Module 5: Existential recognizing and dealing with power, accepting

Therapy freedom and responsibility, and discovering

VIKTOR FRANKL one’s identity

- was a prisoner in the Nazi concentration - psychotherapy concerned with the problems

camps of being rather than with problem solving

- love and enthusiasm for life IRVIN YALOM

- Man’s Search for Meaning book - Early in his life he decided that writing a novel

- “the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s was the very finest thing a person could do

attitude in any given set of circumstances, to - The Theory and Practice of Group

choose one’s own way” Psychotherapy

- concepts of freedom, responsibility, meaning, - four “givens of existence”; freedom and

and the search for values. responsibility, existential isolation,

- developed logotherapy; “therapy through meaninglessness, and death.

meaning.” - different therapy must be designed for each

ROLLO MAY client because each has a unique story.

- struggled with his own existential concerns - here and now of the therapeutic relationship

- studied the works of Søren Kierkegaard - basic philosophy is existential and

- Books: The Meaning of Anxiety & Love and interpersonal

- philosophical approach that grows out of this honest appraisal of their

- focuses on exploring mortality, meaning, life’s purpose.

freedom, responsibility, anxiety, and aloneness Historical Background in

- assumption that we are free and therefore Philosophy and Existentialism

responsible for our choices and actions. - 1940s and 1950s

Goal of existential therapy is to assist clients in - existential issues including feelings of isolation,

their exploration of the existential “givens of alienation, and meaninglessness

life,” (reflect on life, to recognize their range of Early writers focused on the individual’s

