Existential Therapy

HUMANISTIC SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY

Strengths of Humanistic Approach

• Emphasis on Choice

  • This aspect is largely ignored by other psychological approaches, making it a defining characteristic of humanistic psychology.

• Contribution to Psychological Theories

  • Humanistic psychology has effectively influenced the development of psychological theories and practices.

  • Particularly effective in treating disorders such as depression.

• Subjective Conscious Experience

  • Emphasizes the importance of personal experience and subjective reality in understanding human behavior.

• Valuation of Personal Ideals and Self-Fulfillment

  • Acknowledges and promotes individual ideals and the pursuit of self-fulfillment, which are essential for personal growth.

• Exploration of Human Existence

  • Allows psychologists to explore human existence with sensitivity, contrasting the rigidity found in more scientific methodologies.

EXISTENTIAL THERAPY

THE FIVE REMEMBRANCES

1. My nature is to grow old.

   • Acceptance of aging as a fundamental human condition.

2. I cannot escape growing old.

   • Acknowledgment of the inevitability of aging.

3. My nature is to experience illness.

   • Understanding that illness is a common human experience.

4. I cannot escape illness.

   • Recognizing that illness is unavoidable in life.

5. My nature is to experience death.

   • Acceptance of death as an integral part of life.

6. I cannot escape death.

   • Acknowledging death’s inevitability.

7. All that I love is of the nature to change.

   • Understanding that attachment brings inevitable change.

8. I cannot escape separation from what I love.

   • Acknowledging the transient nature of relationships and connections.

9. My actions are my only belongings.

   • Emphasizing the significance of individual actions in determining personal value.

10. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.

    • Understanding accountability in choices and behaviors.

11. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

    • Recognizing actions as foundational in creating identity and self-worth.

EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS

• EXISTENTIAL QUESTION #1

  • “What do you think your future will be like if you stay very much as you are now?”

  • Complete the statement: “If I make no major changes, then I expect…"

• EXISTENTIAL QUESTION #2

  • List obstacles perceived as preventing change or making change difficult.

• EXISTENTIAL QUESTION #3

  • Reflect on one significant change in personality or behavior you would desire.

• EXISTENTIAL QUESTION #4

  • Identify actions you can take now to facilitate that change you wish to pursue.

TIMELINE OF MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

• 1813–1855

  • Søren Kierkegaard: Explored individual existence, choice, and anxiety; regarded as the father of existentialism.

• 1844–1900

  • Friedrich Nietzsche: Discussed concepts like will to power, authenticity, and the critique of conventional morality.

• 1889–1976

  • Martin Heidegger: Developed ideas on being-in-the-world (Dasein), authenticity, and the nature of temporality.

• 1905–1980

  • Jean-Paul Sartre: Promoted radical freedom, responsibility, and concepts such as bad faith.

• 1908–1961

  • Albert Camus: Investigated absurdity, rebellion, and the challenge of creating meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.

QUOTES

1. Nietzsche:

   • “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

2. Viktor E. Frankl:

   • “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”

3. Rollo May:

   • “Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.”

LATE 20TH AND EARLY 21ST CENTURY

• 1970

  • Irvin Yalom's The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy introduced existential themes in group therapy.

• 1980

  • Irvin Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy detailed the four “givens” of existence: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness.

• 1960s

  • The American Humanistic Movement spearheaded by figures like Rollo May, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers bridged existential and humanistic perspectives into a personalized therapeutic approach.

• Focus on Multiculturalism

  • Highlighted the importance of cultural diversity in therapy contexts.

KEY QUESTIONS

• “Why am I here?”

• “What do I want from life?”

• “What gives my life purpose?”

• “Where is the source of meaning for me in life?”

PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH

• Clients shape their own lives by realizing and accepting their circumstances.

• Engages deeply with concepts of anxiety, despair, grief, loneliness, and the nature of existence.

• Addresses aspects of meaning, creativity, and love as central themes.

VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE

• Self-Awareness

  • Recognizes the capacity for self-awareness as a core aspect of human nature.

• Freedom and Responsibility

  • Understands that the choices made define one's path.

• Identity Creation

  • Involves forming an identity through meaningful relationships.

• Search for Meaning

  • Driven by a quest for values, goals, and purpose.

• Anxiety

  • Acknowledged as a condition of living due to the awareness of mortality and nonbeing.

SELF-AWARENESS

• Increased awareness leads to a greater capacity for freedom in decision-making.

• Key Awareness Aspects

  • Recognition of life’s finiteness; the time we have is limited.

  • The choice to act (or not act) always exists.

  • Actions are consciously chosen rather than automatic.

  • Meaning is actively sought rather than passively accepted.

  • Understands the presence of feelings of loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt, and isolation.

  • Awareness of the fundamental aloneness of human existence.

FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY

• While circumstances at birth may not be controlled, individuals have the power to shape their own destinies through choices.

• Freedom entails responsibility for one's actions and decisions.

• The intertwined nature of freedom and responsibility is foundational for personal change.

• Constant confrontation with choices influences personal development and the kind of individual one becomes.

ISOLATION AND CONNECTION

• Existential isolation can facilitate the discovery of one's authentic self.

• Balancing solitude and connection is crucial for the formation of a unique and authentic identity.

• Optimal relationships are formed through a desire for fulfillment rather than out of deprivation or need.

DEATH AND NON-BEING

• The reality of death endows life with significance and meaning.

• Understanding mortality motivates individuals to live fully and seize opportunities for richness in life.

