Hans Trüb is an unsung hero of the early movement of Analytical Psychology. He was a pioneer of relational or intersubjective psychoanalysis before such terms were coined.
Trüb was a close friend and collaborator to Jung and was inspired by his thinking but synthesized his ideas with Martin Buber (with whom he developed a close friendship ) dialogue-based philosophy to develop his own theory of psychosynthesis.
To bring some light to Trüb's important contributions and their relevance for practitioners and laymen today, I have invited again (third time….) Paul Bishop, one of the scholars who have spent time with his work.
E21 Psychology & The Cross: Hans Trüb & Psychoanalysis at eye level with Paul Bishop. You can also find other formats to listen for free here.
Hans Trüb’s criticism of Analytical psychology was that the therapist-patient relationship was hierarchical. In addition, Jungian psychology was too much of an individualistic therapy and did not or insufficiently reflect the social conditions under which suffering arose. He found in Buber a concept of encounter in therapeutic contact, where a spiritual touch arises from person to person that has a healing effect.
In the Healing from the encounter (only available in German) from 1951 (published after his early death) Trüb writes that:
“By awakening the patient's personal self in the direct appeal and thus trying to keep him constantly awake in his ability to dialogue, the latent powers and abilities of the soul are at the same time called upon and more and more involved in the healing process.
To the extent that the dialogue relationship with the doctor deepens and unfolds, the self gains new courage and the strength to make use of its soul's organs of expression and to use them in life with the world."
Healing from the encounter, 1951, p. 45