Nise da Silveira and person-centered medicine: the individualization of the approach to mental and subjective processes

Oliveira LF. Nise da Silveira and person-centered medicine: the individualization of the approach to mental and subjective processes. Interface (Botucatu). 2025; 29: e250115. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.250115

Abstracts

This article discusses Nise da Silveira’s medical thought, relating it to the contemporary concept of “person-centered medicine”, by Moira Stewart. The work with occupational therapy developed by Silveira and recovered by filmmaker Leon Hirszman is resumed. As a methodology, we reviewed Silveira’s main works, also rescuing the biographical elements that influenced his practice at the Hospital de Engenho de Dentro and were inspired by Carl Jung. We analyze the humanistic character of the work carried out by Silveira, bringing it closer to Ailton Krenak’s reflections on the separation of man from nature. Furthermore, we revisit philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy’s concepts of listening and community, discussing the understanding of similarity. Thus, the aim is to list the working mechanisms that made it possible to understand the person as a whole, going beyond traditional diagnostic criteria.

Keywords
Nise da Silveira; Medicine centered on the person; Listening

Access in: https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.250115