What is our philosophy and method?
With the classic psychotherapeutic offer in Prof. Stark’s practice and the additional innovative interaction program of the Prof. Stark Institute, Prof. Stark and his team have made it their task to provide you with this therapeutic support in a holistic approach based on the Prof. Stark- Method.
In the diagnosis and therapy of stress symptoms, however, not only the psychological side plays a role, but the interrelationships with physical causes and effects must also always be recorded.As a doctor and specialist in psychiatry, psychotherapeutic medicine and psychotherapy, this aspect is particularly important to me.
Psychosomatics
Psychosomatics (from ancient Greek psyche for breath / soul and soma for body / life) is used in medicine to describe research and teaching that deals with the effects of thoughts and feelings (psyche) on physical functions. Mental reactions of people in health and illness are observed in their interrelationships with physical processes and social living conditions and their effects on the development and therapy of primarily somatic illnesses are researched.
In psychology, on the other hand, somatopsychology examines the effects that physical (somatic) diseases have on emotional and cognitive processes. A plethora of physical illnesses and disorders can directly or indirectly cause psychological problems. These include genetic, endocrine / metabolic or diet-related causes, as well as disorders of the brain, organ diseases, infections, drugs, poisons and medications.
It should be noted, however, that the question of the mechanism by which the psyche and body are linked cannot be clearly clarified and that the theoretical models for explaining the established relationships vary considerably in both fields, which in turn leads to a wide range of therapies and treatment approaches.
Axel Schweickhardt defined in 2005 (pp. 5 and 7): “Psychosomatics means that body and soul are two inextricably linked aspects of the human being that are only differentiated for methodological reasons or for better understanding. This does not imply “linear” causality in the sense that mental disorders cause physical illness. Such a thing would lead to a dualism in which there are diseases with psychological origin and diseases with somatic origin. ”
(Kurt Fritzsche, Michael Wirsching, Axel Schweickhardt, eds., Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy ( Springer textbook), Heidelberg 2005, pp. 5 and 7.
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This psychosomatic approach can therefore be supplemented with the holistic approach based on systems theory, which goes beyond the simplistic, dualistic cause-and-effect models.
Holistic theories
Holistic theories state that the properties of a whole cannot be explained by the properties of the individual, isolated parts. Problem areas are therefore to be seen in all their connections and a one-sided consideration of individual aspects should be avoided, i.e. body, mind and soul cannot be separated, all physical, mental and spiritual processes are mutually dependent and form a ‘wholeness’, the elements of which are reciprocal relate to each other as well as to the outside world in which they operate.
This model is based on the systems theory of Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972), according to which the human being is an ‘open system’, ie. a system whose boundaries are permeable to the environment, which affects the environment and is at the same time influenced by it. The human being is seen as a ‘bio-psycho-social being’ with the other ‘system components’ such as social environment, natural and artificial environment, religion / spirituality etc. In other words, the conditions of the body act on the mind and the mind acts on the body and on a further level there is the interaction between the individual and his social environment and the environment with which he is in constant correlation. It is therefore a ‘totality’ of physical, psychological, spiritual as well as social and environmental conditions that have an impact on the well-being of humans and influence the disease and healing process.
These considerations form the core of holistic psychotherapy. Here too, however, there is no uniform model for the interactions between the body, psychological processes, social environment, environment, etc., so that the range of therapeutic approaches is correspondingly broad.
This is where the Prof. Stark method of diagnosis and therapy of psychological and physical stress symptoms comes in.
It is the result of decades of experience in scientifically founded, medical and therapeutic engagement with people who are no longer able to regulate themselves due to acute and chronic psychosomatic stress and illnesses, i.e. to self-determine their personal and social life and to be able to act.
This holistic Prof. Stark method of diagnosis and therapy includes concepts and methods that consider and treat the sick person in his complex system of internal and external relationships. It is based on a holistic view of man, which by a ‘healthy’ person understands a person in whom the four foundations of personality are present in an optimal and balanced state, namely:
- a clear mind
- balanced emotions,
a healthy body with perceptual senses,
an ethical (often also religious or spiritual) value base.
If one or more of these fundamentals become unstable due to stress and exhaustion, burnout or depression, they must be strengthened in individual steps, i.e. different forms of treatment and intensity are used in therapy depending on the focus needed, which are tailored to the individual physical and psychological needs.
The aim of the diagnosis and therapy of psychological and physical stress symptoms is the comprehensive consideration of all aspects of “being ill”. In an intensive process between patient and therapist, the personal ideas and conditions of the patient as an individual, as a partner and family member and as part of his social environment in work and leisure are clarified in order to gain a deeper understanding of his own personality and become aware of himself and his very own needs. Based on this, individual treatment strategies for conflict limitation and stress reduction are developed, which contribute to greater satisfaction and health in life. In this way, not the psychosomatic “illness”, but the holistic state of the person is recorded. In addition to an evaluation and therapy based on psychotherapeutic discussions, physical diagnosis and therapy methods are also included. This holistic approach has proven to be particularly effective in cases in which no clear medical diagnoses can be made, such as acute and chronic pain, exhaustion, sleep disorders, burn-out, depression and fatigue.
Through the various interlocking forms of therapy that work specifically on the psychological and physical level, the overall effectiveness is mutually reinforced and the recovery process can progress simultaneously on all levels until the goal, the restoration of a psychologically, emotionally and physically balanced personality, which then has regained the ability to act independently. In this way, healing takes place in a holistic way.
Behavioral therapy
If you would like to gain an insight into the principles and workings of behavior therapy on which psychotherapeutic treatment is based, you can find out more here.
Energy models
We present an introduction to the models for dealing with our energies developed within the framework of the Prof. Stark method for diagnosis and therapy of psychosomatic disorders.
The role of personality
Who knows who he is, who knows each other so well that he can really say for himself what he needs and is looking for in his life. We all have certain ideas about who we are and what we want, but knowing yourself is one of the most difficult tasks in life.