Chapter 6-Existential Therapy
Introduction
Existential therapy is more a way of thinking than any particular style of practicing psychotherapy. It is neither an independent nor separate school of therapy, nor is it a neatly defined model with specific techniques. Existential therapy can best be described as a philosophical approach that influences a counsellor’s therapeutic practice. This approach is grounded on the assumption that we are free and therefore responsible for our choices and actions. The existential approach rejects the deterministic view of human nature espoused by orthodox psychoanalysis and radical behaviourism. Psychoanalysis sees freedom as restricted by unconscious forces, irrational drives and past events. Existential therapists acknowledge some of these facts about the human situation but emphasize our freedom to choose what to make of our circumstances.
A major aim of therapy is to encourage clients to reflect on life, to recognize their range of alternatives, and to decide among them. Once clients begin the process of recognizing the ways in which they have passively accepted circumstances and surrendered control, they can start on a path of consciously shaping their own lives.
One of the aims of existential therapy is to challenge people to stop deceiving themselves regarding their lack of responsibility for what is happening to them and their excessive demands on life. In existential therapy, attention is given to the clients’ immediate, ongoing experience with the aim of helping develop a greater presence in their quest for meaning and purpose. The therapists’ basic task is to encourage clients to explore their options for creating a meaningful existence.
Historical Background
The existential therapy movement was not founded by any particular person or group. Many streams of thought contributed to it. Drawing from a major orientation