*2.2.1 Siberian shamanism and shamanic therapy*

Shamanism is a traditional religiosity worldview of the indigenous ethnic groups of Siberia [5–9], which exists from the Neolithic era. It is founded on faith in spirits and the existence of special intermediaries between the world of people and the worlds of spirits—shamans, who are elected by spirits and endowing with special abilities.

The shaman's universe consists of three worlds: the "upper"—skiey, the "middle"—earthly, and the "lower"—underground. People inhabit the "middle" world, the spirits—"upper" and "lower." The shaman possesses the helper spirits, which supports him in guarding his relatives from the life troubles. The shamanic ability is inherited, the transformation into a shaman occurs as a result of the "shamanic disease" [26–29]. Shamans divided due to their supernatural capabilities into great and medium ones [26, 27]. Great shamans can visit all three worlds and possess the entire shamanistic practice arsenal. Medium shamans can visit only the middle and lower worlds. Siberian Yakuts divide the shamans into good and evil. Evil shamans—"eduns" are able to bring both benefit and harm, "eat" the "kut" (life force) of a person. The strength of the shaman is determined by the amount of helper spirits. The great shaman has helper spirits from all three worlds. Medium shamans have helper spirits from the middle and lower world.

The main reason of illness in Siberian shamanism is the abduction of the patient's "kut" by spirits of the upper or lower world [26–29]. Less often, an evil spirit infuses a person. The treatment's goal consists in returning of the stolen "kut" or in expelling an evil spirit. The basic component of shaman's therapeutic practice is the ritual of "kamlanie" [26–30], which consists of (1) divination and (2) therapeutic "kamlanie" ritual. The divination's aim presents "causal," "pathogenetic" diagnostics that includes: identification of the disease typology (mental, somatic); determination of its cause (abduction of "kut" by the spirit, or the introduction of an evil spirit);

identification of "pathogenic" spirit's "personality" and "domicile." The "kamlanie" is night ritual, its duration is varied from several hours to several nights. The venue is the patient's home. The patient, his relatives, and fellow villagers are becoming ritual member. During the "kamlanie," shaman, striking a tambourine with a mallet, moves around the patient, dances, declares his own poetic improvisations on traditional themes. The script of" kamlanie" includes gathering the shaman's helper spirits, diagnostics of disease, demonstration of the shaman's supernatural abilities, communication with pathogenic spirits aimed at restoring the patient's health, stating the results of ritual, and dismission of the helper spirits. Conducting the "kamlanie" shaman keeps in touch with the patient and the audience for potentiation of the ritual effectiveness, demonstrates his supernatural abilities (flying, sinking into the ground, bloodlessly inflicting wounds on himself, etc.). It is considered that during "kamlanie" shaman develops controlled trance keeping full contact with the audience [27]. In case of abduction of the patient's "kut" by spirits, the shaman travels to the upper or lower worlds during the "kamlanie" and, if successful, takes away, redeems the "kut" from the abductor, leaving them something in exchange, and returns the "kut" to the patient [26–29]. The details of the ritual journey are described by the shaman in his chant to all participants, who react vividly to what is happening, often becoming trance witnesses of the shaman's journey and support him.

The results of "kamlanie" are distributed in the range from patient's recovery, temporary improvement, to lack of effect, and worsening of the condition. The absence of a sufficient effect indicates the need for repeated "kamlanie" by the same shaman, or addressing to another, more experienced and powerful [27, 28].

#### *2.2.2 Therapeutic ritual of primitive farmers*

As an example of therapeutic ritual of primitive farmers, let us analyze the Ndembu (Africa) isoma ritual described by V. Turner, the goal of which is to cure women infertility [31]. Infertility is caused by too strong connection of a married woman with the "male side," for which a deceased relative of a woman on the maternal side harms her fertility. He goes to the headwaters of the river flowing near the matrilineal village and utters a spell—"chisaku," which awakens the "shadow" of isoma, who comes to a victim in a dream in the guise of the spirit of Mwenga, whose clothes bind and block female fertility.

