Existential Therapy
"That which does not kill me, makes me stronger" -Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
What is it?
Existential therapy is more of an attitude or way of thinking that influences a therapists therapeutic practice than a clearly defined therapeutic model with specific techniques. The goal of the therapist is to understand the unique way an individual views their life, then to help them recognize their potential and learn and understand ways for them to achieve their fullest potential from within themselves.
The idea is that although we sometimes cannot control external events forced upon us, existential therapists believe that we have the freedom to choose how we respond to such events. We are ultimately in control of our own lives, and the way we choose to respond or the choice not to respond ultimately determines our destiny. The focus of this therapy helps individuals to look within themselves to find the answers to questions such as "Is this all there is to life? What's the point in me being here?" Existential therapy helps us to understand that we alone have control over our own destiny.
Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) was a central figure in developing the existential therapy in Europe and bringing it to the United States. Not only did he introduce existentialism to the United States but he served as an illustration of the theory. He was a prisoner in Nazi camps for three years where he witnessed the death of his parents, brother, wife, and children. He carried on to lecture around the world of how he used his tragedies in a constructive way and did not allow them to hold him back or use his experiences as excuses.
Rollo May (1909-1994) was the principal American spokesperson of European existential therapy and one of the main proponents of humanistic approaches to psychotherapy. He believed that psychotherapy should be aimed at helping people discover the meaning of their lives and should be concerned with the problem of being rather than solving. He believed therapists should help individuals find ways to better themselves and the society in which they live.
Key Concepts
- View of Human Nature
- The capacity for self-awareness
- Freedom & responsibility
- Striving for identity and relationships to others
- The search for meaning
- Anxiety as a condition of living
- Awareness of death and nonbeing
Goals
Increase self-awareness
The greater the awareness, the greater the possibility for freedom. Therapists attempt to increase awareness:
- of the lack of infinite time in life
- of the potential to make the decision to take action or not take action
- that actions are a choice that creates a person's destiny
- of alternatives and choices
- that people are subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt, and isolation
Understand the freedom of choice , and being responsible for those choices
The goal is to help the person to understand that although they have no control over a situation or other people, that there must be responsibility for and awareness that our choice of response is our freedom, and we must take responsibility for response.
Learn to strive for identity within oneself
People are alone as one person and simply build relationships; relationships should not build the person. The goal is for the person to look within themself for direction, values, answers, & beliefs. It needs to be understood that it takes courage, and may not be easy to discover oneself; and discover if the person has truly discovered their own identity from within, or if the identity was based upon others expectations, beliefs, and values.
Defining a meaning to life
Finding satisfaction and meaning in life is accomplished through engaging in what is valued, which leads to a commitment that provides the purpose to make life worthwhile. There must also be an understanding that this is a lifelong struggle that will change as one develops their identity and continues on throughout a lifetime.
Understanding anxiety is a condition of living
One must understand that existential anxiety is unavoidable. It an inevitable fact of the human condition. There is normal anxiety which is an appropriate resopnse to an event being faced, and can be used as motivation to change. This type of anxiety is considered "good" anxiety that must be present to progress. Neurotic anxiety, however, is anxiety about concrete things that is out of proportion to the situation. One must learn to live with anxiety and learn to live with and benefit from normal anxiety while also keeping neurotic anxiety at a minimum. The therapist can help one learn to cope with anxiety and distinguish between types of anxiety.
Becoming aware of death and nonbeing
Death is not viewed negatively, but the person who holds the awareness of death as a basic human condition gives more significance to living. One must learn that it is necessary to think about death to think significantly about life. A person should not consider death as a threat so much as a motivation to take advantage of and appreciate the moment. This understanding may help the person evaluate how well they are living and what changes they want to make in their lives.
Techniques
The existential approach to therapy isn't like most therapy models. It is based on the philosophical approach that we have control of our own destiny. It is based on description, exploration, and understanding of ones own subjective reality rather than forming a diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. This type of therapy must be responsive to each individuals uniqueness.
Phases
- Assisting the person in identifying and clarifying their assumptions about the world. They are invited to define and question the ways in which they perceive and make sense of their existence.
- Assisting the person in examining the source and authority of their present value system. This self-exploration get a better idea of the life they consider wirthy to live and develop a clearer sense of their internal value process.
- Focuses on helping people take what they are learning about themselves and put it into action. Helps people to implement and deal with the anxieties of putting what they have learnd about themselves into action.
Reference:
Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.
