Fundamentals of Therapy
GA 27
II. Why Does Man Become Ill?
[ 1 ] Anyone who reflects on the fact that the human being can be ill, will find himself involved in a paradox which he cannot avoid if he wishes to think purely on the lines of natural science, he will have to assume to begin with that this paradox lies in the very nature of existence. For, considered superficially, whatever takes place in the course of the illness is a natural process. What takes place in the healthy state is also a natural process.
[ 2 ] In the first place, the processes of nature are known to us only by observation of the world external to man, and of man himself inasmuch as we observe him in just the same way as a part of nature; we conceive that the processes going on within him however complicated, are yet of the same kind as the processes we can observe outside him, the outer processes of nature.
[ 3 ] Here, however, a question emerges which is quite unanswerable from this point of view. How do there arise in man (not to speak at this point, of the animal) processes of nature which run counter to the healthy ones?
[ 4 ] The healthy human organism would seem to be intelligible as part of nature; not so the sick. It must, therefore, in some way be intelligible out of itself, by virtue of something which it does not have from nature.
[ 5 ] The prevalent idea is that the spiritual in man has for its physical foundation a very complicated process of nature, like a continuation of the natural processes we find outside man. Let us, however, look and see whether the continuation of any process of nature based on the healthy human organism ever calls forth spiritual experiences as such? The reverse is the case. Spiritual experience is extinguished when the natural process continues on an uninterrupted path. This is what happens in sleep; it happens, too, in unconsciousness.
[ 6 ] Consider, on the other hand, how the conscious spiritual life is sharpened when an organ becomes diseased. Pain ensues, or at least discomfort and displeasure. The life of feeling receives a content which it otherwise does not have. The life of will is impaired. The movement of a limb which takes place as a matter of course in the healthy state can no longer be accomplished properly, pain or discomfort hinders and prevents it.
[ 7 ] Observe now the transition from the painful movement of a limb to its paralysis. In the movement accompanied by pain we have the initial stages of a movement paralysed. The active spirit intervenes in the organism. In health, this activity reveals itself to begin with in the life of thought or representation. We activate a certain representation, and the movement of a limb ensues. We do not enter consciously with the representation into the organic processes which culminate in the movement. The representation submerges itself in the unconscious. Between the representation and the movement, feeling at the soul level intervenes in the healthy state. It does not refer itself distinctly to any physical organ. This, however, is the case in the diseased state. The feeling, experienced in health as free from the physical organism, unites with this in the experience of illness.
[ 8 ] This shows the relationship of the process of healthy feeling and the experience of illness. There must be something there, which, when the organism is in health, is less intensely united with it than when it is sick. To spiritual perception this something is revealed to be the astral body. The astral body is a super-sensible organization within the physical organization. It may intervene loosely in an organ when it leads to soul experience which is self-supporting and is not experienced in connection with the body. Or it intervenes intensively in an organ; then it leads to the experience of illness. One of the forms of illness must be conceived as an abnormal seizing of the organism by the astral body, which causes the spiritual part of man to submerge itself in the body more deeply than is the case in health.
[ 9 ] But thinking also has its physical basis in the organism. In the healthy state it is even freer from this than is feeling. In addition to the astral body, spiritual perception discovers a special ego-organization which expresses itself freely in the soul in thinking. If, with this ego-organization, man submerges himself intensively in his bodily nature, the ensuing condition makes his observation of his own organism similar to that of the external world—it is a fact that if we observe an object or process of the outer world, the idea in man and what he observes are not in a living reciprocal relationship, but are independent of each other. In a human limb this condition only takes place when it is paralyzed. The limb then becomes a piece of the outer world. The ego-organization is no longer lightly united with it as it is in health, when it can unite with the limb in the act of movement and withdraw again at once; it submerges itself in the limb permanently and is no longer able to withdraw.
[ 10 ] Here again the process of healthy movement of a limb and of paralysis stand side by side in their relationship. One sees clearly that the initial stage of healthy movement is the first beginning of a paralysis, a paralysis which is released as soon as it begins.
