Experiential Therapy
Theory Foundation
■ Purpose of therapy is to challenge people to find meaning and purpose through suffering,
work and love
■ It takes courage to BE
o Our choices determine the kind of person we are
o We are in constant struggle with
● Our want to grow toward maturity and independence
● Realizing expansion and growth is often a painful process
● Struggling between security and dependence and delights and pain of growth
■ Phenomenological approach
o People’s perceptions or subjective realities are considered to be valid data for investigation
o Phenomenological discrepancies
● Two people perceiving the same situation differently
■ Non-Deterministic approach
o Existentialist argue that it is an oversimplification to view people as controlled by fixed physical laws
o Encouragement of theories that consider individual initiative, creativity, and self fulfillment
o Focus on active, positive aspects of human growth
■ I-Though dialogue vs. I-It Dialogue
o I-though
● human confirms the other person as being of unique valued
● Direct mutual relationship
o I-it
● Person uses others but does not value them for themselves
● Utilitarian
o Self disclosing of therapist emotional response to client’s demonstration of valuing of client’s feelings and perspective.
