Existential therapy

Concept

Existentialisttherapycanbereferredtoasanintellectualorientationoftherapypracticeoraphilosophyfollowedbytherapists,becauseexistentialtherapyisnotanindependentschooloftherapy,Norisitaspecialtreatmenttechniquethatcanclearlydefinethemodel.Theybelievethattrueexistenceiscloselyrelatedtothethreedimensionsofthepast,present,andfuture.Existentialpsychotherapistsregard:-Thepastisregardedastherealmofthebiologicalfield,andnowmostofitbelongstothesocialplace,andtheselffield-theworldoftheindividual'sself-relationshipbelongstothefuturefield,sothefuturebecomesthemostimportantdimension.Theycriticizedthepsychoanalyticschoolforbeinglimitedtothepastandpresent,thebiologicalfieldandtheselffield,andthereforecannotreallysolvetheproblem.

Smith(VanDeurzen-Smith,1988)pointedoutthattheexistenceofconsultationisnottotreatpatientsunderthetraditionalmedicalmodel,andthepartiesarenottreatedaspatients;onthecontrary,thepartiesareconsideredtohavelifeproblems.ForSmith,theassistanceneededbytheclientistoassessthecurrentlifesituationandfindthebestlifestylethatsuitshim.Themaingoaloftreatmentistomotivatetheclienttoconfirmtheiroptionsandmakeachoiceamongthem.Oncetheclientstartstounderstandhowpassivelytheyarecontrolledbytheenvironment,theycanbegintoconsciouslychangetheirlives.

Representative

Frankl

FranklwasastudentofFreud,whichledhimtoapsychoanalyticapproachtopsychiatrycareer.Later,hewasinfluencedbytheworksofexistentialphilosophersandbegantodevelophisownsetofexistentialphilosophyandpsychoanalytictherapy.Itsbasicconceptsincludefreedom,responsibility,meaningoflife,andpursuitofvalue.Healsodevelopedmeaningtherapythatseeksformeaningtoheal.LookingatFrank'swork,itisnotdifficulttofindthathisthemeis"thewilltopursuemeaning."Frankpointedoutthatmodernpeoplehavethetoolsoflife,buttheyhavenomeaninginlife.Whenpeoplearenolongerbusywithroutineaffairsorwork,theycanoftenexperiencethatthesymptomsofourtimearemeaningless,or"existenceandnothingness."Thepurposeoftreatmentistoencouragepeopletodiscoverthemeaningandpurposeoflifethroughexternalaffairs,pain,workandlove(Frankl,1965).

RollMay(RollMay)

RollMayisoneofthespokespersonsofexistentialismfromEuropetotheUnitedStates.HiswritingshaveimportantimplicationsforAmericanexistentialtreatmentpractices.Significantimpact."Existence:ANewFieldofPsychopathologyandPsychology"ishisimportantworktointroduceexistentialismtotheUnitedStates.Rollomebelievesthat"existence"requirescourage,andourchoicesdeterminewhowebecome.Deepinourhearts,therewillbestrugglesandwarsfromtimetotime.Althoughwewanttopursuematurityandindependence,wealsoknowthatthiskindofexpansionisusuallyapainfulprocess.Therefore,welingerinthestrugglebetweenthesenseofsecuritywhenwearedependentandthejoyandpainwhenwearepursuinggrowth.

JamesBugental(JamesBugental)

Inthebook"TheArtofPsychotherapists,"Bergentaldescribeslife-changingtreatments.Heseestreatmentasanexpeditionforthetherapistandtheclienttoexploretheclient’ssubjectiveworldtogether.Heemphasizedthatthiskindofexplorationmustbethehealerwhoiswillingtocomeintocontactwithhisownphenomenologicalworld.Hesaidthatthefocusoftreatmentistoassisttheclienttocheckhowtoanswerthequestionsinlifeandchallengethemtoreadjusttheseanswerssothattheycanbegintoliveafranklife.

IrvinYalom

IrvinYalomalsoadmitsthathisbusinessisinfluencedbyEuropeanandAmericanexistentialpsychologistsandpsychopathologists.Relyingonclinicalexperience,empiricalresearch,philosophy,andliterature,Yellendevelopedhisexistentialist-orientedtherapy,focusingonthefourissuesthathumansultimatelycareabout:death,freedom,lonelinessofexistence,andmeaninglessness.YeLun'sextensivetextbook,ExistentialPsychotherapy,isregardedasanunprecedentedachievement.YellenbelievesthatFrankisanexcellentpragmaticthinker,whohashadaconsiderableinfluenceonhiswritingsandpractice.Yellenbelievesthatmostexperiencedtherapists,regardlessoftheirtheoreticalorientation,adoptthethemeofexistencediscussedinhisbook.Hebelievesthattheabove-mentionedfourthemesconstitutethecoreofexistentialpsychologyandareinseparablefrompracticalwork.

