Literary Discussions

In his early days of research Sigmund Freud actually fed and clothed a few of his patients so he might continue his work with them.  The first psychoactivve drug synthesized was in the 1950s or so, Reserpine, from the herb rawolfia reserpina which had been used for centuries by "medicine men" in primitive cultures. I dont believe that counseling or talking alone can do the job although there is much value, for example in Sheldon Kopp's "If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him" and in cognitive therapies which trace back to Siddhartha Gautama in 5th century BCE (your glass is not half empty but half full)