Ritual divination precedes the treatment. The isoma treatment contains: finding by the healers the burrows of a rat near the river where the isoma spell was pronounced; instillation of "medicines," with the utterance of a spell; digging of "hot" and "cold" sacred pits connected by a tunnel, clearing the ritual space around; giving a woman a white chicken—a symbol of fertility, wetting spouses with "medicines"; passage of spouses from the "hot" pit to the "cold" pit through the tunnel; drinking beer by participants, sprinkling of spouses with "medicines"; decapitation of the red rooster—the destruction of "chisaku"; re-sprinkling of spouses with "medicines"; singing ritual songs of life cycle by adherents.

#### *2.2.3 Ritual therapy of Russian peasants in 17–19 centuries*

The worldview of the Russian peasantry of that historical period has a religious and magical basis [32, 33]. The Orthodox Christian shell is saturated with the pagan, ritual-magical content. The World consists of Heaven with Paradise, Earth,

#### *General Three-Component Structural-Dynamic Theory of Psychotherapy and Its… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104225*

underground Hell. The world is ruled by the Lord God, the Lord of Hell is the Devil, Man lives on Earth. The world is full of supernatural forces of Good and Evil, good and evil spirits associated with the forces of Paradise and Hell. The Earth is inhabited by pagan spirits of nature, polarized between Good and Evil, or ambivalent. At the same time, earthly life presents the subject of the natural factors influences.

A person is able to directly appeal to God, angels, saints; however, without priests, part of the necessary rites is impossible. A person can directly appeal to the forces of Evil, but this interaction is improved due to intermediaries—witches and sorcerers. Influence on supernatural powers is carried out in the form of prayers, verbal ritual magic, subject-ritual magic. The diseases' reasons are divided into natural and supernatural [33]. Natural reasons of illness: colds, physical overstrain. A cold is caused by general feeling of cold, it includes: rheumatism, fever, typhoid, erysipelas, pulmonary diseases. Physical overstrain generates such diseases as "navel disruption" (diseases of the musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal disorders). The pathological process develops from outside to inside, if it penetrates deeply, a person will die. Therefore, it is necessary to move the disease out. Dissemination to inside occurs with blood flow; therefore, "bad" and "stagnant" blood must be "released."

Supernatural diseases can be sent by God, as a punishment for sins, sometimes as a teaching. Fighting such diseases is useless. More often, diseases are sent by pagan spirits (leshiy, kikimora) or by the Devil. The Devil is the father of all diseases, diseases sent by the Devil are the most difficult to treat. Diseases can be caused by people mediating the influence of evil spirits (spoilage, evil eye, fright) [32–35]. Evil eye can be sent by healers, sorcerers, witches [36]. Evil eye can be temporary, or permanent, until death. The incurable Evil eye can be removed by the sorcerer who sent it or by a stronger sorcerer.

A wide range of people are involved in magical, spell-ritual therapy: sorcerers, and witches, medicine men, holy elders, clergymen [32–35]. Sorcerers and witches are intermediaries between man and evil spirits, the Devil. The magical action of the sorcerer and witch on man and nature is based on rituals and spells. Sorcerers and witches are capable of sending evil eye, triggering disease on people and livestock, causing adverse weather events. At the same time, they can treat diseases, especially those sent by them; however, this treatment, being effective, uses devilish power. The medicine men mainly serve as intermediaries between man and God, although in some cases they cooperate with evil spirits. Through spells and prayers, they have the ability to heal people and animals and send diseases. The healing function of the clergyman is based on exorcism [33]. The holy elders, having a constant connection with the divine world, are able to realize direct and indirect (through prayers, rituals) harmonizing and healing effects on people. In the treatment by witchcraft and prayer, the therapeutic ritual uses spells—special formulaic texts.

