Reflections & Articles

The Psychology of Relevance (Maïeusthésie)

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What if a symptom wasn't a problem, but a message?

When we experience psychological suffering, our first instinct is often to look for what is wrong: a wound to heal, a disorder to understand, or a behaviour to change.

Within the field of mental health, several approaches exist today: Psychology and psychoanalysis seek to understand mechanisms of suffering, while Positive psychology focuses on resources and fulfilment.

Thierry Tournebise offers another perspective: The Psychology of Relevance, put into practice through an approach called Maïeusthésie.

Its starting point is a simple yet profound question: What if a symptom were not a problem to eliminate, but a meaningful message?

This approach invites a shift in perspective: it is not a question of looking for what is wrong, but for what is right in what is happening.

This does not mean that suffering is desirable. It means that what manifests within us may sometimes have a deep coherence, even when we do not yet understand it.

The Symptom as a Call to an Encounter

Within this approach, a symptom is not regarded as an enemy to be fought. It may be the expression of something that is asking to be heard.

Maïeusthésie does not speak of a "part of the self" to be repaired. Rather, it invites us to encounter a "being of self": the person we once were at a particular moment, whose experience may not have been fully recognised.

This may be the child or teenager we once were. What calls to be encountered is not only what happened, but the person who experienced it.

An Example

Imagine a seven-year-old child who experiences an accident. In many approaches, the focus is placed on the traumatic event or the emotions connected to it.

In Maïeusthésie, the focus shifts: it turns towards the child that this person was at the age of seven.

• How did he experience that moment?
• What did he feel?
• Was he met, heard, and acknowledged in his experience?

Sometimes, what remains unresolved is not the event itself, but the person who went through it. The path proposed is to meet that person with the consideration that may have been missing at the time.

Why Does a Symptom Appear?

When faced with a difficult event, an experience cannot always be fully acknowledged in the moment. Not because the person is weak, but because circumstances did not allow it.

The symptom becomes a way for this "being of self" to make itself known—not to disturb us, but to draw our attention towards what is asking to be recognised. When this recognition takes place, something can regain its rightful place and find peace.

Another Way of Supporting

This perspective profoundly transforms the therapist's approach. He does not look for what needs to be corrected. He looks for what is asking to be met with presence, respect, and consideration.

From this perspective, the process is not only about healing. It is also about fulfilment: something finding its rightful place and recovering its integrity.

"We do not say that a woman is 'cured' of her pregnancy after giving birth. Rather, we recognise that a process has reached its fulfilment."

In the same way, certain symptoms may disappear not because they have been fought against, but because the being they invited us to encounter has finally been recognised.

Maïeusthésie: Putting Into Practice

Maïeusthésie is the practical application of this Psychology of Relevance. It is based on a quality of listening and presence that allows each person to encounter what is waiting to be recognised.

It is not a matter of applying a rigid method, but of accompanying whatever arises, at the person's own pace.

In a Nutshell

Maïeusthésie does not stand in opposition to other therapeutic approaches; it simply offers another perspective.

A perspective that recognises that our symptoms are not necessarily mistakes. They may sometimes be invitations to encounter a deeper part of our history: a "being of self" waiting to be heard and fully acknowledged.

What if our symptoms were not only obstacles to overcome, but also pathways leading us back to ourselves?