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PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY
episode. As it is separated into its component parts the confidant
is asked to describe what comes into his mind when he
considers each one in turn. As far as possible the attempt is made
to translate each component of the dream into a clear verbal
description. The important thing is, of course, that the confidant
should perceive the message of the dream with his waking
consciousness and so become aware of the roots of any conflicts
and disturbances it deals with.
Relaxation
Many medical psychologists use a combination of hypnosis
and analysis in the treatment of functional disorders. Since the
change of consciousness that occurs under hypnosis often
increases the power of recollection, it is sometimes a very
effective means of evoking memories that cannot otherwise be
recalled; so that many emotional experiences and repressions
rise into consciousness and can be ‘abreacted’.
Hypnosis should not be used in the care of souls. A method
which can be invaluable in the hands of a trained physician can
do direct damage in less skilful hands. All the knowledge
required by the spiritual adviser or pastoral psychologist can
be obtained from a confidant when he is in a state of relaxation.
Exercises for the production of this condition can be used with
or independently of the other methods of treatment described
in this book.
Relaxation can be secured by several different techniques.
The Swiss physician, R. Vittoz,! says that before one can become
wholly relaxed one must first become aware of one’s body, taking
it into conscious possession. The next step is to concentrate on
the feeling of relaxation, experiencing fully the sensation of it
in the muscles. In the mind also one should prepare the way
for a sense of peace, of mental and physical calm, by recalling
the memory of periods of quietness experienced in the past or
by reflecting on restful scenes. The important thing is to allow
the sense of repose to grow without deliberate mental effort.
‘The patient must feel, not think, the act’, Vittoz was accustomed
to say. This principle applies to the mental as well as the
physical aspect of relaxation. To feel mental rest is to become
1 Treatment of Neurasthenia, London, 1927.
62
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