Spells are generated by myths, being myth's abbreviations, applications [37]. The general scheme of the spell and the myth: action—change (new state)—action, taking into account the achieved new state—the desired result. The spell formula has a complex semantic structure, is saturated with mythological and ritual symbolism, but is opaque, hidden from the healer and the patient [37]. For both the spell presents the mandatory formula that includes set of sacred magic symbols, listing them in the prescribed sequence provides the desired result.

If treatment is unsuccessful, its intensity should be increased. If the treatment with an appeal to God does not help, it is radicalized by an appeal to the Devil, an evil spirit (through an intermediary sorcerer).

#### *2.2.4 The patterns of historical dynamics of therapeutic rituals*

The effectiveness of all considered archaic therapeutic rituals is due to: the way of life in a certain historical era; correspondence of magical action to the way of life at the given stage of social development; the presence in the mass consciousness, culture of the community of the initial knowledge about rituals and their action. For each historical era, magical action presents an analogue of life-sustaining activity. For collector and hunter societies, the most universal way of activity was the territorial movement, because only it could lead to the goal of obtaining food and maintaining life. In a primitive agricultural society, life became handmade, manual labor—manual manipulations with objects provided life. With the advent of developed social institutions, the oral and written speech of the rulers, the carrier of verbal-symbolic action, began to play a decisive role in people's life and therapeutic rituals.

The magical action in its historical development passed through analogic stages, manifesting in: the magic of movement in territorial space—flight of a shaman to the upper and lower worlds; manual-subject magic—rites of primitive farmers; verbalsymbolic magic spells. Such distinction is partly relative, since any magic is symbolic and already in the magical actions of the shaman all three types of magic are present as elements, but, nevertheless, their predominant representation in each case is different. The degree of participation of social group in the transition from shamanistic and agricultural therapeutic rituals to spells decreases, the magical effect from public becomes more and more individual.

The magical therapeutic ritual's historical transformation, especially in the transition to spells, is accompanied by significant reduction, simplification of the ritual to a rather short verbal formula. The symbolism of therapeutic rituals during their historical transformation also changes significantly. The semantic content of the symbols of the ritual with the historical simplification of the form becomes more ambiguous, due to the absorption of the main symbolic constructs of previous rituals. Ritual symbolism develops from primary, concrete subject to secondary, universal, abstract-symbolic, replacing the multiple primary symbols of a given method of magical action with a basic symbol expressing the essence of such magical actions. In the process of historical development, ritual symbolism becomes increasingly incomprehensible to the performer and user of the ritual, which is most typical for spells.

The most important condition for the effectiveness of magical therapeutic rituals is the knowledge by all members of the community of the mythology of the world order, the nature of the disease and "therapist," the scenario and, the possible outcomes of the ritual. It is obvious that ritual mythology is localized in the mass consciousness of the community, its culture.

#### **2.3 Comparative analysis of some modern psychotherapeutic systems**

Modern psychotherapy is represented by a great number of methods, grouped into three main approaches: psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, existential; the aggregate analysis of which in a single chapter is impossible. Therefore, in an extremely formal way, the iconic methods of Western psychotherapy (classical psychoanalysis, object relations therapy, cognitive therapy) and the Russian method of personalityoriented psychotherapy will be analyzed.

*General Three-Component Structural-Dynamic Theory of Psychotherapy and Its… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104225*

#### *2.3.1 Psychoanalytic approach*

#### *2.3.1.1 Classical psychoanalysis of S. Freud*

According to the mature Freud [7–13], the model of personality is represented by three components: Id (unconsciously biological, reduced to energy of libido), Ego (core of personality, constantly matching the requirements of Reality, Id, and Super-ego), Super-ego (social, formed in childhood on the basis of the Oedipus or Electra complexes and subsequently unchanged). The Id presents main motivational sphere, the Ego is its interpreter. Sexual libidinal and genital functions are separated. The libido in its development goes through the oral, anal-sadistic, genital stages, forming the Oedipus complex (the period of the son's heightened attachment to the mother, with hostility to the father) or the Electra complex (the period of the daughter's heightened attachment to the father, with the hostility to the mother). In addition to the libido, the Id includes the death instinct (Thanatos)—the desire for self-destruction, expressed in acts of hetero- and auto-aggression, the existence of the individual is a compromise between them. Personal anxiety is caused by pressure on the Ego of Reality, Id, Super-ego. The Ego is saved from the emerging stress through the mechanisms of psychological defenses.

