World symposium on psychotherapy opens

World symposium on psychotherapy opens

JIMBARAN, Bali (JP): More than 200 Asia Pacific
psychotherapists yesterday harnessed their efforts towards
promoting mental wellbeing in the region noted for having more
cultures and religions and a denser population than anywhere else
in the world.

Opening the "Psychotherapy Asia Pacific Symposium: Mental
Health, Culture and Development of West and East" here yesterday,
Indonesian scholar Fuad Hasan said that cultural pluralism should
be acknowledged, especially in dealing with the peoples and
cultures of the Asia Pacific region.

Fuad, a professor of psychotherapy and a former minister of
education, said the region is growing into a complex network of
trade and commerce, and a vast arena of cultural encounters. This
dynamic will lead to changes in people's values as well, he said.

"Are we, preoccupied as we are by psychotherapy and
counseling, ready to cope effectively with this emerging
reality," Fuad remarked.

Cultural dimensions in psychotherapy need to be addressed as
human beings do not live in a cultural vacuum. Every baby is born
into a family structure, and the family is part of a social
reality which is culturally bound, he said.

Psychotherapy needs to approach the individual as a member of
a family, and a member of society within a particular culture, he
said.

Efforts to promote mental health through education and
guidance in general, or through counseling and psychotherapy in
particular, cannot be separated from cultural and religious
dimensions, he said.

Psychotherapy should remain humane, he said.

"Thus, the human individual should never be depersonalized,
dehumanized, or deculturalized. Instead of telling a patient 'to
be', psychotherapists should create an atmosphere of 'allowing
the individual to be himself' so that he may evolve into an
authentic personality."

The symposium was organized by the Department of
Psychotherapy, University of Indonesia's Faculty of Medicine.

International experts Tsutomu Sakuta of Japan, Shen Yu Chun of
China, Michael Lewis of the United States, and Christoph Mundt of
Germany, are attending the symposium where 60 speakers will
present papers.

Anxiety management, counseling for the terminally ill, drug
abuse management, the psychobiology of emotion, hostility and
aggression management, and stress management will be discussed.

Suzy J. Spradlin of C.J. Jung Institute in San Francisco
presented a paper on cross-dressing among men. The depression,
anxiety and shame experienced by many heterosexual cross-dressers
has caused them to be resistant to psychotherapy.

Wearing female clothing to achieve sexual arousal can damage
relationships with women, and tends to increasingly isolate the
men and causes depression, loss of self esteem and loss of sexual
libido, she said. (33)