Medard Boss And The Dasein Philosophy

Medard Boss was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who developed a form of psychotherapy based on the Dasein philosophy. This type of analysis linked the psychotherapeutic practice of psychoanalysis to the existential phenomenological philosophy of his friend and mentor Martin Heidegger.

The term Dasein, used mainly in philosophy, comes from the German and means “to be there”. This philosophical term was used by several German authors, but it is more associated with Heidegger.

The idea of ​​combining psychology and philosophy may seem contrary to the idea of ​​psychology as a science. However, we must not forget that the role of philosophy was fundamental to the further development of science.

In this sense, psychology is still a science of the mind that saw its origins in the theory of knowledge. In turn, the relationship between mind and ideas is extremely important for psychological study.

Next, we reveal how Dasein philosophy profoundly influenced Medard Boss’s psychology and studies.

Medard Boss’s Early Life

Medard Boss was born in St. Gallen, Switzerland, on October 4, 1903, but grew up in Zurich. At that time, psychological studies were in full swing.

He received his medical degree in 1928, taking time off to study in Paris and Vienna and being analyzed by Sigmund Freud himself. He later continued the analysis through sessions with Swiss psychoanalyst Hans Behn Eschenburg.

Upon his return to Zurich, he continued his training at the Burghölzli Hospital, under the supervision of psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler. Later, he took formal psychoanalytic training at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute (BPI), where his supervising analyst Karen Horney.

At BPI, he studied with Hanns Sachs, Otto Fenichel, Wilhelm Reich and Kurt Goldstein.

professional maturity

He later moved to London, where he worked with Ernest Jones for six months at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases.

Starting in 1938, again in Zurich, Carl Gustav Jung invited Boss to participate in a course with other physicians to study analytical psychology. This experience with Jung lasted nearly ten years and helped Boss see that psychoanalysis should not be limited to Freudian interpretations.

It was during the 1930s that Boss also met Ludwig Binswanger. Through Binswanger, Boss came into contact with the work of philosopher Martin Heidegger, who would play a crucial role in his future career development.

Thanks to Heidegger’s influence, Boss would be converted forever to existential psychology. His impact on existential therapy was so great that he is often mentioned along with Ludwig Binswanger as its co-founder.

After four years in hospital in Burgholzli, he continued his studies between Berlin and London. In Germany and England, his teachers included several people in Freud’s inner circle, such as Karen Horney and Kurt Goldstein.

Theory based on Dasein philosophy

For Boss, the existential point of the world is not something we interpret, it is something that exists beyond all interpretation. Thus, his theory pointed to that something that is revealed in the “light” of Dasein.

Essentially, Boss believed that Dasein was a means of opening the mind, of bringing light to a situation. The symbolism of light played an important role in Boss’s work: “coming out of the darkness”, “illuminating an idea” and finally “enlightenment”.

Boss also claimed that humor played a decisive role in how people responded to their environment. An angry person, for example, would be mostly attuned to elements that would create feelings of anger.

Medard Boss’ medical thinking and practice were influenced by his travels to India in 1956, 1958, and 1966. There, he interacted with Indian scholar Swami Gobind Kaul.

boss and dreams

Boss has studied dreams more than any other existentialist and finds them important in therapy. However, instead of interpreting them as Freudians or Jungians do, he allows them to reveal their own meanings.

Thus, Boss postulated that dreams created their own messages  rather than showing symbols of deeper feelings.

According to Boss, dreams show how we’re lighting up our lives. That is, if we feel trapped, our feet will be tied in the dream; if we feel free, we will fly.

In 1971, he was awarded the Therapist Grand Prize, bestowed by the American Psychological Association. For nearly two decades he presided over the International Society of Medical Psychotherapy.

Boss’ books include Existential Foundations of Medicine and Psychology , Dasein’s Psychoanalysis and Analysis, and The Analysis of Dreams . Medard Boss died in 1990, after a life full of academic successes and an interesting legacy for psychology.