Ibn sina contribution to medicine

In my last two articles, I wrote about the father of pediatrics, Al-Razi , and the father of experimental medicine, Ibn Sina. To conclude my series, today I will be writing about Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, the father of cognitive therapy. Introductory psychology classes often take the time to talk about the history of the field in order to understand where different ideas came from and how they came to be.

While these figures are, of course, important to our understanding of history, they were far from the first to suggest the benefits of psychotherapy.

Ibn sina cause of death

Al-Balkhi — , born in what is now Afghanistan, was one of the most important figures in the history of psychology. Like many ancient scholars, he was a polymath, working in a variety of fields during his lifetime including geography, mathematics, and philosophy. While mental illness had been written about for many centuries, al-Balkhi was significant in that he described the concept of mental health and well-being.

It was written in accessible, non-scientific language, so that it could be understood by a lay person. In this work, he wrote that mental illness could have both physiological and psychological origins. He believed that the mind and the body were connected and that they could each make the other one sick.

Ibn sina full name

In order to maintain your overall health, al-Balkhi believed that the body and the soul must be in balance with each other, and that taking care of both is essential to maintaining that balance. He focused on not just curing disease, but also working on maintaining your mental health the same way you maintain your physical health, by practicing everyday acts of self-care.

Al-Balkhi also advocated for the benefits of music therapy, nature therapy, and exercise therapy. He also believed that it was important to talk about your thoughts and feelings with others. He advocated that people should reflect and understand their own feelings so that, over time, they can reshape their negative thought processes into positive ones.

This is, perhaps, the first documentation of what we know today as cognitive behavioral therapy , or CBT.