EXISTENTIAL THERAPY Flashcards
is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on personal freedom,
responsibility, and the search for meaning in life.
Existential therapy
He believed that unless we do not directly confront issues of choice and freedom, we cannot experience the task of becoming human.
soren kierkegaard
the “grandfather” of existentialism
He urged that individuals who allow themselves to develop their “will to power” are
creative and dynamic, achieving positions of leadership.
Friedrich Wilhelm
Nietzsche
His focused is all about the themes like anxiety, freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning in life.
ROLLO MAY
He is one of the most well-known contemporary practitioners of existential therapy.
He developed a therapeutic approach that emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship, helping individuals explore
their deepest concerns in the face of existential givens.
Irvin D. Yalom
He associated with logotherapy (which he founded), a
form of existential psychotherapy, his work has
significantly influenced existential therapy more broadly.
Viktor Frankl
He wasn’t directly a therapist, his existential
philosophy deeply influenced existential therapy
Jean-Paul Sartre
He is a psychiatrist and an important figure in existential psychotherapy, particularly in terms of integrating existential philosophy with a phenomenological approach.
Medard Boss
He is a philosopher and not a therapist, his existential philosophy has had a profound influence on existential therapy
His existential analysis of human existence, especially his exploration of death, anxiety, and the concept of authenticity, is central to existential therapy.
Martin Heidegger
FOUR TYPES OF EXISTENTIAL THERAPY
LOGOTHERAPY
DASEINANALYSIS
EXISTENTIAL HUMANISTIC THERAPY
EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL THERAPY
It emphasizes the search for meaning
and purpose as the primary driving force
in human existence.
LOGOTHERAPY
is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on
understanding human existence and the
individual’s experience of being-in-the-world.
DASEINANALYSIS
Emphasizes individual freedom, choice, and
responsibility. Recognizes the inherent
uncertainty and ambiguity of life.
EXISTENTIAL HUMANISTIC THERAPY
Focuses on the subjective experience and the
meaning individuals give to their experiences.
EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL THERAPY
FIVE KEY IDEAS OF EXISTENTIAL THERAPY
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
SEARCH FOR MEANING
DEATH AND ANXIETY
AUTHENTICITY
ISOLATION AND CONNECTION
Existential Therapy emphasizes that individuals have the
freedom to choose their own actions, values, and goals
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
Therapy posits that life has no inherent meaning; instead, individuals must create their own meaning
(Frankl, 1946).
SEARCH FOR MEANING
Existential Therapy posits that the awareness of one’s own mortality is a fundamental aspect of human existence (Heidegger, 1927)
DEATH AND ANXIETY
involves being honest with oneself and others,
acknowledging one’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences (Heidegger, 1927)
AUTHENTICITY
Humans are born alone and will die alone, making isolation an inherent aspect of human existence (Yalom, 1980).
ISOLATION AND CONNECTION
EXISTENTIAL THERAPY TECHNIQUES
Open Interactive dialogue
Mindfullness
Philosopical questioning
Treating all experiences as equal
Avoiding labels
Creativity and Exploration
Embracing change
Contextualizing choices
focusing on non-judgemental, two-way
communication with honesty and trust.
Open Interactive dialogue-
- being present in the here and now rather than stagnating in the
past or obsessing about the future.
Mindfullness
- asking questions about the larger meaning of life
and sharing your belief on what the meaning of life is.
Philosopical questioning