alternatives, and to decide among them) experience of being alone in the world and
facing
Basic existential premise is that we are not
the anxiety of this situation.
victims of circumstance because, we are what
PROPOSITION 1: THE CAPACITY FOR
SELF-AWARENESS
we choose to be. Freedom, choice, and responsibility constitute
the foundation of self-awareness
First step in the therapeutic journey is for clients
Greater awareness = Greater possibilities for
freedom
to accept responsibility. Awareness is realizing that:
• We are finite and do not have unlimited
time
As Yalom (2003) puts it, “Once individuals • We have potential to act or not to act
• We choose our actions
recognize their role in creating their own life • Meaning is the product of discovering
how we are “thrown” in the world
• Increase our awareness of the choices
predicament, they also realize that they, and available to us, also increase our sense of
responsibility for the consequences of
these choices.
only they, have the power to change that • We are subject to loneliness,
meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt, and
situation” isolation.
• We are basically alone, yet we have an
opportunity to relate to other beings.
Aim of existential therapy is to invite clients to Self-awareness is at the root of most other
human capacities, the decision to expand it is
fundamental to human growth.
Increasing self-awareness is an aim of all Although our freedom to act is limited by
counseling external reality, our freedom to be relates to our
PROPOSITION 2: FREEDOM AND internal reality
RESPONSIBILITY
People are free to choose among alternatives; PROPOSITION 3: STRIVING FOR
shaping their own destiny IDENTITY AND RELATIONSHIP TO
Schneider and Krug (2010) write that existential OTHERS
therapy embraces three values: (1) the freedom Each of us would like to discover a self or, to put
to become within the context of natural and self- it more authentically, to create our personal
imposed limitations; (2) the capacity to reflect on identity
the meaning of our choices; and (3) the capacity As relational beings, we also strive for
to act on the choices we make connectedness with others.
A central existential concept is that although we The trouble is that our being becomes rooted in
long for freedom we often try to escape from our their expectations, and we become strangers to
freedom by defining ourselves as a fixed or ourselves.
static The Courage to Be: Paul Tillich (1886–1965)
entity (Russell, 2007) Believed awareness of our finite nature gives us
Inauthenticity an appreciation of ultimate concerns
- not accepting personal responsibility (Jean- Takes courage to discover the true “ground of
Paul our being” and to use its power to transcend
Sartre) those aspects of nonbeing that would destroy us
- eg. “Since that’s the way I’m made, I couldn’t Courage entails the will to move forward in spite
help what I did” of anxiety-producing situations, such as facing
- assuming that our existence is largely our death (May, 1975)
controlled by external forces. By assisting clients in facing the fear that their
Freedom lives or selves are empty and meaningless,
- we are responsible for our lives, for our therapists can help clients to create a self that
actions, has meaning and substance that they have
and for our failures to take action chosen
- Sartre’s; a commitment to choosing for Accept the ways in which they (clients) have
ourselves lived
Existential guilt outside themselves and to explore ways in
- is being aware of having evaded a which
commitment, they are out of contact with themselves
or having chosen not to choose, allowing others The Experience of Aloneness
to define us or to make our choices for us The existentialists postulate that part of the
Authenticity human condition is the experience of aloneness.
- we are living by being true to our own We can derive strength from the experience of
evaluation of what is a valuable existence for looking to ourselves and sensing our separation.
ourselves; it is the courage to be who we are The sense of isolation comes when we
One of the aims of existential therapy is to help recognize
people face up to the difficulties of life with that we cannot depend on anyone else, we
courage rather than avoiding life’s struggles alone
(Deurzen & Adams, 2011). must give a sense of meaning to life, and must
For existentialists, freedom and responsibility go decide how we will live.
hand in hand. Before we can have any solid relationship with
Frankl (1978) We are not free from conditions, another, we must have a relationship with
but we are free to take a stand against these ourselves
restrictions We have to be able to stand alone before we
Cultural factors need to be taken into account in can
assisting clients in the process of examining truly stand beside another
their The Experience of Relatedness
choices We humans depend on relationships with
Encourage individuals to weigh the alternatives others.
and to explore the consequences of what they Perhaps one of the functions of therapy is to
are doing with their lives help
clients distinguish between a neurotically Existential anxiety - the unavoidable result of
dependent attachment to another being confronted with the “givens of
Existential therapists speak of intersubjectivity, existence”—death, freedom, choice, isolation,
which is the fact of our interrelatedness with and meaninglessness; arises as we recognize
others and the need for us to struggle with this the
in a creative way realities of our mortality, our confrontation with
Struggling With Our Identity pain and suffering, our need to struggle for
Some of us get caught up in ritualistic behavior survival, and our basic fallibility
patterns that cement us to an image or identity Anxiety can be a signal that we are ready for
we acquired in early childhood. We become personal change and can be a stimulus for
trapped in a doing mode to avoid the experience growth.
of being Normal anxiety is an appropriate response to an
Existential therapists confront clients with the event being faced; an invitation to freedom,
