[Theory and therapy of psychosomatic disorders]

Given the specific problems of the physically sick, the psychoanalytical therapy of psychosomatic patients normally calls for modification of therapy concepts that have proved viable for patients with mental disorders (neuroses) alone. The patients' difficulty in experiencing and expressing the experience of feelings as well as the fixation on one kind of physical complaint render it essential that the patient be unconditionally "accepted" and offered translation aids so that within the patient-doctor relationship the "mute" physical complaints can be assisted towards verbalisation and new emotional experiencing. The special kind of therapy form indicated is determined by the extent of healthy personality elements. Here, in addition to non-verbal procedures, techniques as combined inpatient-outpatient group psychotherapy, the subject of the present follow up study, have proved to be helpful.