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Notes on counselling

Analytical and synthetic approaches in psychology and psychiatry

Dr. Soumitra Basu

Abstract
A whole-person narrative needs both an analytical and synthetic approach for psycho-pathology.
Creativity and spirituality can co-exist in a single individual. An analytical perspective that
encompasses physical, psychological and social dimensions needs to be studied in the context of a
spiritual dimension of consciousness.

One major problem with consciousness is that becomes apparent when we try to understand
it is a complex subject with not only multiple creative geniuses. For instance, the mental
dimensions but multiple viewpoints. Scientists status of Vincent Van Gogh has been studied
approach consciousness from different from various angles. He has been considered
perspectives and each viewpoint has its to suffer from one disease or another, ranging
own validity. However, mystics experience from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and
consciousness in a different way. It is realised epilepsy to acute intermittent porphyria and
as a vast ethereal matrix that is universal in even Meniere’s disease. Some enthusiastic
extension, unitary in essence and transcends researchers have also discovered alterations
the individual. Sri Aurobindo explains how of his mental state in some of his paintings.
this unitary consciousness in its highest A symposium of thirty international medical
creative poise (which he calls the Supermind) experts at September 14th and 15th, 2016
actually becomes all the worlds and planes weighed all available evidence and analysed
of existence, but without losing its unity. This competing theories to conclude that nothing
integral perspective, in which the One and the definitive could be pronounced about his
Many exist simultaneously, justifies the study medical status, except that the diagnosis in
of consciousness along multiple dimensions his last years was probably more prosaic
as well as simultaneously from a unitary (1). What is interesting is that no analytical
viewpoint. In practical terms, this means that approach could explain the magnificent
human behaviour should not only be considered creativity of Van Gogh. That might not be
analytically but also from a synthetic standpoint. possible unless a synthetic perspective is
used. This endeavour gets more significant
The incompleteness of the analytical approach when we try to study a personality where

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