Neurosis is the consequence of an unsuccessful defense process, the result of a weakening of the Ego's strength due to the pressure of the Id and the dissipation of energy to counter this pressure, or neurosis is a conflict between the Super-ego and the Ego. The roots of neurosis are in early childhood. The goal of psychoanalytic therapy is to resolve the neurotic conflict, i.e., strengthening the Ego, its independence from the Super-ego, changing its organization, and expanding the field of perception with the possibility of a more complete mastering of Id.

Classical psychoanalysis includes the steps of: material production, analysis, working alliance. The main methods of material production are: free associations, transfer, resistance. Analysis of the patient's material includes: confrontation, clarification, interpretation, study. The working alliance implies a rational relationship between the patient and the analyst, which makes the process of psychotherapy goal-oriented. Essential methods of psychoanalysis are also: the "rule of abstinence" and "the analyst as a mirror." The "rule of abstinence" is based on the patient's suffering in the process of analysis, and the suffering must reach such an extent that it becomes effective in work. The term "analyst as a mirror" implies a behavior in which the analyst remains "dark," impenetrable to the patient, but not cold-heartless.

#### *2.3.1.2 Object relations therapy*

The development of psychoanalytic theory led to the formation of the theory and therapy of object relations [38–40], the distinguishing feature of which is the shift in emphasis from instinct to relationship. In order to understand an individual, it is necessary to understand his self-representations, ideas about objects and object relations. This inevitably leads to an understanding of the individual's early relationships with the person who provided the main care for him. The individual, on the basis of early experiences, forms patterns, stereotypes that subsequently affect perception, thinking, feeling, and establishing relationships. Disturbance of the object relations of the developing Ego will determine the roots of all psychopathological conditions [41]. The main problem is the defect of the environment or the lack of sufficiently

good maternal care. Therapy of object relations is built as a replacement therapy. It involves replacing bad objects with good ones. Its objective is to give the patient relationships in which the "frozen parts" of his Self would have gained the opportunity to develop, in which the impaired development would be restored, making it possible for the patient to reborn. The intervention requires a good relationship between the psychoanalyst and the patient. Therapy uses "good" personal relationships to eliminate the harm from early "bad" relationships [38]. Regression and transference analysis presents important components of the intervention. The psychoanalyst, with some delay, corrects that which initially failed to make the "insufficiently good" mother [38].

#### *2.3.2 Cognitive therapy*

A. Beck's cognitive therapy [14–16] explores the idea that the words and thoughts of people are of great importance. Along with conscious thoughts, unconscious, automatic thoughts are arising. Automatic thoughts consist of ideas that other people consider irrational (however, they seem quite reasonable to the person), as well as the rules and laws, according to which the person judges behavior actions and strategies. These rules can lead to non-adaptive actions. People react to events interpreting them depending on their influence on individual's Self. The result of the interpretations generates various emotions. Interpretations containing a distortion of reality lead to emotional disorders, which are disorders of thinking. Disturbed thinking includes personalization of events, polarizing thoughts, applying rules in an unconditional manner.

Cognitive therapy aims to weaken emotional disorders by correcting false interpretations of reality and erroneous judgments. The therapist and patient establish a cooperative relationship with attention to solving problems, rather than correcting personal defects.

A. Beck with colleagues and followers has developed effective approaches to the treatment of depressive, anxiety, phobic, personality disorders.

