.png){kind=logo}
The Philosophy behind Psychotherapy
About the author
Jos Janssen (1956) is a Dutch Physician who has also a master's degree in both philosophy and theology. He worked as a general practitioner in the Netherlands and Curacao. During his years in the Caribbean he became an avid deep sea diver and underwater photographer. He later published a book “Diving into the Past “, a photographic impression of the Caribbean coral reef.
The title of this book already foreshadowed his next step in life. Raised in a dysfunctional family he enrolled in psychoanalytic treatment. The experiences with this kind of therapy and his philosophical reflections on them inspired him to write another book “The Philosophy behind Psychotherapy”. This analysis of the therapeutic process reveals some surprising aspects of human existential reality and explains how psychotherapy restores our affective connection with this inner reality.
Today Jos lives in the Netherlands and is happily married to his wife Irma.
Jos Janssen
How Psychotherapy Works
Coming from a dysfunctional family Dutch physician, theologian and philosopher Jos Janssen enrolled in psycho-analytic therapy during several years. The insights gained during this therapy led to some surprising understandings regarding human emotional development and the psycho-therapeutic process. This book is not a story of his personal life but a philosophical reflection on what happens in psychotherapy and how it works.
The answers to these questions also shed light on the nature of emotional health and the good life. Concepts like authenticity and integrity are analyzed and become intelligible within a rational framework. The prevailing naturalistic view on the human mind is challenged and the book stresses the healing power of understanding the individual life story and its universal aspects. The psycho-therapeutic process is viewed from different perspectives, culminating in a coherent model of human existential reality. Ultimately psychotherapy enables patients to reunite with their deepest inner core and thus with all of humanity.
