Garry Prouty writes: In developing this book with my colleagues, I have
come to realize that Pre-Therapy is not only a theory and technique of
psychotherapy, but also a method of understanding psychological
phenomena. Western humanistic psychology has traditionally focused on
higher levels of human functioning such as peak experiences or self
actualization. In contrast, Pre-Therapy focuses on lower levels of
functioning - learning disability, regression, chronic schizophrenia and
dementia. Pre-Therapy is a commitment to understand and treat the
regressed levels of 'Being in the World'. It is possibly a paradigm
shift within western humanistic psychology.In a different sense,
Pre-Therapy is a cultural conserve. It maintains a consistent
'non-directive' position derived from mid-20th Century Rogerian
Psychology. It also embraces a 'concrete phenomenology'. In Martin
Buber's language this is described as 'pointing at the concrete'.
Pre-Therapy enables the therapist to contact the patient's regressed
levels through the concreteness of the Contact Reflections. What is
important about this text, is not Pre-Therapy itself. This can be read
in other books and papers.What is important in this text is the growth
resulting from Pre-Therapy. Roughly speaking Pre-Therapy has undergone
three changes: 1966-1986 'birth' in the United States; 1986-2006
Expansion and growth in Europe; and, The expansion beyond itself to
other distinct and separate psychological phenomena - a second
generation of theorizing and applications. For the reader not familiar
with Pre-Therapy, Part I outlines a brief history of the approach and
Part II is a review of the theory itself. Part III contains independent
approaches to divergent issues and problems. They have their commonality
only by being rooted in Pre-Therapy. They are emergent developments.
