Experiential Therapy

Experiential Therapy

Theory Foundation

■ Modern person has means to live but often has no meaning to live for- this is the malady of our times, meaninglessness or existential vacuum
■ 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.