Theoreticalbasis

1.Self-awareness

Thereasonwhyweareabletomakedecisionsandreactisbecausewehavetheabilitytobeself-aware.Thestrongertheabilitytoperceive,thegreaterthepossibilityoffreedom,becauseexpandingourabilitytoperceivecanenhanceourabilitytofullyexperiencelife.Thepropositionsweperceiveinclude:humanlifeislimited,wecannothaveunlimitedtimetocompleteeverythingwewanttodoinlife;wehavethepotentialtotakeactionornottoact;evenifwedonotact,itisadecision;becauseWechooseouractions,sowecancreatepartofourowndestiny;themeaningoflifeistheproductofoursearchandcreationintoauniquepurpose,anditdoesnotautomaticallyappear;basically,theanxietyofexistencecomesfromourfreeconsciousness,itisourAnimportantpartoflife;whenweincreaseourawarenessoffeasiblechoices,wealsoincreaseoursenseofresponsibilityfortheresultsofthechoices;itisdifficultforustoovercomeloneliness,meaninglessness,emptiness,guiltandloneliness;basically,everyApersonislonely,butwealsohaveopportunitiestobuildrelationshipswithothers.

2.FreedomandResponsibility

Thecorepointofexistentialisttheoryis:Althoughwedesirefreedom,weoftenfindwaystoescapeourfreedom.Althoughwecannotchoosewhethertocomeintothisworld,wecanchooseourownwayoflifeandwhowewanttobe.Becauseoftheexistenceofthisfreedom,wehavetotakeontheresponsibilityofguidingourlives.

Thetherapist’smaintasksaretwofold:oneistohelpclientsrealizehowtheyletothersmakedecisionsforthemselves;theotheristoencouragethemtograduallylearntomakechoicesforthemselves.

3.Establishasenseofself-identityandestablishmeaningfulinterpersonalrelationshipsforindividuals

Thetroubleformostofusoftenarisesinoureffortstoseekdirectionandanswersthroughimportantothersinourlives,Faithandvaluemoralityinthisprocess.Wedonottrustourselves,nordoweseekanswerstolifeconflictsfromourselves,butinsteadstrivetobethepersonotherswantustobe.Inthisway,ourlivesarerootedintheexpectationsofothers,andwewillbestrangerstoourselves.

Theexistentialtherapistmaybegintheprocessoftreatmentbyaskingtheclienttoreinforcetheirfeelings.Whenwelearntobeself-reliantandallowourselvestofullyappreciateourownpower,therelationshipwithotherscangiveusasenseofself-realization(notasenseoflack).However,ifwefeelthatwehavebeenneglected,thenourrelationshipwithotherswillonlybeaparasiticrelationship,withnootherpossibility.Perhapsthemainfunctionoftreatmentistohelptheclientdistinguishthedifferencebetweenneuroticdependenceandpositiveinterpersonalrelationships—bothpartiescangrowfromthisrelationship.

4.Seekmeaning,purpose,valueandgoal

Aproblemintreatmentisthattheclientneedstodiscardtheoriginal(imposed)values,butthereisnonewCanbereplaced.…Thetaskofthetreatmentprocessistohelptheclientcreateavaluesystemthatisconsistentwithhiswayofexistence.

Peopleareoftentrappedbytheemptinessoflife,sotheygiveuptryingtofindmeaningfortheirlives.Experiencingmeaninglessnessandestablishingvalues​​forone'sownmeaningfullifearethethemesthatcannotbeignoredinthetreatmentprocess.Thejobofthetherapistisnottotelltheclientwhatthemeaningoftheirlifeis,buttopointoutthattheycandiscoverthemeaningoflifeevenintimesofpain.However,themeaningoflifeisnotsomethingwecandirectlyfindandobtain.Theparadoxisthatthemorerationallywelookforit,themorelikelywearetomissit.

5.Anxietyisaconditionoflife.

Existentialanxietyistheinevitablesituationofpeoplefacing"existentproblems"-death,freedom,choice,lonelinessandmeaninglessnessresult.Existentialanxietymaybecomeastimulusforindividualgrowth.Manypeopleseekingtreatmenthopetofindawaytorelievetheiranxiety.However,openingupanewlifenecessarilymeansacceptingnewanxiety,soifwetrytoreduceanxiety,wemustpayahighpriceforit.

VanDeurzen(1991)believesthatthecoregoalofexistingprimarytherapyisnottohelppeopleliveamorecomfortableandrelaxedlife,buttoencouragevisitorstorecognizeanddealwiththerootcausesofanxietyandanxiety.Facingexistentialanxietyistoseelifeasajourneyfullofadventure,ratherthanlettingyourselfstaybehindasenseofsecuritythatseemstoprovidesecurity.

6.Perceivedeathandnon-existence

YeLun(2003)pointedoutthatthetherapistshoulddirectlyexplaintherealityofdeathtotheclient.Yaronbelievesthatthefearofdeathwilllurchandcausealifelongnegativeimpactonourlives.

Oneofthefocalpointsofexistentialtherapyistoexplorethedegreeofinvolvementoftheclientintheworktheyvalue....Thosewhofeardeathwillinevitablyfearlife.Whenweemotionallyaccepttherealitythatwewilleventuallyinevitablydie,wewillbecomemoreawareoftheimportanceofouractions,thechoicesweface,andourultimateresponsibility-todeterminethequalityofourlives.

