Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-19
KEEPING MENTALLY FIT
By JOSEPH JAsTRow.

doctrine is now understood by those
who minister most wisely to minds dis
eased. Certainly every doctor cultivates
cheerful bedside manner and that
may be good part Of the benefit of his
visit Psychotherapy is more than a
| cheer-up cult.
It arises from a very profound prin-
ciple of the interplay Of the lower and
the higher portions of the central
nervous system. That huge upper brain
of ours that fills the top part of the
skull, so much bigger in proportion
than in any other animal represents
the highest product of evolution and the
reflection that makes us behave like
human beings. The outer rind of It,
about three-eighths of an inch thick,
Is the cortex, or bark, and SO as a short
hand way of speaking of the thinking
machine, we may speak of all this type
| of function as cortical.
Opposed to it is the mass of Sensa-
ton and the type of feeling connected
with the vital functions; in that sense
our lower brain Is visceral. In common
language, that's where we get the CUTS
to carry on. Because the cortical af-
fectS the viSceral system as well as. vice
versa, pSychotherapy is possible. There
is a lot OF yiSceral feeling of sickness
and incapacity for which a cortical state
OF mind is mainly responsible.
And now you see why there are so
many mental cures, because there are
so many mental ailments. The pain
that is caused by suggestion also goes
and mentally well by the same mechan-
ism. But that's far too simple state
ment. When you come face to face
with the ills which psychotherapy Is
called upon to treat you have a far
more intricate job. You have to recog-
nize that while there is a mental factor
there are also others.
Many sufferer knows that he slut
tiers worse when he thinks about it, but
that knowledge doesn't make him stop
suffering. Many patient who is de-
pressed and has a constant headache
knows that 1t is his worry and his state
OF mind that is chiefly responsible for
both. His cortical brain Is convinced of
it, but his visceral brain only half &C.
ceptS it, and the pain and the depres-
sion keep on until something very pleas
ant happens and both vanish, or some
thing very unpleasant happens and both
get worse.
So it's quite all right to tell this pa
tient that If he could only think him.
self well he would be we'll, and he must
believe 1t through thick and thin, but
he isn't going to throw of his depres-
sion as he would his clutches If he had
PNAOAy AAJoOSAASdA AftAAlCLCDSs 4OI bllC
mechanism, though similar, is not the
same. He has to put up a harder and
a longer fight, with slow gains and
| many backStepS and SlumpS
Psychotherapy is difficult art and
calls to its aid all the resources of medi-
cine and hygiene. 1t recognizes the
large mental factor in disease, but
doesn't make the mistake of saying it
is all in the mind or that all cases are
alike in course or treatemnt.
Psychotherapy is the art of mental
stimulation. 1t requires graded doses of
assurance and encouragement; agree
able occupation, helpful companionship,
diversion and all that goes into an in
| geniouS course in restoring the zest in
living and the hopeful determination to
| get well. 1t is the most humane of all
arts, requires larger sympathy and in
sight into the intricacies of human ma
ture than any other. The doctor who
said that If you think you're sick when
you're not sick, you are very sick in
deed" expressed his appreciation of the
reality as we'll as of the intricacy of the
neurotic personality. The psychothera-
peutiSt Is the one who is making prog
resS in miniStering to such ills. His
task is difficult by reason of the intri-
cate relations of the nervous system
that make visceral ills cortical ills and
cortical ills visceral ills. There are no
get-well-quick methods in legitimate
psychotherapy.
Copyright, 1921