Where Words Trap the Mind: The Bewitchment of Psychotherapy

Abstract

When psychotherapists reify the concepts they are using to describe human experiences, both therapist and patient are likely to end up with befuddled thinking, and become unable to grasp the lived experience of the emotional turmoil the patient is struggling with. In this context, proper use of language is of vital importance, and the first task of the psychotherapist is to think clearly about the words she uses. This essay attempts to clarify some of these issues, and to discuss their relevance to the practice of psychotherapy.