What goes on inside a person when their reality shatters? When voices speak that others don’t hear, when persecutors appear that don’t exist, when one’s own brain becomes a threat?
Prof. Dr. Josef Bäuml dedicated his life to exploring precisely these questions. As a Senior Physician and Privatdozent at the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Klinikum rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich, he was one of Germany’s most renowned psychiatrists for decades. He treated people in their darkest moments—individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, severe psychoses. He was there when no one else knew what to do.
However, Prof. Bäuml was never just a doctor. He was also a researcher, author, and advisor—not least for the relatives of his patients, for whom he wrote a highly acclaimed book. He wanted people to understand what psychiatry truly means: not locking away, but bringing back. Not control, but dignity.
Today, Prof. Bäuml is retired. He is ready to speak—about his profession, his faith, about dying and what comes after, about coercion and humanity.
In this portrait, Anselm meets a man who spent his life listening to others. Now, Prof. Bäuml is the one being asked questions—personal, direct, and sometimes uncomfortable questions.
Note: This episode deals with mental illness, depression, and suicide. Some passages may be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening.
