Existential Therapy Flashcards
What is the goal of existentialism?
We strive to seek a balance between:
- the limits & tragic dimensions of human existence
- AND the possibilities and human opportunities of life
Each of us has the capacity for:
self-awareness, driven by freedom, responsibility, and choice
How can we become more self-aware?
- Spend time creating our own identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others
- Engage in a search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals
- Recognize that anixety is the condition of living
- Have an awareness of death and non-being
What is the therapist’s goal with a client in existential therapy?
We help our client recognize the choices he/she makes, which ultimately will lead to the client becoming their authentic selves.
What is angst?
Anxiety that is produced by the givens of our existence. (ex: death, freedom, choice, isolation, meaninglessness)
How does angst play a role in the way one thinks?
Regretting choices we’ve made is or not working through our problems is where angst arises.
Why are freedom, responsibility, and choice so important for us to recognize?
The existential human belief is that we use these three concepts to responsibly take accountability for the choices we make, and how these choices can affect our lives and encourage change.
Why should we live authentically?
When we live authentically, our anxiety and fear of death decreases. We strive to be fully self-aware, fully-authentic, and our best sense of self.
In existentialism, what is the mistaken belief that clients who come to therapy hold?
They believe that the therapist will “free” them from their problems. In actuality, it’s the client who “frees” themselves; the therapist is merely the facilitator.