[ 11 ] We must see the very essence of illness in this intensive union of the astral body or ego-organization with the physical organism. Yet this union is only an intensification of that which exists more lightly in a state of health. Even the normal way in which the astral and ego-organization take hold of the human body, is related not to the healthy processes of life, but to the sick. Wherever the soul and spirit are at work, they annul the ordinary functioning of the body, transforming it into its opposite. In so doing they bring the organism into a line of action where illness tends to set in. In normal life this is regulated directly as it arises by a process of self-healing.
[ 12 ] A certain form of illness occurs when the spirit, or the soul, pushes its way too far into the organism, with the result that the self-healing process can either not take place at all or is too slow.
[ 13 ] In the faculties of soul and spirit, therefore, we have to seek the causes of illness. Healing must then consist in releasing [loosening] this soul or spiritual element from the physical organization.
[ 14 ] This is the one kind of illness. There is another. The ego organization and the astral body may be prevented from reaching even that looser union with the bodily nature which is conditioned, in ordinary life, by the independent activities of feeling, thinking and will. Then, in the organs or processes which the soul and spirit are thus unable to approach, there will be continuation of the healthy processes beyond the due measure which is appropriate for the organism. But spiritual perception shows that in such a case the physical organism does not merely carry out the lifeless processes of external nature. For the physical organism is permeated by an etheric. The physical organism alone could never call forth a process of self-healing. It is in the etheric organism that this process is kindled. We are thus led to recognize health as that condition which has its origin in the etheric. Healing must therefore consist in a treatment of the etheric organism.
II. Warum erkrankt der Mensch?
[ 1 ] Wer über die Tatsache nachdenkt, daß der Mensch krank sein kann, der kommt, wenn er rein naturwissenschaftlich denken will, in einen Widerspruch hinein, von dem er zunächst annehmen muß, daß er in dem Wesen des Daseins selbst liege. Was im Krankheitsvorgang geschieht, ist, obenhin betrachtet, ein Naturprozeß. Was an seiner Stelle im gesunden Zustand vorgeht, ist aber auch ein Naturprozeß.
[ 2 ] Naturprozesse kennt man zunächst nur durch die Beobachtung der außermenschlichen Welt und durch die Beobachtung des Menschen nur insofern, als man diese genau ebenso anstellt wie diejenige der äußeren Natur. Man denkt sich dabei den Menschen als ein Stück der Natur; ein solches, in dem die auch außer ihm zu beobachtenden Vorgänge sehr kompliziert sind, aber doch von derselben Art, wie diese äußeren Naturprozesse.
[ 3 ] Es entsteht da aber die von diesem Gesichtspunkte aus unbeantwortbare Frage: wie entstehen innerhalb des Menschen - vom Tiere soll hier nicht gesprochen werden - Naturprozesse, die den gesunden entgegengesetzt sind?
[ 4 ] Der gesunde menschliche Organismus scheint als ein Stück der Natur begreiflich zu sein; der kranke nicht. Er muß daher aus sich selbst begreiflich sein durch etwas, das er nicht von der Natur hat.
[ 5 ] Man stellt sich wohl vor, daß das Geistige im Menschen zur physischen Grundlage einen komplizierten Naturprozeß wie eine Fortsetzung des außerhalb des Menschen befindlichen Natürlichen habe. Aber man sehe doch, ob jemals die im gesunden menschlichen Organismus begründete Fortsetzung eines Naturprozesses das geistige Erleben als solches hervorruft? Das Gegenteil ist der Fall. Das geistige Erleben wird ausgelöscht, wenn der Naturprozeß sich in gerader Linie fortsetzt. Es geschieht dies im Schlafe; es geschieht in der Ohnmacht.