TherapeuticTechniques

Mostexistentialtherapydoesnothaveawell-definedsetoftreatmenttechniqueslikeotherschools,sotheysometimescitetechniquesfromotherschools.ThemeaningtherapyschoolfoundedbyFrankdevelopedtwotherapeutictechniques.

Contradictoryintentionmethod

Forpatientswithanticipatoryanxiety,Franklproposedthecontradictoryintentionmethod,whichrequiresthepatienttodeliberatelyfearwhathefearsandreversethepatient'sattitude.Throughthemethodofcontradictoryintentions,thepartiescanobjectivelyobservetheirownanxiety,andcanavoidtheincreasinganxietycausedbytheuneasyexpectationsofanxiety,whichpresentsaviciouscircle.

TheLawofMinusandReflection

TheLawofMinusandReflectionisappliedtosolvetheexcessiveattentionandexcessivereflectionoftheparties.Introspectionisusuallysubconsciousandautomaticthinking.Excessiveintrospectionoftenhinderstheprogressofbehavior.Therefore,itisnecessarytorebuildthebeliefthatone'sbodyandmindaretrustworthythroughthemethodofreducingintrospection.Anotherfunctionofthemitigationmethodistohopethatthepersonconcernedcanturntheirattentiontothepositivesideoflifeandlookinthedirectionofthefuture,andavoidfocusingonthecurrentdilemma.

Treatmentstage

Clarification

Inthefirststage,thecounselorhelpstheclientfindandclarifytheirthoughtsabouttheworld.Askvisitorstospeakoutandquestionthewaytheyseeandunderstandtheirexistence.Thetherapistexaminesthereliabilityoftheirvalues,beliefs,andassumptions.Thistaskisdifficultformanyvisitors,becausetheyinitiallyregardtheproblemsascausedbyexternalcauses.Theymayfocusonhowothers"makethemfeel",orhowtheiractionsorinactionsareprimarilytheresponsibilityofothers

Theconsultanttaughtthemhowtoexaminetheirownexistenceandexaminetheirownroleincausingproblemsinlife.

Setgoalsforchange

Atthisstage,visitorsareencouragedtoexaminethesourceandauthorityoftheircurrentvaluesystemmorecomprehensively.Thisprocessofself-explorationusuallyleadstonewideas,andacertainreconstructionoftheirvalues​​andattitudes.Visitorswillbetterconsiderwhatkindoflifeisworthliving,andhaveaclearerunderstandingoftheirowninternalvalueprocesses.

Action

Inthefinalstageofexistentialtherapy,helptheclientputwhathehaslearnedabouthimselfintoaction.

Thegoaloftreatmentistoallowtheclienttofindawaytoimplementthevaluetheyhaveexaminedandinternalizedinaspecificway.Visiting

peopleusuallydiscovertheirstrengthsandfindwaystousethemtohelpthemliveapurposefullife.

Contributions

1.Emphasizestheautonomy,dignityandvalueofpeople,unlikethepsychoanalyticschool,whichtreatspeopleaspatientsandisdominatedbythesubconscious;itisalsonotlikebehaviorismwhothinksofpeople.Itcanbeshapedintoanyshapethroughrestriction.

2.Provideacompletephilosophicalfoundationforpsychotherapy.Existentialtherapybringsthetherapistalotofthinkingaboutinnerbeliefs:Whatisthenatureofhumanbeings?Isitpossibleforhumanbehaviortochange?Whomakesthedecision?Thehealerortheclient?Whatisthenatureoffreedom?Canpeopledecidefreely?Isthehealervalue-neutralorvalue-oriented?Howshouldwedealwithvalueissues?

3.Payattentiontotheindividualsituationofthepartiesconcerned,anduseconsultationtechniquesflexibly,insteadofmechanization.

4.Meaningtherapyisapplicabletothefollowingfields:patientswithpsychosis.Theuniquepsychologicaldistressofpsychosisisoftentransferredtothespirituallevel.Meaningfultreatmentneedstodealwiththeabilityofthesepatientstodiscussloftygoals.Thepersoninvolvedhasanirresistiblefate,suchasdisability,terminalillness,orlong-termsicknessinbed.

5.Inthestructureofmodernindustrialandcommercialsociety,manypeoplefeelempty,alienated,indifferent,andmeaningless.Existentialtherapyattachesimportancetohumanproblemsandissuitableformodernpeople.

Limitations

1.Themostcriticalpartoftheexistenceoftherapyisthatitlacksasystematicstatementofprinciplesandpsychotherapypractices;inaddition,itisoftenCriticismlacksrigorousmethods.

Existentialisttherapyoftenusesvagueandgeneraltermssuchasself-actualization,knowingdialogue,sincerity,andbeingintheworldtodescribeone'sowntreatmentstyle.Thelackofclarityisoftenconfusing,anditalsomakesitdifficulttoguideresearchontheexistenceoftreatmentprocessesandresults.