Archetypal Medicine

by Alfred J. Ziegler

In Archetypal Medicine Alfred Ziegler re-reads asthma, skin disease, heart attacks, anorexia, rheumatism, and chronic pain from a psychological perspective. According to his view, humanity's nature is neither natural nor healthy, but rather, afflicted and chronically ill. In this way he challenges the philosophical basis of traditional medicine, exposes its shadow, and charges that the current excessive interest in health betrays our nature. All of this is done in a clear and elegantly simple style that is packed with case examples and medical data.

" disease, like fantasy, expresses the archetypes and can be read as an image, a sensuous, dramatic form of nature."

Genres: Medical

169 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1983

Reviews

[Gidi Rosenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting points on the fallacy of health and the importance of illness. I had higher hopes for the discussion of what an archetypal medicine would look like. The case studies fell a little flat, and the author almost seems like he blames his patients for their illnesses, or at least feels like they brought it upon themselves due to their personality structures. Still, some of the ideas in this book are great and it would be a great introductory text for a future archetypal medicine. The main point -- that health may not be an ideal to strive towards -- is radically novel in the modern age. Worth considering given the epidemic of chronic illness.

['Jj · Rating 5 out of 5]

quotes:

p. 125
In the view of archetypal medicine, human abilities and talents tend to become destructive when they succumb to the tendency to become absolutes, to lead astray, or to be elevated to the position of ideals. At such times Nature makes the necessary correction on the physical plane, especially when the normal psychopathic adversities at her disposal fail to bring about the desired effect. Nature's correction counterbalances elements of human society with a corresponding illness, at least to the extent that such social forms become too one-sidedly directed towards justice, peace, or kindness or become too agreeable, too proper, or too respectable. Nature seems to have a rather morbid fantasy in such matters and possesses an extensive arsenal of possibilities in terms of physical suffering with which she manifests various forms of antisocial aggressivity. The utopia of "peaceful coexistence," what might be termed "social pleasure" and a generalized altruism, demands a price which cannot be paid simply in the currency of 'psychic' disturbances. In addition, each variety of social utopia attracts a corresponding form of suffering, and it is inevitable that our modern, social ideal is linked to the very diseases which make up our contemporary epidemics.

p. 139
When there is no respect, even love, for satanic phenomena as they are, they remain as importunate as visions of the Kingdom of God remain fictitious. ¶ In this sense, there is a basic kingship between the cults of Satan and archetypal medicine. Archetypal medicine, too, is 'unofficial.' Archetypal medicine, too, has a tendency to dent what is most maligned and, by confirmation, releases it from somatic entanglement.