Interpretation of Illness

Georg Groddeck (1866-1934), who was trained as a physician but became famous for his success as a healer, introduced a radical concept in The Book of It: that we virtually always cause our own illness and injury; therefore, we can cure and avoid both. Groddeck utilized the technique of psychoanalysis—which had just been invented by Freud—to communicate with the source of the illness, which he called the “the it” (or the map of the psyche). He believed the “it” had the power to cure illness ...