[ 6 ] Man sehe dagegen, wie das bewußte Geistesleben verschärft wird, wenn ein Organ erkrankt. Schmerz stellt sich ein oder wenigstens Unlust und Unbehagen. Das Gefühlsleben erhält einen Inhalt, den es sonst nicht hat. Und das Willensleben wird beeinträchtigt. Eine Gliedbewegung, die sich im gesunden Zustande selbstverständlich vollzieht, kann nicht ausgeführt werden, weil sich der Schmerz oder die Unlust hemmend entgegenstellen.
[ 7 ] Man beachte den Übergang von der schmerzbegleiteten Bewegung eines Gliedes zu dessen Lähmung. In der schmerzbegleiteten Bewegung liegt der Anfang der gelähmten. Das aktiv Geistige greift in den Organismus ein. Im gesunden Zustande offenbart sich dieses zunächst im Vorstellungs- oder Denkleben. Man aktiviert eine Vorstellung; und eine Gliedbewegung folgt. Man geht mit der Vorstellung nicht bewußt in die organischen Vorgänge ein, die zuletzt zur Gliedbewegung führen. Die Vorstellung taucht in das Unbewußte unter. Zwischen der Vorstellung und der Bewegung tritt im gesunden Zustande ein Fühlen ein, das nur seelisch wirkt. Es lehnt sich nicht deutlich an ein körperlich Organisches an. Im kranken Zustande ist das aber der Fall. Das Fühlen, das im gesunden Zustande als losgelöst von dem physischen Organismus erlebt wird, verbindet sich im kranken Erleben mit diesem.
[ 8 ] Die Vorgänge des gesunden Fühlens und des kranken Erlebens erscheinen dadurch in ihrer Verwandtschaft. Es muß etwas da sein, das im gesunden Organismus mit diesem nicht so intensiv verbunden ist als im kranken. Der geistigen Anschauung enthüllt sich dieses als der astralische Leib. Er ist eine übersinnliche Organisation innerhalb der sinnlichen. Er greift entweder lose in ein Organ ein, dann führt er zum seelischen Erleben, das für sich besteht und nicht in Verbindung mit dem Körper empfunden wird. Oder er greift intensiv in ein Organ ein; dann führt er zum Erleben des Krankseins. Man muß sich eine der Formen des Krankseins in einem Ergreifen des Organismus durch den astralischen Leib vorstellen, die den geistigen Menschen tiefer in seinen Körper untertauchen läßt, als dies im gesunden Zustande der Fall ist.
[ 9 ] Aber auch das Denken hat seine physische Grundlage im Organismus. Es ist im gesunden Zustande nur noch mehr von diesem losgelöst als das Fühlen. Die geistige Anschauung findet außer dem astralischen Leib noch eine besondere Ich-Organisation, die sich seelisch frei im Denken darlebt. Taucht mit dieser Ich-Organisation der Mensch intensiv in sein Körperhaftes unter, so tritt ein Zustand ein, der die Beobachtung des eigenen Organismus derjenigen der Außenwelt ähnlich macht. - Beobachtet man ein Ding oder einen Vorgang der Außenwelt, so liegt die Tatsache vor, daß der Gedanke im Menschen und das Beobachtete nicht in lebendiger Wechselwirkung stehen, sondern unabhängig voneinander sind. Das tritt für ein menschliches Glied nur dann ein, wenn es gelähmt wird. Dann wird es Außenwelt. Die Ich-Organisation ist nicht mehr lose wie im gesunden Zustande mit dem Gliede vereinigt, so daß sie sich in der Bewegung mit ihm verbinden und gleich wieder loslösen kann; sie taucht sich dauernd in das Glied ein und kann sich nicht mehr aus ihm zurückziehen.
[ 10 ] Wieder stellen sich die Vorgänge des gesunden Bewogenes eines Gliedes und die Lähmung in ihrer Verwandtschaft nebeneinander. Ja, man sieht es deutlich: die gesunde Bewegung ist eine angefangene Lähmung, die sogleich in ihrem Anfange wieder aufgehoben wird.
