Clinical holistic medicine: the case story of Anna. III. Rehabilitation of philosophy of life during holistic existential therapy for childhood sexual abuse.
When we experience life events with overwhelming emotional pain, we can escape this pain by making decisions (in our mind) that transfer responsibility from our existence to the surrounding world. By doing this, we slowly destroy the essence of our being, health, quality of life, and ability to function. The case of Anna is an excellent example of such a systematic destruction of self, done to survive the extreme pressure from childhood abuse and sexual abuse. The case study shows that the damage done to us by traumatic events is not on our body or soul, but rather our philosophy of life. The important consequence is that we can heal our existence by letting go of the negative decisions taken in the past painful and traumatic situations. By letting go of the life-denying sentences, we come back to life and take responsibility for our own life and existence. The healing of Anna's existence was done by existential holistic therapy. Although the processing did not always run smoothly, as she projected very charged material on the therapists on several occasions, the process resulted in full health and a good quality of life due to her own will to recover and heal completely. The case illustrates the inner logic and complexity of intensive holistic therapy at the most difficult moment, where only a combination of intensive medical, psychiatric, and sexological treatment could set her free. In the paper, we also present a meta-perspective on intensive holistic therapy and its most characteristic phases.
Ventegodt
Søren
S
Nordic School of Holistic Medicine, Copenhagen K, Denmark. ventegodt@livskvalitet.org
Clausen
Birgitte
B
Merrick
Joav
J
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015510:Clinical Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D005086:Existentialism / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*