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)