Hydrotherapy: The Healing Power of Water

Over the years, several patients have related that their mood improves after a bath or shower. They may spontaneously indulge in extra ablutions after a stressful day or traumatic event.

For some of us, then, it appears that water offers a fresh outlook, serving as a natural healing technique. The universal solvent, penetrating and cleansing our bodies, minds and spirits may even substitute at times for a pill.

In the 1930’s, before the advent of effective psychotropic medications, hydrotherapy was a popular method of treatment.  Although water was observed to have a calming effect, the treatment was replaced by psychotherapy in the 1940’s and ECT in the 1950’s. 

However, it is still recognized and utilized in occupational therapy and physiotherapy as a method to relieve discomfort and pain and to promote a physical sense of well-being.

An excess in either direction, over-indulgence or avoidance of water, may indicate a disturbance with rich potential for psychological exploration.

A few patients have described showering for hours at a time. They experience therapeutic benefits and seem to feel entitled and unperturbed about the environmental impact of their ritual. Perhaps their behavior indicates (a kind of) isolation. (For more thoughts about isolation, please refer to the post of November 13, 2013).

What about the occasional person who doesn’t bathe? Clearly, we’re not usually enticed to get closer to them physically or emotionally. Assuming water is readily available, their reluctance to bathe may be a resistance to moving forward in their lives; or perhaps a feeling that they don’t deserve more than life’s grunginess. Choosing to practice habits of poor hygiene may also be a way of keeping a distance, physical and psychological, from others.

On a broader scale, the arts can offer insights about the implications of water.

The Italian movie, The Great Beauty (now playing at limited theatres in Manhattan) includes a scene in which the protagonist, Jep, a 65 year old writer, excoriates a woman braggart. She responds by absconding from the social gathering, and leaping into the swimming pool, as if to wash away the wounding insults. She emerges from the water, appearing soothed and refreshed.

Some actions cannot be washed away. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth (c. 1603-1607), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into regicide, killing Duncan in order to seize the Scottish crown. In spite of incessant hand-washing, she can’t purge herself of guilt.

Conclusion: Although dropped from the psychiatric armamentarium, hydrotherapy remains a free and available method to calm our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Dear Reader, I welcome your thoughts. Jsimon145@gmail.com