The origin of Psychotherapy

Most people don’t know, but the origin of psychotherapy actually lies in philosophy. Prominent figures like Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Socrates can be seen, from today’s perspective, as the first psychotherapists in history. Their ideas, concepts, and thoughts were far ahead of their time, and famous psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, C.G. Jung, and Alfred Adler drew much of their inspiration from them.

Freud, for instance, adopted many of his "original" concepts from Schopenhauer, and Socrates' method of questioning is still an essential technique in the toolkit of most psychotherapists today. Viktor Frankl, another well-known Viennese psychologist, even built his entire psychological framework around one of the main philosophical themes: man’s search for meaning.

From this perspective, it suddenly makes sense why psychology students in Europe still study large portions of philosophical material. It also explains the resurgence of ancient concepts like Stoicism in modern times. In the field of psychology, many old concepts are often renamed or rebranded, with their proponents claiming originality, while in fact, the "wheel is simply being reinvented once again."