Existential Therapy Flashcards
existential psychotherapy is not a formal ______ of psychotherapy
school
existential psychotherapy represents a way of _________ about the ______ ________
thinking; human experience
who said these things about existential psychotherapy in the 19th century?
anxiety and guilt are a part of what it means to be human
dehumanized by technology
Nietzsche
who coined the term existentialism/what does it mean to be a person in the 20th century?
Jean Paul Sartre
existence precedes ________; what does this mean?
essence; meaning and choice, blank slates that we decide what to do
we are meaning-_____ people in a meaning____ world
making; less
when was the first book published on existential psychotherpy?
1980
why do existential psychotherapists not say they are so?
categorizing themselves as existentialists goes against the belief of rejection of categorization/putting boundaries on people
key of existentialism: emphasis on the …
individual and their responsibility and freedom to make their own meaning
understanding psychological distress arises from a confrontation with …
our existence
who is responsible for who we are and what we become?
we are!
Gestalt is a form of _____________ psychotherapy
existential
what is a natural feeling when confronting your mortality?
anxiety
living authentically means…
internal world is consistent with outside world and making intentional choices
central conflict
between the individual and the ultimate concerns of existence
psychoanalytic theory of defenses vs. existential psychotherapy theory of defenses
PA:
drive - anxiety - defenses
E:
ultimate concerns - anxiety - defenses
are psychoanalytic and existentialism defenses the same?
no! may be same words but different definitions or vice versa
4 ultimate concerns of existential psychotherapy
freedom
isolation
meaning
death
freedom in existential psychotherapy
ultimate freedom to make choices, requires the individual to confront their own destiny
existence precedes essence
confronting own destiny means seeing the …
patterns and limits of givens in life
given meaning existential psychotherapy
things we can’t change, but can chose how we react to it
similar to circumstance in PPT
what two things does freedom require?
responsibility and will (intentionality)
living without taking responsibility is to live in ___ _____
bad faith
willing is the process from _______ to ________
wishing; deciding/acting by making a choice
failures of willing give rise to pathology: (three things)
impulsivity
compulsivity
decisional panic
impulsivity
inability to be aware of wished and desires
unconscious choices, acting without intention
compulsivity
inability to reconcile/getting stuck in between unconscious wishes and desires
want one thing but thinking of something else
decisional panic
aware of wishes but can’t decide
want multiple things and can’t have all of them
similarities between compulsivity and decisional panic?
prevents intentional decisions
unable to make choice, comes from different places
3 forms of isolation
interpersonal
intrapersonal
existential
interpersonal isolation
no matter how close we get, I won’t share consciousness with others and vice versa
intrapersonal isolation
isolation from self, conscious being isolated from everything I am aware of
job is to bring as much awareness as possible
existential isolation
inherit aloneness in universe, just is
isolation requires balance between…
wish for contact and knowledge of aloneness
defenses against isolation
crave witness
- use of others to be witness to us to be seen and less isolated
- social media (likes and shares) are a great example
fusion
- avoid personal growth and adopt to others
- latching onto another person/their authentic living
- “can’t live without you”
what was the example of the 4 ultimate concerns used in class?
the married at first sight couple!
defending against meaninglessness
making excuses
not having meaning/running on autopilot, what you are “supposed” to do
give up choice to culture/society around us rather than deciding for ourselves
what is the ultimate existential concern and core inner conflict
death
denial-based defenses for death
specialness
- irrational/unconscious, we are immortal or the laws of biology do not apply to you
- ex. smokers do not think they will get lung cancer
- become preoccupied with prepping for the future (ex. saving money they will never get to spend)
ultimate rescuer
- belief in god/higher power
- feeling like someone is watching out for them/guarding welfare
fellow travelers
therapist and client are both traveling through life doing the same work, showing that the therapist also has their own dealing with the ultimate concerns
goals of therapy
understand
- making unconscious conscious
identify
- identify defense mechanisms
discover
- discover their destructive influence
develop
- develop other ways of coping
life cannot be lived without …
anxiety
is the goal of existential psychotherapy to get rid of anxiety?
no! goal is to find tolerable level of anxiety and live with the ultimate concerns
existential psychotherapy has an emphasis on the ___, rather than psychoanalysis with an emphasis on the ____
now; past
is existentialism a comprehensive system of techniques?
no!
existentialism is a _________ to understand suffering
framework
techniques for addressing freedom
point out instances in the moment
correct “can’t” to “won’t”
- making patient take responsibility for choices
inquire about patients role
- get them to realize we have more freedom than we think we do
encourage ownership
ways to navigate failures of willing in addressing freedom
correct inability to wish
- help identify what patient wants
reduce impulsivity
help patients decide
alternatives exclude definition
no way to get everything!
learn to tolerate uncertainty
review annie’s existential psychotherapy sessions!
got it
addressing meaning
help
- help patient focus on values beyond themselves/find meanings and values
develop
- develop curiosity and concern for others
remove
- remove obstacles to whole-hearted engagement (activities they chose because they find it meaningful, like in PERMA model in PPT)
addressing death
awakening experience
- forcing existential confrontation, like a near death experience or loss of loved one
examine regret
- be honest and take responsibility for regrets
choice towards a “lived life”
- how to live forward, built life we “lived”/built meaning and lived willingly
addressing isolation
balance isolation and support
- no one person can be all things, accept we are always isolated in some way
reciprocity and mutuality
- find this in relationships
authenticity
- therapist demonstrates this to client
alone together
- like COVID, we have limits to isolate but can do it with others
mechanisms for psychotherapy: existentialism
empathy
- help counteract avoidance, bring forward wishes and examine regret
here-and-now
- a lot of checking in in the moment
- reciprocity
fellow traveler
why is existentialism hard to quantify?
we are not focused on a decrease in symptoms
cultural considerations for existentialism
- ultimate concerns transcend culture
- culture influences defenses
- culture creates meaning for us - therapist must acknowledge and adapt
- be open and consider the patients side while staying authentic
culture definition in relation to existentialism
meaning which people create, creates people
