Becoming Whole

For years, humanity succumbed to the misconception that body and mind could only be understood separately that internal bodily processes could not be related to our emotional life, and that mental illnesses could not be compared with physical symptoms. What is new about this book is its establishment of connections between psychological and physical factors, based on anatomy, pathophysiology, neurobiology, and individual experiences in the treatment of patients.A central concept is that of self-relationship, whose disturbances can be recognized as the most important cause of all psychological suffering. The aim is to overcome divisions and to build a bridge between scientific organ-based medicine, with its biomedical model of disease, and a holistic psychotherapy grounded in systems theory. To this end, psychological disorders-particularly depression, anxiety disorders, and burnout-are presented within the framework of scientific medicine, including their etiology, pathophysiology, possible pathomorphological findings, symptomatology, diagnostic approaches, and key aspects of therapy.Dr. Christian Vogt is a specialist in psychiatry, a physician psychotherapist, and also works as a relaxation trainer, yoga teacher, and rehabilitation sports instructor for participants with psychological and orthopedic conditions.He has already gained extensive experience in outpatient psychotherapy, psychosomatic rehabilitation, the treatment of chronic pain, and stress-related health disorders such as sleep disturbances and inner restlessness, as well as in geriatrics. Through many years of working with mindfulness-based methods (relaxation, meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises), he is able to support his patients in taking their first steps on the path of mindfulness.