Chapter Six: Existential Therapy Counseling Theories -- EPSY 6363 Dr. Scott Sparrow

Basic Principles of Existentialism We are free because we can choose: I am what I choose We are responsible for our choices Life, and becoming, is a project of creating who we want to be The fact of our death serves as a source of meaning by standing behind every decision and action

Key Figures in Existentialist Philosophy Kierkegaard (religious) -- role of anxiety and uncertainty; leap of faith Nietzsche (atheistic)-- will to power (creativity and originality) rather than group mentality Heidegger -- phenomenology, study of subjective experience

Key Figures in Existentialist Philosophy Sartre -- power of choice in the present Buber -- I-thou relationship; presence Binswanger -- therapist, holistic model between self and environment Boss -- therapist, being in the world, entering subjective world of client

Main Figures in Existential Psychotherapy Victor Frankl -- logotherapy, or therapy through meaning. Niezsche: “He who has a why to live can bear with most any how. Rollo May -- the struggle is between security of dependence and the delights and pains of growth James Bugental -- therapy as a journey into the client’s subjective world; very demanding of therapist Irwin Yalom -- death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness; most comprehensive

Precepts of Existentialism and Existentialist Psychotherapy It is more of a philosophy than a method of doing therapy Reaction against techniques Emphasis on what it means to be human Focus on aloneness and isolation

Basic Dimensions of Existentialism Self-awareness --the greater the awareness the greater the potential freedom; everthing is a choice; anxiety accompanies awareness of our finitude and the consequences of our choices. Freedom and responsibility -- bad faith of not accepting responsibility -“There are no victims here.” Creating oneself and relationships -- looking beyond the conventional guidance and what others expect of us; using our sense of aloneness to get in touch with what are truly our values and goals choosing relatedness

Basic Dimensions of Existentialism Search for meaning -- questioning meaning; discarding old values; meaninglessness and existential guilt; meaning must be pursued obliquely, or as a byproduct of engagement Anxiety as a condition of life -- Normal/existential anxiety is unavoidable; neurotic anxiety is not desirable; freedom brings anxiety as we move away from security and familiar ways of living. Tolerance of ambiguity. Suffering can a source of meaning Awareness of death as a springboard to meaningful choices.

Key Concepts Nothing is fixed, all is in movement We are constantly discovering and making sense of our lives The fundamental themes do not vary: Who am I? What can I know? What should I do? Where did I come from? Where am I going? We can become self aware We are free to choose, and can shape our destinies If I am free, then I am responsible for my life, my actions, and for failure to take action.

Key Concepts Ultimately, we are alone and separate. We strive to define ourselves as individuals and in relationship to others. Relationship needs to support each individual, rather than serving to mitigate our fears and the inevitability of our aloneness and deaths.

Key Concepts The search for meaning involves: challenging and discarding old values dealing with a sense of meaninglessness that easily arises when observing the world, one’s powerlessness, one’s smallness creating meaning by standing up to pain, despair, guilt and death

Key Concepts Anxiety is inescapable neurotic anxiety, based on a fear of losing control existential anxiety, unavoidable is one is honest Death is a basic human condition that can give significance to our lives. need to contemplate and discuss death this awareness motivates us to do what is important

Therapeutic Process Fosters movement toward authenticity; no escape from freedom; no one else to blame. Challenges narrowness of thinking that blocks a sense of freedom--there is no escape from freedom Increases awareness of what a client is doing and how he/she can get out of victim role. Here and now focus, not on history

Therapeutic relationship One of the Main contributions to modern therapy Central force in therapy Direct, mutual and present Therapist is a fully alive, open, and creative human companion. Therapists model authentic behavior

Therapeutic Techniques No prescribed techniques Therapist is free to draw on any techniques that will serve the goals of therapy. Techniques need to be responsive to the uniqueness of the client.

Strengths We are all faced with the same human dilemma of confronting our aloneness, dealing with existential anxiety, and creating meaning through our own choices. Regardless of context, clients can be encouraged to address these issues, and to make choices and take responsibility for those choices.

Strengths An existential perspective can provide the client with a spirit of optimism and hope, by shifting the emphasis away from limiting or oppressive conditions to one’s ability to create change and meaning through courageous choice.

Weaknesses By placing emphasis on individuality, existential therapy can overlook the importance of family and culture. It can also fail to appreciate the extent to which many people are severely limited in the choices that they can make. There are true victims in the world, not just those who perceive themselves as victims.

Three Phases of Existential Psychotherapy Clarifying assumptions about the world Examine source and authority of current value system Taking new awareness and putting it into action