[Experiences with psychosomatic patients--problems of etiology, perception and truth]

In the therapy of psychosomatic patients following sufficient analysis of psychic factors, a remnant, resistant to further analysis, is found which is the result of primary organic suffering. The entire organism changes with respect to this primary suffering and, if the behaviour of the significant other remains unchanged, psychic maladjustment sets in, which in the future may be the cause of organic disease. Organic changes resulting from primary suffering resistant to analysis, must be mitigated by changes in the patients life. In practice the therapy of psychosomatic patients is aggravated by their individual difficulties in expressing themselves and by the difficulties therapists have in perceiving their expressions. Perception-training, which may be in the form of mediation, seems desirable. Patients near their central conflict tend to untruthfulness. Analysis of this untruthfulness is to be considered as a step forward in the therapy. If analysis is not possible, untruthfulness in the patient remains a therapeutic problem.