Paul Tournier (12 May 1898 – 7 October 1986) was a Swiss physician whose medical practice integrated psychology with theology. He found that some of his patients needed deeper help than drugs or surgery and so he became involved in psychosomatic medicine. His warmth and intuitive insight into personal problems led him into counseling his patients and changed the course of his professional life. He is considered to be the 20th century's most famous Christian physician.
Tournier was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1898. His 70-year-old father died a few months after his birth. His mother died six years later. He and his older sister were raised by an aunt and uncle. Tournier was a lonely, unhappy, and shy child. A high school teacher began having intellectual discussions with him and helped Tournier come out of his shell. Tournier became a debater and an active participant in social work and the church. He graduated medical school, married, and became a father but interacted with people in a coldly intellectual and aloof way.
In 1932, Tournier attended a gathering of Christians which included theologian Emil Brunner, psychoanalyst Dr. Alphonse Maeder, Professor Theodore Sperri, and Jan van Walre de Bordes, a Dutch official of the League of Nations. The Dutchman contacted Tournier after the gathering and encouraged him to talk to God about his personal needs and insecurities and to meditate daily before God. This practice of daily prayer and meditation, as well as learning to share his feelings with his wife, changed his personality. He became warm, understanding, and sincerely interested in other people. In the years that followed, he began to practice what he called the "medicine of the person," which combined medical knowledge, understanding and religion.
Although he never formally studied psychology or psychiatry, he slowly moved into a counseling career. He sought the advice and counsel of several of his psychiatric friends to prepare himself for what was becoming a psychiatric ministry. They felt that his "sincerity and dedication to patients, coupled with his skill in the practice of 'medicine of the person,' were adequate tools for plying the psychotherapeutic craft."
Shortly before World War II, Tournier published his first book: The Healing of Persons. Two publishers had turned the book down, and even his closet friends had urged him not to publish it, yet the book became a success. In subsequent years, Tournier wrote 16 books, edited a short volume on fatique, and published many papers and articles.
Tournier had a good knowledge of both science and religion. His general belief system was Calvinist, although he did not rigidly adhere to Calvinistic thought. Tournier believed that flexibility and real tolerance could only come when a person had genuine convictions of their own. He was a committed Christian who wanted to follow God in every area of his life. He was able to look at issues such as anxiety, loneliness, marriage, or magic in light of both contemporary science and Scripture. He thought that the "best and most complete approach to human problems is one which makes use of both exterior scientific knowledge and interior personal concern and understanding." He was interested in how science, especially psychological science, and the Scriptures could influence one's life. His emphasis on the practical has led some scholars to scorn his work.
Tournier was one of the therapists who brought the person of the therapist into the counseling context. He helped to introduce "witness bearing" and self disclosure as a therapeutic style. He viewed science as a gift from God which supplemented the Bible, not as something in conflict with it. His most lasting achievements may be his integration of psychology and Christianity, his emphasis on the importance of involvement with other people, and his practical advice for living.
