Healing, ethics, alternative therapies and rehabilitation

What heals in therapy? Several factors:

• the techniques used;
• the therapeutic alliance itself;
• catharsis: emotional unburdening, releasing pent-up feelings, often in the early sessions;
• non-specific factors: the patient's motivation and hope, and the therapist's warmth and experience.

Ethics in psychotherapy:

• informed consent: the client knows and agrees to what will happen;
• confidentiality;
• relieving the client's distress;
• integrity of the therapist–client relationship;
• respect for human rights and dignity;
• professional competence and skill.

Alternative therapies:

• Yoga: asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing).
• Meditation, including Vipasana (also called mindfulness-based meditation): watching one's thoughts and sensations without reacting.
• Acupuncture, herbal remedies and others.

Research supports some of these. Sudarshana Kriya Yoga, a breathing technique, has been shown (in studies at NIMHANS, Bengaluru) to help with stress, PTSD and depression. Kundalini Yoga has been used for OCD.

Rehabilitation: for severe disorders like schizophrenia, reducing symptoms does not always restore a good quality of life. Patients may have lost skills, jobs and confidence. So rehabilitation helps them live independently:

• Occupational therapy: teaching skills like candle making or paper-bag making, to build a work discipline.
• Social skills training: practising how to interact with others.
• Cognitive retraining: improving attention, memory and thinking.
• Vocational training: preparing for paid work.

Treatment aims not just at fewer symptoms, but at a better life.