#### *2.3.3 Russian methods of personality-oriented psychotherapy*

V. M. Myasishchev, the founder of personality-oriented psychotherapy, [20, 42], defined personality as a social formation, a system of relations with people, forming in ontogenesis, in the given sociohistorical and economic, everyday conditions. Relations present a conscious, empirical-selective psychological connection of a person with various aspects of life, expressed in his actions, reactions, experiences. Relationships are characterized by: level of activity, the interrelations of rational and irrational, conscious and unconscious, stability and instability. From the psychology of relations' standpoint, neurosis is a psychogenic, caused by conflicts neuropsychic disorder based on the disturbance of personality-significant relationships. The goals and objectives of personality-oriented therapy [20, 42, 43] are: the study of personality, the specifics of the patient's relationship system; the study of etiopathogenetic mechanisms of the onset and preservation of a neurotic state; the achievement of patient awareness of the cause-effect relationship of a relationship system and disease; help the patient in a reasonable resolution of a situation; change in the patient's relationship with behavior correction. The applied methods of psychotherapy are individual and group, using the mechanisms of group dynamics.

*General Three-Component Structural-Dynamic Theory of Psychotherapy and Its… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104225*

#### *2.3.4 Comparison of the described methods of psychotherapy*

Preceding analysis of the methods of archaic magical therapy revealed several important points. Let us emphasize two: (1) the conditionality of the form and context of magical action and therapy by actual social life and ideology; (2) at the next step in the development magic ritual introjects and retains in a symbolic form, the previous magical action. The question arises, are these points of magical therapeutic rituals' development persist in the field of modern psychotherapy? The answer is positive.

Thus, the early basic psychoanalytic construct of the irrationality of mental life, according to E. Fromm [44–47], is secondary and reflects the idea of irrationality that prevailed in the West on the eve of World War I. It also seems logical that therapy of object relations and cognitive therapy, which emerged in the era of the successful post-war reconstruction of Western Europe in the 1950s on the basis of the Marshall Plan, implement therapy as a positive, rational reconstruction of the psyche, distorted in the early period of development, based on corrective cooperation. Russian personality-oriented therapy in its interpretation of personality is based on the definition of K. Marx (a person is a set of social relations) [48], which became part of the ideology of the Soviet period.

All of the above methods of therapy should be accepted by the patient on the base of understanding, causing his confidence in their efficacy, when patient correlates the therapeutic information with own model of the world and disease.

It should be recognized that orthodox psychoanalysis had a profound impact not only on the development of all subsequent psychotherapy, introducing its own positive or negative introjects (including the examples given earlier), but also became a component of Western culture and mass consciousness. In general, psychotherapy, as well as magic therapy, appears to be a secondary phenomenon in relation to social life, worldview, mass consciousness, historically changing after the changes in the latter. The relative simplicity and integrity of social life, worldview, mass consciousness of the times of magic therapy generate its universalism, the limited set of concepts and means, fully incorporated into social life and culture. And, on the contrary, the complexity and differentiation of modern social life, worldview, and mass consciousness give rise to sufficient isolation, specificity of concepts and means of psychotherapy, creating the impression of its self-sufficiency.

Modern methods of psychotherapy are dualistic, have a well-defined theoretical basis and set of techniques, developing in response to an actual, but less conscious social, cultural requests.

#### **2.4 Mass consciousness, "model of disease and therapy"**

So, the analysis showed that psychotherapy in its historical development follows social life, changing in mass consciousness [21, 49, 50].

#### *2.4.1 "Model of disease and therapy"*

Seeking medical help for various diseases, the patient already has initial common ideas about the presence and characteristics of diseases, about how he will be provided with medical care on the base of his own experience of diseases and certain general cultural knowledge and norms. In the most general form, the provision of medical care is understood as step-by-step sequential: "examination," "diagnostics," "treatment."

Certain knowledge about diseases, their severity, outcomes, sequence, types, and forms of medical care are acquired by a person both directly, through the experience of diseases and their treatment, and indirectly, through the experience of other people's illnesses, accumulated, transformed from the surrounding sociocultural environment, social networks.

