Basic epistemology as fundamentals for self-experience in psychotherapy training

Abstract

Today’s concepts of “self-experience” held by the different schools of psychotherapy are very heterogeneous and they are under critical scientific review. In this article fundamentals of the theory of science concerning self-experience in psychotherapy training are presented. In this context there are two underlying epistemological hypotheses:

1.    Psychotherapy is concerned with all aspects of human life and is oriented by a complex methodology consisting of all four basic epistemological categories in regard to concepts of self-experience.

2.    The principle of complex methodology in the context of self-experience implicates that self-knowledge means integration of body, soul and mind.

In accordance with these hypotheses the following epistemological categories of self-experience in psychotherapy training exist:

1. phenomenological self-knowledge: experience of personal existence;

2. dialectic self-knowledge: experience of personal identity;

3. empiric-analytic self-knowledge: experience of personal autonomy;

4. hermeneutic self-knowledge: experience of personal eroticism.

The principle of complex methodology is not intended to create a homogeneous school of psychotherapy. But it can help widen the different theoretical concepts of self-experience that are more and more seen to be biased by one or the other methodology that was predominant during the foundation of a particular school. Finally, the principle of complex methodology offers a homogeneous theory of science for all concepts of selfexperience in psychotherapy training.

Keywords:
Psychotherapy, self-experience, epistemology