Nietzschean Psychology and Psychotherapy

Friedrich Nietzsche declared himself to be “a psychologist who has not his peer.” Nietzschean Psychology and Psychotherapy: The New Doctors of the Soul illustrates why he was correct and indicates that he was also a soul doctor “who has not his peer.” He is usually unknown to psychologists and treated by philosophers as if he was a philosopher who, as such, wrote about some issues relating to the philosophy of mind. This book acquaints psychologists with Nietzsche and introduces him to philosophers in a new light. It presents Nietzsche’s contributions to psychology, wisdom of life, and psychotherapy dispersed throughout his writings. It hails him the “Overturner,” demonstrating how he overturned many of our notions about love, crime, happiness, morality, language, consciousness, logic, memory, emotions, happiness, and self-actualizing. He is portrayed as the precursor and champion of action-, chance-, and acceptance-oriented self-help and therapy, far from being, as is often claimed, a proponent of depth-, dynamic- or insight-oriented psychotherapy.

Uri Wernik's fascinating account demonstrates once again not only the complex and controversial richness of Nietzsche's oeuvre but also its virtually limitless capacity for appropriation. In Wernik's psychological take, Nietzsche is transformed into an essentially non-Freudian, health-bestowing ‘doctor of the soul.’, Uri Wernik has written a wonderful book expressing Nietzsche’s views on all matters of interest to psychologists and therapists. I found more wisdom in this book than in any book I've read in decades. No better presentation of Nietzsche's radical thoughts on human consciousness, action, self-development, and health (not mental health, but organic health) has been written. Any reader who doesn't come away with a dozen fresh ideas for improved therapy and an improved life has either already discovered Nietzsche, or is dead., Uri Wernik captures your mind and heart in his remarkably captivating and loving writing about Nietzsche. He is outstanding in developing Nietzsche’s largely ignored, but nonetheless monumental, psychology. Personally, I both agree with and am critical of much of Nietzsche’s profound thinking, but Wernik leaves respectable room when he writes: ‘“Nietzsche persons” are graduates of the best school of suspicion: they are skeptics . . . “Nietzsche persons” are not really “Nietzsche persons”. . . being independently-minded . . . they cannot agree with everything he wrote. . . . [T]hey can still admire Nietzsche, despite some of his problematic ideas, which they tragically disregard and forgive out of gratitude and compassion.’ Wernik on Nietzsche is a tour de force.

Uri Wernik is senior clinical and medical psychologist with his own private practice.