The author considers that people's ideas about the causes of diseases and their treatment are not accidental and form a complex system that can be defined as a "Model of Illness and Therapy" (MDT), the repository of which is the mass, everyday consciousness [21, 49–51]. "Model of a disease" is people's set of the most generalized, averaged knowledge, ideas, opinions about diseases, their types, causes, treatment types, and outcomes. The "Model of the Disease" is inextricably linked with the "Model of Therapy"—a set of generalized, middling knowledge, judgments, opinions, and ideas about methods of treatment, their effectiveness, mechanisms.

The MDT—the medical component of mass consciousness is practically unexplored, while its study is of considerable interest not only for psychotherapy, ore therapeutic disciplines in general, but, undoubtedly, for sociology, social psychology too. The MDT of mass consciousness is a component of the "Model of the World" (MW) of mass consciousness, which represents a systematic description of the world and man. From the standpoint of psychotherapy, one should single out in the MW of mass consciousness such a component as "Model of the problem and its solution."

In typical cases, in the process of treatment of diseases, medical measures do not go beyond the traditional, stage-by-stage "Examination," "Diagnostics," and "Therapy" of MDT; therefore, the patient's acceptance of the treatment is in line with his expectations. Modern methods of psychotherapy are probably the least traditional from the standpoint of the actual MDT and therefore must use the means to maintain social attractiveness and effectiveness. Traditional, generally accepted methods of psychotherapy (psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral therapy) have already been assimilated by the MDT of the Western mass consciousness. New psychotherapy methods that have developed their own techniques are not included in the MDT of mass consciousness and need to be explained to patients. Therefore, all relatively new methods of psychotherapy at the beginning of work with a patient include the presentation of a connecting script of subsequent therapy, with description of goals, objectives, normative roles, procedures, and expected results. Such a connecting script can be presented in a structured form at the beginning of therapy, or it will be clarified during therapy, at its beginning.

Thus, the development of modern psychotherapy, as well as the historical dynamics of archaic forms of therapy, is determined by uniform laws.


the solution of urgent existential problems, are included in the social ideology, penetrating into the mass consciousness.

3.The process of historical development of the mass consciousness MDT and psychotherapy has a qualitative integrity, continuity and is based on the accumulation, specific "conservation" of the previous traditional social models of decision. This is illustrated by the pseudo-spontaneous restoration of the semantic structure of the rites of passage [21] in modern group psychotherapy, using the ritual cliché, crystallized millennia earlier for solving of similar problems.

## **2.5 Structure, variants of dynamics and historical development of the model of disease and therapy of mass consciousness**

The author became interested in the nature of psychotherapy after the archaization of his patients' attitudes toward his psychotherapy. For explanation, the hypothesis of archaization of mass consciousness was proposed as a result of a social deadlock developing in the life of the late USSR on the eve of the 1990s [21, 49–51]. In those years in Russia happened a boom in extrasensory healing, newspapers talked about magicians, A. Kashpirovsky, A. Chumak, D. Davitashvili consistently became TV stars, replacing each other. The author, observing breathtaking events, became interested in the possibility of an experimental study of the initial representations of people about diseases and their therapy (MDT) and the search for signs of archaization of these representations in: 1) an experimentally created deadlock situation; 2) persons involved in training in psychic therapy. Such a study was implemented, its results are described below.

#### *2.5.1 The experimental method "Model of Disease and Therapy"*

The method "Model of Disease and Therapy" was developed by the author for study of human representations about the effectiveness of various types of diseases treatment. The method is based on the principle of rank grid method of D. Bannister [52]. The rank grid presents a matrix filled in during the survey, which includes elements and constructs. Elements are groups of objects from a specific area that are reasonably related. Constructs are bipolar-scaled features that relate to the area characterized by the elements.

