Categories included triggers, access pathways, expectations, political attitudes, motivations for change, and gender differences.The most frequently reported reason for seeking psychotherapy was current distress, partly in combination with childhood experiences. Only a small number of participants explicitly linked their initiation of psychotherapy to the political system of the GDR. Access to psychotherapy was predominantly self-initiated, often facilitated by personal networks or medical referrals; system-critical networks played a particularly important role for individuals who expressed political distance from the regime. Expectations ranged from symptom reduction to the desire for self-reflection, as well as the absence of specific expectations. Political attitudes and motivations for change varied, with both active loyalty and conscious distancing more frequently associated with high reform-oriented motivations among the interviewees. Gender-specific differences were observed particularly in access pathways, with men more often reporting a self-initiated route into psychotherapy.Findings suggest the pre-therapeutic phase was only partly shaped by GDR sociopolitics. Self-initiated access and informal networks indicate partial decoupling from the state system. Patients seeking psychotherapy often showed readiness for responsibility and personal change, reflected in expectations and political motivations. The study highlights the value of the patient perspective for understanding psychotherapy in its historical context.