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Hanscarl Leuner (born 1919 in Bautzen; died 1996 in Göttingen) was a German psychiatrist.
His father was a leatherware factory owner. He studium of medicine at Frankfurt University and Marburg University (1939–1946) was interrupted by his military service in World War II.
He was a pioneer in using psychoactive drugs for therapy in Germany. He invented the so-called Psycholytic Therapy (German: Psycholytische Therapie) which is a combination of psychodynamic psychotherapy with some light use of hallucinogens to enhance access to preconscious contents. After the general prohibition of hallucinogens in most countries he developed Guided Affective Imagery (also known as: KIP, Katathym-imaginative Psychotherapy, Katathym-Psychotherapy, guided mental imagery, catathymic influences).
Readings (selection)
- Die experimentelle Psychose. Ihre Psychopharmakologie, Phänomenologie und Dynamik in Beziehung zur Person. Springer, Berlin 1962 1962, ISBN 978-3-540-02883-3. Reprint 1997: Berlin VWB.
- Katathymes Bilderleben: Unterstufe. Einführung in die Psychotherapie mit der Tagtraumtechnik. Ein Seminar. Thieme, Stuttgart 1970; 5. Auflage: Katathym-imaginative Psychotherapie (K.I.P.): „Katathymes Bilderleben“. Einführung in die Psychotherapie mit der Tagtraumtechnik. Ein Seminar. Thieme, Stuttgart 1994.
- Halluzinogene: Psychische Grenzzustände in Forschung und Psychotherapie. Huber, Bern 1981, ISBN 3-456-80933-6.
- Lehrbuch des Katathymen Bilderlebens. Huber, Bern 1985; 3. Auflage: Lehrbuch der Katathym-imaginativen Psychotherapie. Huber, Bern 1994, ISBN 3-456-82430-0.
- Ce qu’on n’a pas expliqué en France, Planète, n°33, mars-avril 1967, pp. 92-101 (article on LSD treatment and psycholyse)