The collaboration of Mr. and Mrs. Pressel was not without interruptions due to the four children that were born to them between 1960 and 1969. They grew up in the same house where the patients came and went every day.
Most of the patients were very familiar with the family situation since they had come for regular treatments and consultations for years, even decades. The confidence the patients felt in Dr. Pressel had its basis in his preventative practices, wellness care and strengthening of the clients’ own life forces in general. His patients noticed and appreciated this, especially during outbreaks of flu epidemics when there were remarkably few acutely ill patients to be cared for in Dr. Pressel’s practice. It was also extremely rare that Dr. Pressel had to attend to emergencies at night and on the weekends. This might sound strange or even presumptuous to anyone not familiar with his practice. But one could keep in mind that since ancient times the healthcare system in India has been such that the family physician only gets paid if his patients stay healthy. When someone gets ill, the doctor has to work for free. From this a culture and knowledge of healing has developed that understands how to keep human beings healthy. Dr. Pressel’s massage therapy can be understood as a European variety of this tradition.
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