Our test uses the possible outcomes of different treatments as seven elements [21, 49]: (1) treatment is useless; (2) treatment brings minor temporary improvement; (3) treatment brings clear temporary relief; (4) treatment leads to gradual significant improvement in the condition; (5) treatment leads to gradual recovery; (6) treatment leads to rapid full recovery; (7) treatment leads to sudden full recovery.

The constructs were described by the language of the average patient. The 14 constructs describe various types of treatment, from traditional magical, attributed to "traditional medicine," to conventional in medicine, and finally, high-tech: (1) treatment of a person with extraordinary abilities in recognizing and treating diseases, for example, a psychic who has the ability to sense the biofield and use it for therapeutic effects; (2) treatment by an experienced chiropractor; (3) treatment by an experienced healer, treating with special herbs, potions, spells; (4) treatment by a qualified psychotherapist (hypnosis, autogenous training, group psychotherapy, other types of psychotherapy); (5) treatment with medical massage; (6) treatment by a qualified acupuncturist; (7) treatment with medical tinctures, potions, drops,

prescribed by a doctor; (8) treatment with pills, prescribed by a doctor; (9) treatment with subcutaneous, intramuscular injections, prescribed by a doctor; (10) treatment with intravenous injections, droppers, prescribed by a doctor; (11) treatment with electrical procedures (such as electrophoresis); (12) treatment with balneological agents (baths, mud); (13) treatment by surgical means (operations); (14) treatment with modern technical means (laser, radioactive substances, ultrasound, and others).

The procedure of psychological research was as follows. All seven elements and the first construct are presented to the subject. The subject is asked to indicate the element (treatment result) that most fully characterizes the given construct (type of therapy). The indicated element is removed from, and the subject is again asked to indicate the element (treatment result), most completely, of the remaining, characterizing this construct (type of therapy). The procedure is repeated until the last element remains. When all seven elements are ranked by one construct, construct 2 is presented, its ranking procedure is carried out, similar to the ranking of construct 1. After the ranking is completed by seven elements of all 14 constructs, a 7 × 14 element ranking matrix is obtained.

Modern man has not only a general representation about medicine, but also distinguishes between its individual areas: diseases in general, therapy, surgery, oncology, infections, etc. Therefore, the method provides, on the base of goal setting of a concrete study, the assessment of representations about a specific field of medicine by highlighting the testing theme that is demonstrated to the subject in the testing cycle, when working with constructs and elements.

The ranking results are entered in the protocol form (with a 7 × 14 matrix). Constructs are columns, elements are rows. To assess the group results, the indicator of the sum of the scores of the relationships for each construct of the individual matrix, proposed by D. Bannister, was used; it characterizes the general variance explained by this construct. For each pair of rankings of individual matrix, using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, the scores of the relationship (p2 × 100) are calculated, which are then summed up for each construct without taking into account the sign. The sums of the scores of the relationships of the 14 constructs of the tested selected groups were subsequently subjected to the standard procedure of factor analysis by the method of principal components.

*2.5.2 Experimental psychological study of the structure and dynamics of the model of disease and therapy*

#### *2.5.2.1 The objectives of the study*


To achieve the first goal in 1989 (3 years after the Chernobyl disaster), 60 workers of the factory in the city of Mozyr (70 km from the Chernobyl nuclear power station),

#### *General Three-Component Structural-Dynamic Theory of Psychotherapy and Its… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104225*

during a preventive medical examination, on condition of voluntary informed consent, twice, with an interval of 5 minutes, were tested according to the MDT method; the theme of the first study is "Diseases in general," the theme of the second study is "Diseases caused by radiation." The author suggested that the second theme would actualize the experimental impasse and cause archaization of representations about diseases and their therapy. To achieve the second goal in 1990, during the period of active disintegration processes in the USSR, accompanied by a sharp increase in interest in psychic healing, 106 students at the "school of psychics" in the Ufa city, during a medical examination, on the basis of voluntary informed consent, a single test was carried out on the MDT method; research theme was "Diseases in general." The author suggested that persons studying extrasensory healing during the collapse of the USSR had already, and most sharply, reacted to the social dead-end situation and would initially demonstrate archaization of representations about diseases and their therapy.