reality that they alone must find their own does not have to be repressed, and it can be a
answers. powerful motivational force toward change and
PROPOSITION 4: THE SEARCH FOR growth
MEANING “Anxiety is a teacher, not an obstacle or
A distinctly human characteristic is the struggle something to be removed or avoided” (Deurzen
for a sense of significance and purpose in life & Adams, 2011, p. 24).
Existential therapy can provide the conceptual Neurotic anxiety - Failure to move through
framework for helping clients challenge the anxiety; anxiety about concrete things that is out
meaning in their lives of proportion to the situation—typically out of
The Problem of Discarding Old Values awareness, and it tends to immobilize the
One of the problems in therapy is that clients person
may discard traditional (and imposed) values Deurzen (2012) believes that existential anxiety
without creating other, suitable ones to replace is part of living with awareness and being fully
them alive
Facing existential anxiety involves viewing life as
The therapist’s job is to trust in the capacity of an adventure rather than hiding behind
clients to eventually create an internally derived imagined securities that seem to offer
value system that provides the foundation for a protection.
meaningful life Opening up to new life means opening up to
Meaninglessness anxiety
According to Frankl (1963), the central human When a client becomes more self-confident, the
concern is to discover meaning that will give anxiety that results from an expectation of
one’s life direction catastrophe is likely to decrease.
Lack of meaning is the major source of PROPOSITION 6: AWARENESS OF DEATH
existential AND NONBEING
stress and anxiety in modern times The existentialist does not view death negatively
Existential neurosis - as the experience of but holds that awareness of death as a basic
meaninglessness; Frankl believes that such a human condition gives significance to living
feeling of meaninglessness is the major A distinguishing human characteristic is the
existential neurosis of modern life ability to grasp the reality of the future and the
Existential vacuum (Frankl) - Meaninglessness inevitability of death
in Death should not be considered a threat; death
life can lead to emptiness and hollowness provides the motivation for us to take advantage
Creating New Meaning of appreciating the present moment
Logotherapy is designed to help clients find “Life is a taskmaster, while death is a master
meaning in life. teacher
The therapist’s function is to point out that they
can create meaning even in suffering
People who confront pain, guilt, despair, and Our awareness of death is the source of zest for
death can effectively deal with their despair and life and creativity
thus triumph. (Frankl) Death and life are interdependent, and though
PROPOSITION 5: ANXIETY AS A physical death destroys us, the idea of death
CONDITION OF LIVING saves us (Yalom, 1980, 2003).
Yalom (2008) believes the fear of death with understanding the subjective world of
percolates beneath the surface and haunts us clients to help them come to new
throughout life understandings and options
Accepting the reality of our personal death can Therapists with an existential orientation usually
result in a major shift in the way we live in the deal with people who have what could be called
world a restricted existence—clients have a limited
We can turn our fear of death into a positive awareness of themselves and are often vague
force when we accept the reality of our mortality about the nature of their problems they tend to
Yalom (2008) develops the idea that confronting feel trapped, helpless, and stuck
death enables us to live in a more Existential practitioners may make use of
compassionate techniques that originate from diverse
way theoretical orientations, yet no set of techniques
One focus in existential therapy is on exploring is considered essential
the degree to which clients are doing the things The therapeutic journey is creative and
they value uncertain and different for each client
Those who fear death also fear life “There is no one right way to do therapy, and
The Therapeutic Process certainly no rigid doctrine for existentially rooted
THERAPEUTIC GOALS techniques. What is crucial is that you create
Existential therapy is best considered as an
invitation to clients to recognize ways in which your own authentic way of being attuned to your
they are not living fully authentic lives to make clients”
choices that will lead to what they are capable of CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
being Effective therapy does not stop with this
An aim of therapy is to assist clients in moving awareness itself, for the therapist encourages
toward authenticity and learning to recognize clients to take action on the basis of the insights
when they are deceiving themselves they develop through the therapeutic process
The existential orientation holds that there is no Experimentation with new ways of behaving in
escape from freedom as we will always be held the outside world
responsible Clients must be active in the therapeutic
Existential therapy aims at helping clients face process;
anxiety and engage in action that is based on they must decide what fears, guilt feelings, and
the anxieties they will explore
authentic purpose of creating a worthy existence Another aspect of the experience of being a
May (1981); people come to therapy with the client in existential therapy is confronting
self-serving illusion that they are inwardly ultimate concerns rather than coping with
enslaved and that someone else (the therapist) immediate problems
can free them. Existential therapy is aimed toward removing
The task of existential therapy is to teach clients roadblocks to meaningful living and helping
to listen to what they already know about clients assume responsibility for their actions
themselves, even though they may not be Existential therapists assist people in facing life
attending to what they know. with courage, hope, and a willingness to find