[ 11 ] Man muß in dem Wesen des Krankseins eine intensive Verbindung des astralischen Leibes oder der Ich-Organisation mit dem physischen Organismus sehen. Aber diese Verbindung ist doch nur eine Verstärkung derjenigen, die in einer loseren Art im gesunden Zustande vorhanden ist. Auch das normale Eingreifen des astralischen Leibes und der Ich-Organisation in den menschlichen Körper sind eben nicht den gesunden Lebensvorgängen verwandt, sondern den kranken. Wirken Geist und Seele, so heben sie die gewöhnliche Einrichtung des Körpers auf; sie verwandeln sie in eine entgegengesetzte. Aber damit bringen sie den Organismus auf einen Weg, bei dem das Kranksein beginnen will. Er wird im gewöhnlichen Leben sofort nach dem Entstehen durch eine Selbstheilung reguliert.
[ 12 ] Eine gewisse Form des Krankseins tritt dann ein, wenn das Geistige oder Seelische zu weit nach dem Organismus vorstoßen, so daß die Selbstheilung entweder gar nicht, oder nur langsam eintreten kann.
[ 13 ] In der Geist- und Seelenfähigkeit hat man also die Ursachen des Krankseins zu suchen. Und das Heilen muß in einem Loslösen des Seelischen oder Geistigen von der physischen Organisation bestehen.
[ 14 ] Das ist die eine Art des Krankseins. Es gibt noch eine andere. Es können die Ich-Organisation und der astralische Leib abgehalten sein, es zu der losen Verbindung mit dem Körperlichen zu bringen, die im gewöhnlichen Dasein das selbständige Fühlen, Denken und Wollen bedingen. Dann tritt in den Organen oder Vorgängen, an die Geist und Seele nicht heran können, eine Fortsetzung der gesunden Vorgänge über dasjenige Maß hinaus ein, das dem Organismus angemessen ist. Und der geistigen Anschauung zeigt sich in diesem Falle, daß dann der physische Organismus doch nicht bloß die leblosen Prozesse der äußeren Natur vollbringt. Der physische Organismus ist von einem ätherischen Organismus durchsetzt. Der bloße physische Organismus könnte niemals einen Selbstheilungsvorgang hervorrufen. Ein solcher wird in dem ätherischen Organismus angefacht. Damit aber wird die Gesundheit als der Zustand erkannt, der im ätherischen Organismus seinen Ursprung hat. Heilen muß daher in einer Behandlung des ätherischen Organismus bestehen.1Durch ein Vergleichen dessen, was im ersten Kapitel gesagt ist, mit dem Inhalt des zweiten wird sich das Verständnis dessen besonders ergeben, was in Betracht kommt.
II. Why do people fall ill?
[ 1 ] Whoever thinks about the fact that man can be ill will, if he wants to think in purely scientific terms, come up against a contradiction that he must first assume lies in the nature of existence itself. What happens in the process of illness is, viewed from above, a natural process. But what happens in its place in a healthy state is also a natural process.
[ 2 ] Natural processes are initially only known through the observation of the non-human world and through the observation of the human being only insofar as these are approached in exactly the same way as those of external nature. Man is thought of as a part of nature; one in which the processes that can also be observed outside of it are very complicated, but nevertheless of the same kind as these external natural processes.
[ 3 ] The question arises, however, which is unanswerable from this point of view: how do natural processes arise within man - we will not speak of animals here - which are opposed to healthy ones?
[ 4 ] The healthy human organism appears to be comprehensible as a part of nature; the sick one is not. It must therefore be comprehensible by itself through something that it does not have from nature.
[ 5 ] It is well imagined that the spiritual in man has as its physical basis a complicated natural process like a continuation of the natural outside of man. But let us see whether the continuation of a natural process founded in the healthy human organism ever gives rise to the spiritual experience as such. The opposite is the case. The spiritual experience is extinguished when the natural process continues in a straight line. This happens in sleep; it happens in unconsciousness.