The study design for both groups included MDT testing method: for the Mozyr group—twice, with an interval of 5 minutes, using the first theme "Diseases in General" and the second—"Diseases caused by radiation"; for Ufa group once using the theme "Diseases in General."

#### *2.5.2.2 Materials and methods*

The Mozyr group consisted of 60 subjects, 37 women (62%), 23 men (38%), aged from 27 to 52 years (average age 38.5 ± 5.2 years). The Ufa group included 106 subjects, 68 women (64%), 38 men (36%), aged from 22 to 55 years (average age 43.4 ± 6.7 years). In the study, according to the design, the MDT method was applied, the themes "Diseases in General" and "Diseases caused by radiation" were used.

Statistical processing was performed using the Statistica 6.0 software. The sums of the scores of the relationships of Mozyr and Ufa groups were applied in factor analysis by the method of principal components.

#### *2.5.2.3 Results of research*

The results of factor analysis of the MDT testing for the Mozyr group data are presented in **Tables 1** and **2**, and the analogous data for Ufa group in **Table 3**. The names of the factors were given on the basis of a generalized interpretation of the totality of the variables included in them. The definition "External" methods of therapy characterize the methods of therapy that act through the surface of the body, the skin. The definition "Internal" therapy refers to therapies that act primarily through the mouth or ears.

The factor matrix for evaluating the therapy of "disease in general" is presented in **Table 1** and consists of six factors (the variables of which are given in decreasing order of significance). The first factor—"Conservative Therapeutic Methods of Treatment" includes: treatment with pills, injections, electrotherapy, treatment with droppers, tinctures, balneological treatment, treatment with modern technical means. The second factor—radical therapeutic methods of treatment includes: surgical treatment, treatment with modern technical means. The third factor is formed by traditional medical methods of manual treatment: acupuncture, medical massage. The fourth factor presents the methods of therapeutic mental influence:


#### **Table 1.**

*Mozyr factorial matrix of scores for the relationship of assessing the effectiveness of therapy for "diseases in general".*


#### **Table 2.**

*Mozyr factorial matrix of scores for the relationship of evaluating the effectiveness of therapy for diseases associated with radiation.*

psychotherapy, psychic treatment. Factors 5 and 6 include single variables: treatment of the chiropractor and the healer.

The factor matrix for evaluating the therapy of "radiation-related diseases" by the Mozyr group is shown in **Table 2** and consists of six factors (the variables of which are given in decreasing order of significance).

The first factor of "External" methods of therapy includes: acupuncture, massage, electrotherapy, balneological treatment, treatment with modern technical means, chiropractor treatment. The second factor of "Internal" methods of therapy includes: treatment with droppers, psychotherapy, treatment with injections, pills. Factors from the third to the sixth include, single variables: treatment with tinctures, treatment of a medicine man, treatment of a psychic, surgical treatment.

#### *General Three-Component Structural-Dynamic Theory of Psychotherapy and Its… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104225*

The survey of students of the school of psychics was carried out during the boom of psychic healing in the spring of 1990. The factor matrix of scores for the relationship of evaluating the effectiveness of therapy of the "disease in general" by the students of the school of psychics is given in **Table 3** and consists of six factors (the variables are arranged in decreasing order of significance).

The first factor of Traditional magical methods of treatment includes: Healer's treatment, Acupuncture, Psychotherapy, Chiropractor treatment. The second factor of medical methods of "internal" treatment includes: treatment with injections, droppers, tinctures, tablets. The third factor presents medical methods of "external" treatment, including: electrotherapy, balneotherapy, medical massage. Factors from three to six include single variables: Modern technical therapy, Surgery, Psychic treatment.
