Symbolic Realization: A Psychosocial Rehabilitation Approach to the Treatment of Schizophrenia

Abstract

Symbolic Realization is an approach that emphasizes psychosocial rehabilitation in the treatment of schizophrenia. The purpose of this literature review is to provide an alternative to the medical model of treatment for schizophrenia. The current paper includes a review of Margarite Sechehaye’s published literature, as well as reviews of modem authors that have researched the subject. Personal observations and discussions are also included in the material. The findings, in the published literature, support the effectiveness of implementing a plan emphasizing psychosocial rehabilitation as described by the technique of Symbolic Realization. The results of this research are geared towards bringing new light to a therapeutic approach to the treatment of schizophrenia. As a serious mental illness, with multiple etiologies and a record of poor treatment outcomes, the exploration and use of an old technique appears to hold promise.