Existential Therapy Exist r Exsistere Meaning to stand

Existential Therapy

Exist (r. Ex-sistere) – Meaning to stand out; to emerge Life as a gift. Life as a journey. Life as a mystery. Which one best captures your approach to life?

Existential Philosophy Roots in Western civilization Complex movement: ‘motley crew’ of thinkers ◦ ◦ ◦ Soren Kierkegaard (1813 -1855) Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 -1900) Karl Jaspers (1883 -1969) Martin Heidegger (1889 -1976) Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 -1988) Drawn together by themes of freedom, choice, authenticity, alienation, mortality

What is Existential Therapy? Therapeutic application emerged in mid-1900 s Not a distinct system of therapy; understood by cataloguing “givens” of existence: ◦ Death, Freedom, Choice, Isolation, Meaninglessness Response to deterministic views of behavior

What is Existential Therapy? “Dynamic” model: internal forces in conflict Conflict due to confrontation with life concerns ◦ E. g. , desire to live forever, but realize inevitable loss

Psychodynamic Approach Awareness of Ultimate Concern Anxiety Defense Mechanism (i. e. , Freudian) Clients present w/the symptom (defense mech. ) ◦ Goal = awareness of ultimate concern underneath “Fearful, suffering beings”

Elements of Existential Therapy If anxiety triggered by awareness of core conditions, then… Anxiety = fundamental, “functional” part of life Goal not to remove anxiety, but… Listen to it, follow it, find meaning in midst

Existentialism & Meaning • Does my existence have any meaning? • What is the purpose of life? • Why am I doing the things I do?

Goals of Existential Therapy Self-awareness Personal responsibility Confronting anxiety of human condition Meaning Interpersonal support

Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy Logo (“meaning”) therapy Main motivation: will to meaning Main problem: lack of meaning Goal: To find meaning ◦To become less self-absorbed

Elements of Logotherapy Paradoxical Intention ◦ Confronting by prescribing problem De-reflection ◦ Focusing attention away from oneself, playing down self-attention

Reflecting Feeling Cox et al. Clarify “specific, unique meaning” & “felt experience” Reflecting Feeling: Name emotions you hear from client “You feel disappointed. ” “You feel angry because they let you down. ” “You’re exhausted!”