Schneider and Krug (2010) identify four meaning in life
essential aims of existential humanistic RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST
therapy: (1) to help clients become more AND CLIENT
present to both themselves and others; (2) to Existential therapists give central prominence to
assist clients in identifying ways they block their relationship with the client; quality of this
themselves from fuller presence; (3) to person-to person encounter in the therapeutic
challenge situation is the stimulus for positive change.
clients to assume responsibility for designing Therapy is viewed as a social microcosm in the
their present lives; and (4) to encourage clients sense that the interpersonal and existential
to choose more expanded ways of being in their problems of the client will become apparent in
daily lives. the here and now of the therapy relationship
Increased awareness is the central goal of Therapy is a journey taken by therapist and
existential therapy client
THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE that delves deeply into the world as perceived
Existential therapists are primarily concerned and experienced by the client.
Existential therapy is a voyage into self- Clients are assisted in more fully examining the
discovery source and authority of their present value
and a journey of life discovery for both client and system
therapist Process of self-exploration; leads to new
The core of the therapeutic relationship is insights
respect, and clients potential to cope and some restructuring of values and attitudes
Existential therapists share their reactions to The final phase
clients with genuine concern and empathy as Helping people take what they are learning
one way of deepening the therapeutic about themselves and put it into action
relationship. The aim of therapy is to enable clients to
Therapists invite clients to grow by modeling discover ways of implementing their examined
authentic behavior and internalized values in a concrete way
Schneider (2011) believes that the therapist’s between sessions and after therapy has
presence is both a condition and a goal of terminated.
therapeutic change. Presence serves the dual Clients typically discover their strengths and find
functions of reconnecting people to their pain ways to put them to the service of living a
and to attuning them to the opportunities to purposeful existence.
transform their pain. CLIENTS APPROPRIATE FOR
Application: Therapeutic EXISTENTIAL COUNSELING
Techniques and Procedures Existential practice has been applied in a variety
The existential approach is unlike most other of settings and with a diverse population of
therapies in that it is not technique oriented clients
The interventions existential practitioners Strength of the perspective is its focus on
employ are based on philosophical views about available choices and pathways toward personal
the nature of human existence. growth.
It is not theories and techniques that heal but the Deurzen (2002) suggests that this form of
encounter that occurs between client and therapy is most appropriate for clients who are
therapist as they work together committed to dealing with their problems about
A primary ground rule of existential work is the living, for people who feel alienated from the
openness to the individual creativity of the current expectations of society, or for those who
therapist and the client are searching for meaning in their lives.
Deurzen (2012) believes that the starting point It tends to work well with people who are at a
for existential work is for practitioners to clarify crossroads and who question the state of affairs
their views on life and living in the world and are willing to challenge the
The nature of existential work is assisting people status quo.
in the process of living with greater expertise It can be useful for people who are on the edge
and of existence.
ease APPLICATION TO BRIEF THERAPY
Existential therapy is a collaborative adventure It is possible for a time-limited approach to serve
in which both client and therapist will be as a catalyst for clients to become actively and
transformed if they allow themselves to be fully involved in each of their therapy sessions.
touched by life Sharp and Bugental (2001) maintain that short
PHASES OF EXISTENTIAL COUNSELING term applications of the existential approach
During initial phase require more structuring and clearly defined and
Therapists assist clients in identifying and less ambitious goals
clarifying their assumptions about the world It is essential that both therapist and client
determine that short-term work is appropriate,
Clients are invited to define and question the and that beneficial outcomes are likely
ways in which they perceive and make sense of APPLICATION TO GROUP COUNSELING
their existence; examine their values, beliefs, An existential group can be described as people
and assumptions making a commitment to a lifelong journey of
They may focus on what other people “make self-exploration with these goals: (1) enabling
them feel”; counselor teaches them how to members to become honest with themselves (2)
reflect on their own existence and to examine widening their perspectives on themselves and
their role in creating their problems in living the world around them (3) clarifying what gives
During middle phase meaning to their present and future life
The heart of the work in an existential group is
reducing avoidance of universal existential
concerns because not addressing these themes
diminishes one’s engagement with life.
The existential group provides the optimal
conditions for therapeutic work on responsibility
A group represents a microcosm of the world in
which participants live and function
Over time the interpersonal and existential
problems of the participants become evident in
the here-and-now interactions within the group
Clients learn that there are no ultimate answers
for ultimate concerns.
The group becomes a place where people can
be
together in deeply meaningful ways