This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to psychotherapy and psychosomatics, as well as psychodynamic thinking. It also provides an overview of the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and of psychodynamic procedures. It includes basic information about other psychotherapeutic methods. Based on the three pillars of conflict, developmental and trauma pathology, it offers a consistent and systematic account of pathology and therapeutic practice. It takes into account specialized topics such as psychological development and the psychosocial aspects of illness. For the new edition, the importance of a structure-oriented approach has been emphasized, which is currently a focus of interest.

Prof. Michael Ermann, Emeritus Professor of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the University of Munich, is a specialist in psychosomatic medicine and psychoanalyst in Berlin.