Phantasy Therapy in Psychiatry: Rediscovering Reality in Phantasy. A Special Treatment for In- and Outpatients in General Psychiatry

Abstract

Phantasy Therapy is an interdisciplinary depth-psychologically oriented group therapy form with focus on the treatment of psychoses in acute and remission phases. A different theme is presented to the patients every week on two consecutive days (90 min per session), coherently, via various sensory channels. On the first day, the theme is concretely and operationally introduced by means of an object, transformed into movement in the broadest sense of the word, and experienced directly with the body. The first session ends with a story, usually a fairy tale or parable, so that the body experiences can be further realized symbolically at the cognitive-emotional level. The second session treats the same theme via repetition of the chosen story with the deeper transformation of symbols into color and form. The first day is jointly led by a psychotherapist and a movement/ dance therapist, the second day by a psychotherapist and an art therapist. Our approach understands therapy as a somatesthetic experience- and synesthetic expression-oriented encounter with the patient via the therapist’s empathic imaginative identification with the patient by means of a progressively orchestrated, positivizing, cognitive-emotional, theme-centered rapport. In this connection six therapeutic elements are of importance: theme, object, movement, fairy tale, artwork, symbol. Phantasy Therapy offers the patient creative freedom in a humorous and playful way within a certain therapeutic security (Amae principle) and contradicts several classical prejudices concerning the treatment of psychotic patients.

Der psychogene Tod

“…Dies wiederum ermöglicht den Abbau bzw. den Aufbau eines Amae-Zustands (Doi 1982;Ito 1994;Ito und Takei 2001;Schmid et al 2002), d. h. eines Zustands der wieder gewonnenen Freiheit in der Geborgenheit.…”

Contos de fadas: de sua origem à clínica contemporânea DOI 10.5752/P.1678-9563.2009v15n2p132

“…Na clínica psicanalítica contemporânea, faz-se corriqueiro o uso de histórias infantis com crianças e adultos para diagnóstico e tratamento (Bernstein, 1999;Bettelheim, 1980;Brandt, 1983;Bruder, 2004;Caillé & Rey, 1990;Castello, 1999;Catheline-Antipoff & Soulayrol, 1994;Chauí, 1984;Davies, 1988;Dieckmann, 1997;Ellis, 1990;Erle, 1999;Fagulha, 1999;Ferreira, 1991;Ferro, 1995;Garcia & Garcia, 2005;Goldmann, 2001;Gutfreind, 2000Gutfreind, , 2002Gutfreind, , 2003Hisada, 1998;Ishikawa et al, 1990;Luz & Zanetti, 2003;Machado, 1988;Roberge, 2002;Robinson, 1986;Safra, 2005;Schmid et al, 2002;Silva & Fachin, 2002;Souyouldzoglou, Anasiassia, Coulacoglou, & Gardiner, 1999;Sussenbacher, 1982;Stube, 2001;Turkel, 2002;Tychey, 1993;Zago, 1998).…”

Phantasy Therapy: Statistical Evaluation of a New Approach to Group Psychotherapy for Stationary and Ambulatory Psychotic Patients

“…In the present study, we have tried to be more systematic in the collection of data enabling us to arrive at statistically relevant conclusions about the use and effects of Phantasy Therapy. Detailed descriptions of Phantasy Therapy have already been published [24][25][26][27]. The challenge of the present work has been to statistically study Phantasy Therapy 'in situ', that is, during TAU within the context of quality control under the extreme and difficult conditions of a public psychiatric clinic with mandatory admittance, roughly 50% legally enforced admissions, locked wards, and short-term hospitalisations (<2 months).…”