Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy

This popular study of "psychological healing"treats topics ranging from religious revivalism and magical healing to contemporary psychotherapies, from the role of the shaman in nonindustrialized societies to the traditional mental hospital. Jerome and Julia Frank (who are father and daughter) contend that these therapies share common elements that improve the "morale"of sufferers. And in combating the "demoralizing meaning"that people attach to their experiences, the authors argue, many therapies are surprisingly similar to rhetoric (the art of persuasion) and to hermeneutics (the study of meanings).

Highly acclaimed in previous editions, Persuasion and Healing has been completely revised and expanded. In addition to a broadened exploration of the role of demoralization in illness, this latest edition offers updated information on topics including self-help, family therapy, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy for the mentally ill, and techniques such as primal therapy and bioenergetics. As they explore the power of "healing rhetoric"in these activities, the authors strengthen the ties among the various healing profession.

Jerome D. Frank, MD, PhD, (1909-2005), was a social psychologist and psychiatrist whose research into psychotherapy extended from WWII through sixty years as a clinician and professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Julia B. Frank, MD,also a psychiatric educator, is an emeritus professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine, a coauthor of the third edition of Persuasion and Healing, and a coeditor of the third edition of The Behavioral Sciences and Health Care.