Reading the self-other drama of the clinical encounter: The role of literary reading and writing as a challenge for psychiatrists

Objective: The purpose of this article is to suggest ways in which literary practices such as reading of fiction and creative writing may be beneficial for psychiatrists in their clinical practice.

Methods: Concepts from literary theory, phenomenology, and psychodynamic thinking will be used to move the therapeutic thinking of the medical paradigm beyond the dichotomic body-mind model. The ability to listen and respond to subjective and intersubjective processes, and the understanding of the dynamics and structure of the verbalized qualia will be emphasized. We will draw on our personal experiences from a pilot project applying literary techniques for psychiatrists and psychologists to improve their clinical practice.

Results: In our analysis, we suggest a framing of the clinical encounter as a hermeneutic situation with a gradually growing scenic and poetic understanding of the texts enunciated in the therapeutic actions and of the texts being produced by the patient's mind.

Conclusions and implications for practice: This theoretical study suggests two ways in which literary practices and concepts are highly valuable for the clinical practice of psychologists and psychiatrists. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).