• An example illustrating this concept is a child’s commentary on life's unfairness which invites deeper reflection on existence.

SEARCH FOR MEANING

• All humans grapple with the significance and purpose of life.

• We are meaning-making beings in a universe that may often lack inherent meaning, leading to the existential vacuum—feelings of emptiness and hollowness.

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

• Being in the World:

  • Humans have the cognitive ability to reflect on and attach meaning to their experiences.

  • Four ways of being:

  • Umwelt: Refers to interactions with the natural world.

  • Mitwelt: Involves interactions with other persons.

  • Eigenwelt: Our personal experience of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

  • Uberwelt: Represents the personal understanding of the world and our place within it, often connected to a spiritual dimension.

• Authentic Living: Awareness and acceptance of available choices and opportunities.

• Inauthentic Living: Characterized by a sense of obligation or dissatisfaction with one's destine.

• Existential Anxiety: Acknowledged as an appropriate response to life's challenges, useful creatively to confront feelings of anxiety.

• Neurotic Anxiety: Irregular, repressed anxiety that paralyzes rather than aids the individual.

• Search for Meaning: Assists clients in identifying sources of meaning to transform existential concerns into authentic living.

THERAPEUTIC PROCESS AND GOAL

• Goals of therapy include:

  • Encouraging clients to develop authenticity and recognize self-deception.

  • Helping clients confront anxiety and engage in actions that promote a worthy existence.

  • Assisting clients in reclaiming and reowning their lives, promoting self-awareness.

GOALS CONTINUED

• Schneider and Krug (2010) identify four therapeutic aims:

  1. Help clients become more present to themselves and others.

  2. Assist clients in identifying self-blockages to fuller presence.

  3. Challenge clients to assume responsibility for shaping their lives.

  4. Encourage broader participation in daily life.

DIMENSION OF THERAPY: COMPARISON OF APPROACHES

THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP - WAY OF BEING

• The relationship quality is pivotal for client growth and change.

• Counselors must connect with their own phenomenology to provide effective guidance.

• Mutual trust, respect, and authenticity facilitate self-awareness in therapy.

• Encourages confrontation of ultimate human concerns rather than immediate life problems.

I-THOU RELATIONSHIP

• I-Thou vs. I-It: Reflects the nature of the relationship between the client and counselor.

• Encounter: Captures the shared experience between two individuals.

• Confirmation: Acknowledges and respects the other's being and rights.

• Dialogue: Focuses on sharing perspectives on existential issues.

• Engagement: Reflects personal investment in the relational experience.

• Example: Reflect on a recent experience, such as grocery shopping, to illustrate the I-Thou encounter.

SYMPTOM ETIOLOGY - WHERE DO PROBLEMS COME FROM?

• Way of Understanding:

  • Symptoms often stem from avoidance of existential realities, which are grounded in the four givens: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness.

  • Inauthentic living and conflict between freedom and responsibility contribute to personal distress.

  • Lack of self-reflection can result in existential crises.

TECHNIQUES - WAYS OF INTERVENING

• Unlike prescriptive approaches, existential psychology advocates for a guiding attitude in therapy, emphasizing the therapeutic relationship as the primary change mechanism.

• Counselor's Role: Acts as a mentor, encouraging clients to confront existential truths to find meaning and purpose.

• Focuses on addressing anxiety at the beginning of therapy.

TECHNIQUES CONTINUED

• Strategies Include:

  • Identifying and clarifying personal assumptions about the world.

  • Thorough examination of the personal value system's source and authority.

  • Translating self-discovery insights into practical action steps.

  • Engaging in a comprehensive life review.

  • Applying techniques such as free association and paradoxical intention.

  • Utilizing methods to interrupt entrenched patterns and encourage ownership of emotions.

HERE AND NOW

• Yalom highlights the concept of focusing therapy sessions on the immediate and present experience.

• Refers to the therapeutic interaction as a social microcosm, reflecting broader life dynamics.

• Counselors must develop acute awareness of the dynamics occurring during therapy for rich experiential insights.

MODERN EXISTENTIAL APPROACHES - VAN DEURZEN

• Way of Being: Acts as a philosophical companion, exploring existential choices with clients.

• Way of Knowing: Engages in life world exploration to identify distress arising from unbalanced existence dimensions.

• Way of Intervening: Maps existence across different dimensions to recognize and harmonize existential tensions.

MODERN EXISTENTIAL APPROACHES - SPINELLI

• Way of Being: Functions as a co-explorer of the client’s experiences. Uses phenomenological methods like bracketing.

• Way of Knowing: Challenges prescriptive frameworks, placing emphasis on uncertainty and ambiguity rather than rigid meanings.

• Way of Intervening: Aims for co-created meaning through dialogue and relational engagement.

LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISMS

• The heavy individual focus may not align with collectivistic cultural perspectives.

• Existential concepts can be perceived as too abstract or elitist by some practitioners and clients.

• Self-determination focus may overlook real-life limitations faced by marginalized individuals.

• Preference for directive methods exists among some clients, who may not resonate with non-directive approaches.

• Practitioners must possess mature life experiences for effective practice—they cannot always cultivate this depth.

• Lack of specific techniques does not facilitate easy empirical analysis of effectiveness.

MULTICULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Pros:

  • Non-prescriptive in viewpoint; fosters universality and shared human experiences.

  • Acknowledges the impact of social and cultural factors.

• Cons:

  • Overemphasis on individualism may disregard social justice concerns impacting clients.

  • May lead to perceptions of insensitivity if therapists emphasize choice without recognizing real socio-economic constraints.