Psychotherapy: An Illusion That Works

Abstract

Mainstream psychology is based on the epistemology that the domain for psychology exists in an independently pregiven reality (ontology) and that truth about such reality is attainable through empirical scientific investigation. This has become a position more or less taken for granted in mainstream psychology and psychotherapy research. Jan Smedslund has challenged this epistemology in a profound way. Inspired by this, the argument in this chapter is not only that this epistemology is false (as Smedslund does), but also expand on his conclusion about the bricoleur model of psychological practice by contextualizing psychotherapy culturally and historically and thereby classifying it as a kind that belongs to the art of healing. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the healing context are discussed. Furthermore, it is argued, this epistemological change could rescue psychotherapy from the problematic mismatch between what psychotherapy pretends to be, and what is really going on in practice.