Sprechstunde des Vertrauens, a 1963 volume by Lykke Aresin, established a standard for marital counselling that focused on professional confidentiality and evidence-based advice regarding sexual health. Her career bridged the gap between traditional psychiatry and public sex education in the German Democratic Republic, where she emerged as a central figure in shaping national policy on contraception and social hygiene.
Professional Foundations and Academic Work
Born Lykke Bauer in Bernburg in 1921, she studied medicine at the universities of Jena and Göttingen. Her early medical training focused on neurology and psychiatry, leading to a position at the Medizinische Akademie Erfurt. Following her marriage to physician Norbert Aresin, she relocated to the Leipzig University Women's Clinic in 1959. By 1965, she served as Chief of Staff, specialising in psychosomatic disorders and ovulation studies.
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Aresin transformed the university clinic into a hub for sexology, providing services that included oral contraception and treatments for sexual dysfunction. In collaboration with colleague Siegfried Schnabl, she advocated for the establishment of 252 counselling centres across the country. Her publications, including youth encyclopaedias like Junge Ehe and Jugend Zu Zweit, reflected a broader commitment to popular education on reproductive health.
Advocacy and Legislative Reform
Throughout the 1980s, Aresin challenged the social and legal constraints of the German Democratic Republic. She actively campaigned for the removal of Paragraph 151, which criminalised homosexual desire between men, and chaired a 1985 conference regarding the psycho-social aspects of homosexuality. Furthermore, she lobbied for transgender individuals to access comprehensive medical and legal support, while simultaneously pushing for universal access to free contraception.
International Engagement and Later Life
Aresin extended her influence beyond the German borders through her role as a link between the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Eastern Europe. She participated in global conferences and provided guest lectures for the World Health Organization. After the reunification of Germany, she remained active in the medical community, co-founding Pro Familia Saxony in 1990 and publishing the Lexikon der Erotik in 1996. She died in 2011 and is buried at the Leipzig South Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 2 March 1921, Bernburg
- Died: 7 November 2011, Leipzig
- Field: Psychiatry and sexology
- Primary Employer: Leipzig University
- Notable Book: Sprechstunde des Vertrauens (1963)
- Professional Role: Chief of Staff, Leipzig University Women's Clinic
- Burial Site: Leipzig South Cemetery
- Post-1990 Organization: Pro Familia Saxony
Questions readers ask
Did Lykke Aresin support the full legalisation of abortion?
No, she supported the 1972 laws that sought to eliminate the medical dangers of illegal abortions rather than pursuing full legalisation.
What was the significance of her 1963 book?
Sprechstunde des Vertrauens provided practical advice on marital counselling and sexually transmitted diseases while emphasising the importance of patient confidentiality.
Achievements
- Held posts at Leipzig University