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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Existentialism
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a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe
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Existential psychotherapy
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operates on the belief that inner conflict within a person is due to that individual's confrontation with the givens of existence
partly based on the existential belief that human beings are alone in the world this feeling of aloneness leads to feelings of meaninglessness which can be overcome only by creating one's own meaning and significance we want to connect with others but ultimately cannot rely on others for validation! it must come from within and this causes anxiety we also have to take responsibility for our own actions - this also causes anxiety |
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People involved with Existential Counseling
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Yalom, Victor Frankl, Rollo May and Jim Bugental
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Yalom's Four Givens of Life
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also called "ultimate concerns"
form the body of existential psychotherapy and compose the framework in which a therapist conceptualizes a client's problem inevitability of death freedom (are we really free to be whoever we want to be? we can't really do whatever we want, whenever) existential isolation (referring to phenomenology, even if you're not physically alone, can feel alone) meaninglessness |
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Being-in-the-world
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how we live our life makes a significant difference
do we visit all the rooms in our house? we choose what we are? |
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Goals of Existential Psychotherapy
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Helping clients to accept their freedom and responsibility to act
Assisting people in coming to terms with the crises in their lives Encouraging clients to recognize the ways in which they are not living fully authentic lives Inviting clients to become more honest with themselves Broadening clients' awareness of their choices Facilitating the client's search for purpose and meaning in life Assisting clients in developing a deep understanding of themselves and the ways they can effectively communicate with others |
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Does Existential Psychology stress past or future choices?
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FUTURE
People can choose the good life and have the courage to be! |
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History of Existential Psychotherapy
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Born from philosophy
A phenomenological (subjective) philosophy of "humanness" Humans are in a constant state of transition, evolving and becoming Clients are searching for meaning in their subjective worlds |
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Common questions/sources of existential angst for clients
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who am i
i will die what does it all mean will i die alone how am i going to get to where i want to be in my life? |
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Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition
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The capacity for self-awareness
The tension between freedom and responsibility The creation of an identity and establishing meaningful relationships The search for meaning Accepting anxiety as a condition of living The awareness of death and nonbeing |
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The Capacity for Self-Awareness
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the greater our awareness, the greater our possibilities for freedom
Awareness is realizing that: We are finite - time is limited We have the potential and the choice to act or not to act Meaning is not automatic - we must seek it We are subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness,, guilt, and isolation |
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The Search for Identity and Meaningful Relationships
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Identity is "the courage to be" - we must trust ourselves to search within and find our own answers
- our greatest fear is that we will discover that there is no core, no self - being existentially "alone" helps us to discover our authentic self (can't taste the sweetness without experiencing the bitterness) Relatedness - At their best our relationships are based on our desire for fulfillment, not our deprivation - Relationships that spring from our sense of deprivation are clinging, parasitic, and symbiotic # clients must distinguish between neurotic dependence and the authentic need to be with others - Balancing aloneness and relatedness helps us develop a unique identity and live authentically in the moment |
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The Search for Meaning
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Meaning - like pleasure, meaning must be pursued obliquely
(cannot find it by searching for it, studying it, etc) Finding meaning in life is a by-product of a commitment to creating, loving, and working Meaning doesn't come in a box/husband/child, but you create it and infuse it into everything you do The "will to meaning" is our primary striving - Life is not meaningful in itself; the individual must create and discover meaning |
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Yalom's Four Givens of Life
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also called "ultimate concerns"
form the body of existential psychotherapy and compose the framework in which a therapist conceptualizes a client's problem inevitability of death freedom (are we really free to be whoever we want to be? we can't really do whatever we want, whenever) existential isolation (referring to phenomenology, even if you're not physically alone, can feel alone) meaninglessness |
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Anxiety
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Created by Yalom's 4 givens
Existential anxiety is normal - life cannot be lived, nor can death be faced, without anxiety |
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Existential therapists help clients develop a healthy view of anxiety:
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- anxiety can be a catalyst for living authentically and fully
- we can blunt our anxiety by creating the illusion that there is security in life - if we have the courage to face ourselves and life we may be frightened, but we will be able to change |
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How are our lives safer because of fear?
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Fear and anxiety are signals of problems
They help us recognize the problem They motivate us to cope with the problem Normal anxiety is good |
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How are our lives poorer because of fear?
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Because of fear we:
avoid responsibility for our actions avoid recognizing we have choices avoid anxiety and play it safe avoid real intimacy stay busy so we don't become aware of our fundamental aloneness or finiteness of life |
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Neurotic anxiety
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not good
choices are opportunities, not problems |
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Existential anxiety
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makes us aware of the "big issues"
helps us steer an effective path through life helps us become aware of separations from self, others, world cannot be lived with 24/7, but should be revisited from time to time |
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Subjectivity
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The I and very different you can be integrated into a common we
The otherliness of the other person is not something to be tolerated it is instead something to behold, something that enriches the beholder Can we see each other without making each other objects? Can we touch and really understand each other? Can we do both? |
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Logotherapy goals
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Find meaning in life - even from the terrible
Change meanings to those that are more healthy and adaptive To do this: 1. Listen and understand their worldview 2. Communicate your understanding 3. Only when your client recognizes that you understand, can you begin to shift meanings |
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Specialized techniques of existential therapy
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Reframing
Paradoxical intention Dereflection |
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Reframing
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searches for the positive in the situation
must wait until the client feels heard |
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Paradoxical intention
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encourages client to do what client is afraid might happen
returns control to the client "having a panic attack any time, any place sounds scary. I wonder whether you could practice having panic attacks over the next week" |
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Dereflection
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redirects focus from the maladaptive to the healthy
"You’ve been spending a lot of time worrying about your daughter -- and driving you both crazy! Perhaps this would be a good week to find something else to do. You’ve talked about wanting to [fill in the blank]." |
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Client-Therapist relationship
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person-to-person relationship is key
the relationship demands that the therapist be in contact with their own phenomenological world the core of the relationship - respect and faith in the client's potential to cope - sharing reactions with genuine concern and empathy |
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Application to Group Counseling
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Provides an ideal environment for therapeutic work on responsibility
(clients are responsible for their own behavior, group provides a mirror of how clients act, members learn how their behavior affects others) Builds interpersonal skills (provides members with the opportunity to be fully themselves while relating to others, and to relate to others in meaningful ways) Provides an opportunity to explore the paradoxes of existence (learn to experience anxiety as a reality of the human condition, make choices in the face of uncertainty, discover there are no ultimate answers for ultimate concerns) |
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Limitations of Existential Therapy
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individualistic focus may not fit within the world views of clients from a collectivistic culture
high focus on self-determination may not account for real-life limitations of those who are oppressed and have limited choices some clients prefer a more directive approach may prove difficult for clients who experience difficulty conceptualizing or have limited intellectual capacities does not focus on specific techniques, making treatment difficult to stabilize limited empirical support |