[ 6 ] In contrast, see how the conscious mental life is exacerbated when an organ becomes ill. Pain arises, or at least unpleasantness and discomfort. The emotional life takes on a content that it would not otherwise have. And the life of the will is impaired. A limb movement that occurs naturally in a healthy state cannot be carried out because the pain or discomfort is an obstacle.
[ 7 ] Note the transition from the pain-accompanied movement of a limb to its paralysis. The beginning of the paralyzed movement lies in the pain-accompanied movement. The active spiritual intervenes in the organism. In a healthy state this first manifests itself in the imaginative or mental life. One activates an imagination; and a limb movement follows. The imagination does not consciously enter into the organic processes that ultimately lead to limb movement. The imagination is submerged in the unconscious. In a healthy state, a feeling occurs between the imagination and the movement, which only has a mental effect. It is not clearly related to a physical organic. In a sick state, however, this is the case. The feeling that is experienced as detached from the physical organism in the healthy state is connected to it in the sick experience.
[ 8 ] The processes of healthy feeling and sick experience thus appear to be related. There must be something that is not as intensely connected with the healthy organism as with the sick organism. This reveals itself to the spiritual view as the astral body. It is a supersensible organization within the sensory. It either intervenes loosely in an organ, in which case it leads to a spiritual experience that exists in its own right and is not felt in connection with the body. Or it intervenes intensively in an organ; then it leads to the experience of being ill. One must imagine one of the forms of sickness in a seizure of the organism by the astral body, which lets the spiritual man submerge deeper into his body than is the case in a healthy state.
[ 9 ] But thinking also has its physical basis in the organism. In a healthy state, it is only more detached from it than feeling. In addition to the astral body, spiritual perception has a special ego organization that lives freely in the soul through thinking. If a person immerses himself intensively in his physical body with this ego organization, a state occurs that makes the observation of his own organism similar to that of the outside world. - If one observes a thing or a process in the outside world, the fact is that the thought in the human being and what is observed are not in living interaction, but are independent of each other. This only occurs for a human limb when it becomes paralyzed. Then it becomes the outside world. The ego organization is no longer loosely united with the limb as it is in a healthy state, so that it can connect with it in movement and immediately detach itself again; it is permanently immersed in the limb and can no longer withdraw from it.
[ 10 ] The processes of the healthy movement of a limb and paralysis are again juxtaposed in their relationship. Indeed, one sees it clearly: the healthy movement is a paralysis that has begun, which is immediately canceled in its beginning.
[ 11 ] In the nature of illness one must see an intensive connection between the astral body or the ego organization and the physical organism. But this connection is only a strengthening of that which is present in a looser way in the healthy state. The normal intervention of the astral body and the ego-organization in the human body are not related to healthy life processes, but to sick ones. When the spirit and soul are at work, they abolish the usual arrangement of the body; they transform it into an opposite one. But in doing so they set the organism on a path where illness wants to begin. In ordinary life, it is regulated by self-healing as soon as it arises.
[ 12 ] A certain form of sickness occurs when the spiritual or psychic penetrates too far into the organism, so that self-healing can either not occur at all or only slowly.
[ 13 ] The causes of illness must therefore be sought in the mental and spiritual faculties. And the healing must consist in a detachment of the spiritual or mental from the physical organization.
[ 14 ] This is one kind of sickness. There is another. The ego-organization and the astral body can be prevented from making the loose connection with the physical, which in ordinary existence determines independent feeling, thinking and willing. Then, in the organs or processes which the spirit and soul cannot approach, a continuation of the healthy processes occurs beyond that which is appropriate to the organism. And in this case the spiritual view shows that the physical organism does not merely accomplish the lifeless processes of external nature. The physical organism is interspersed with an etheric organism. The mere physical organism could never bring about a self-healing process. Such a process is kindled in the etheric organism. In this way, however, health is recognized as the state that has its origin in the etheric organism. Healing must therefore consist in a treatment of the etheric organism.1By comparing what is said in the first chapter with the content of the second, the understanding of what comes into consideration will emerge in particular.