PHILOTHERAPY
When the philosophical ideal of Eudaimonia emerged in ancient Greece, no one could have imagined that, some 2,500 years later, this idea would have lost none of its significance. What could simply be translated as the "idea of good a life," putting it into practice today, in a world of mounting social, emotional and virtual demands, proves more challenging than ever.
For this reason, philotherapy goes beyond individual treatment to focus on rediscovering the humanity inherent in an analog life.
The philotherapeutic concept is based on the premise that we are not responsible for most of the influences that have shaped our lives. Neither genetic predisposition nor the circumstances of one’s upbringing and development into adulthood are the result of personal choices. In fact, the reverse is true: We all react before we learn to act ourselves. We adapt before we even understand what we are adapting to. Consequently, philotherapy places great importance not only on the client’s biographical anamnesis but also on his/her emotional history using it as a foundation to develop a comprehensive understanding of their life. Or, as the great existential philosopher Karl Jaspers once put it, capturing the very essence of human striving.
"Home is where I understand and am understood.”
In contrast to the ancient concept of Eudaimonia, which rested on the two pillars of health and knowledge, in today’s world the same ideal is based on the following three pillars.
MEANING
What is the meaning of my life?
Most people ask themselves this question at some point in their lives.
A better understanding of the meaning of one’s own life can provide strength, even during moments of personal failure and emotional crisis.
It is this understanding that lies at the heart of every philotherapy session. It assigns the client a pivotal role in using their newfound insights to understand their own life for what it truly is. A stroke of good luck.
Know thyself!
(Socrates)
CONGRUENCE
How are you?
Those who answer "I'm good." might sometimes ask themselves: Why?
Why do I say "good" even though I am not doing well. Neither at this moment, nor lately, nor during many times of my life.
This apparent contradiction derives from a principle we have long known. "Being" and "Seeming to be" are two different things.
If you replace the terms "Being" and "Seeming to be" with inner world and outer world the significance of congruence in philotherapy becomes clear.
The greater the congruence between the inner and outer worlds, the greater the sense of well-being (Eudaimonia).
Say what you think,
and do what you say.
(Epictetus)
ADAPTATION
Today the most frequent diagnosis in psychotherapeutic practices all over the world is "adjustment disorder".
The question of course is not whether one must adapt over the course of one’s life, but rather how one does so. Humans adapt to civilization just as animals adapt to nature. The challenge therefore is to distinguish between a proper and an improper adaptation.
A proper adaptation begins with acknowledging one’s own life story. Those who better understand their own life and its meaning are able to adapt without losing their inner self.
An improper adaptation, on the other hand, derives from an inability to accept one’s own biography that is suppressed in order to adapt to existing circumstances.
The only constant in life is change.
(Heraclitus)