From symptom to symbol. Language in psychotherapy

The effectiveness of psychotherapy is now recognised in the scientific literature. The article identifies the reasons for this effectiveness in the strength of the therapeutic alliance, in which therapist and patient work together towards a shared goal. This alliance on the other hand, it needs to be based on a common language.

We study the characteristics of the two codes of human communication, symbolic and subsymbolic, and their possible synergy in a therapeutic relationship that achieves its goal.