Holistic Treatment: A Qualitative Study Of The Integration Of Chinese Medicine With Psychoanalysis In China

<p>With its fundamental principle of body-mind unity, Chinese medicine has long been regarded as one of the most influential bedrocks of holistic treatment. Given its prevalence in China, Chinese medicine (CM) is a culturally appropriate way for therapists in China to integrate with psychoanalysis. This qualitative study investigates how Chinese psychotherapists in China with Western psychanalytic backgrounds synthesize the principles and methods of CM into their practice. Further, the barriers and facilitators to the integration are also examined. With a sample of twelve Chinese psychotherapists in China primarily trained at The China American Psychoanalytic Alliance, through semi-structured interviews, therapists' integration of different psychoanalytic and CM theories and approaches is assessed. Qualitative thematic analysis reveals themes and barriers to the integration that emerge in the therapists' specific integration pathways. The findings indicate that therapists drew on several salient Chinese medicine principles that have common factors with psychoanalysis to conceptualize patients and formulate interventions. However, the qualitative analysis also suggests that therapists were reluctant to integrate the two approaches formally. The study argues that therapists' neutrality and lack of sufficient supervision on the integration are relevant and worth investigating, as it can abate the barriers between a full integration of Western psychoanalysis and Chinese medicine.</p> <p><em>Keywords:</em> Chinese Medicine, integration, psychoanalysis, Chinese culture, China, holistic treatment</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Wang, I.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Elliot Jurist
• Diana Puñales-Morejon
• Deidre Anglin

• Chinese Medicine
• integration
• psychoanalysis
• Chinese culture
• China
• holistic treatment
• Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1111

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:cc_etds_theses-2106