License PSY 3755

Psychotherapy for Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is not a brain disease to be treated with medication. Psychotherapy is the treatment of choice to help the individual understand his emotions. Antipsychotic medication interferes with developing a sense of self. Moreover, research has shown that medications make the person more controllable, but they do not change over time. They remain unable to care for themselves and dependent on their family or the state for survival. Therapy is conducted without the use of antipsychotic medication.

There is an erosion of a sense of “I” in schizophrenia. The person can no longer distinguish between himself and how much is already in others. The self feels that it is being absorbed by all that is around it, by cosmic powers, forces of good or evil, or by God himself. There is the feeling of losing one’s mind, of the self breaking off until it ceases to exist or seems unconnected with action or life in the usual way. There is a failure to see who we are and where we are going. Thoughts and images are experienced as auditory or visual hallucinations. The schizophrenic also loses his mind space. He cannot think about the space he is in or plan. The suffering individual tries to explain their own suffering. The explanations become so extreme that they cause additional suffering. If one listens to the stories, they are struggling with the existence of their personal identities. There is no nucleus of a central self and how much of it is in others. They complain of time standing still and having no sense of time. We can only be conscious of time as we can organize it into a series of a significant succession of events. The lack of a sense of self, a sense of I, precludes this. The schizophrenic complains of being commanded by outside forces. With the loss of the I, the remnant of self feels like a commanded automaton.

Human beings are not easily able to tolerate chronic, massive terror. All of the symptoms of schizophrenia may be understood as manifestations of chronic terror or of defenses against terror. The person withdraws from the world for safety, because the world is felt to be frightening. Repair of the undeveloped sense of self is central. It is essential that a person be in touch with his feelings so that they can be understood. A sense of self allows a person to have relationships with others without a fear of losing himself in them and to be freer to love.
A person persecuted by delusional forces of evil, while hoping to be rescued by the forces of good, I see as trying to reestablish a relationship with people that were previously seen as good and evil. I do not challenge the reality of these delusional forces, but try to explore the nature of the relationship with these forces. I help the undeveloped self to articulate itself. Symptoms associated with being controlled by these forces (e.g. being forced to vomit, being suffocated, having no will, and fearing being murdered by these entities) can be alleviated if one empathizes with the individuals experience, not if one challenges their reality. This approach results in a diminishing of the effect of these forces and a marked improvement in vitality occurs. A developed sense of self enables the person to work and be self-sufficient, be intimate with one’s spouse and be a good caretaker for one’s children.
Treatment of Schizophrenia without Anti Psychotic medication, Dissociative Identity Disorders (Multiple Personality Disorders), Adult Victims of Child Abuse, Borderline Personality Disorders, Depression Therapy, Eating Disorders, Anxiety Disorders. Dr. Paul has published and presented papers at professional meetings in the areas of Schizophrenia, Psychosis, Dissociative Identity Disorders, Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse, The Borderline Personality, Eating Disorders and Anxiety Disorders.

 

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