“…it is he who is dead and not I.”
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is a powerful exploration of mortality. Through the story of Ivan Ilyich, a successful and respected lawyer, Tolstoy portrays the tragedy of a life lived without acknowledging the certainty of one’s own death. Instead, as articulated in the quote, denial is a staunch ally in the process: others die, not me.
Questions endure about the origin or meaning of dreams, from unconscious, repressed desires and archetypal symbols of the collective unconscious to modern theories about memory consolidation, emotional processing, and problem-solving. Regardless, dreams are one thing most surely: an opportunity. Take it!
Existential-Humanistic therapy draws its way of working with dreams from its humanistic heritage. Notably, it approaches dreamwork with the same emphasis on presence and experience as therapy. Furthermore, it avoids one-sized fits all dream interpretations.
Existential-Humanistic therapy is relational and experiential. Care is a critical therapy component: letting our clients matter to and influence us.
In many cases, caring is pretty straightforward. We love our clients. Unconditional positive regard is easy. The only risk is maybe what we do with that affection. Alternatively, we might genuinely dislike our clients. That’s hard. Can we show care by simply…
Existential-Humanistic therapy is experiential and relational. Transparency stands as a central issue for both.
For the client, openness and honesty are the ground for healing and growth. Closedness and self-deception ensure the status quo. However, when basked in presence, transparency leads to revelation. The process of transparency is therefore worth reinforcing and encouraging with sensitivity.
Existential-Humanistic therapy (E-H) is relational and experiential. Safety, transparency, and collaboration work in concert, defining the therapeutic relationship. Safety includes several different components. It also means different things to different clients, though basics arguably apply universally.
Concerning safety, an emphasis on acceptance arguably differentiates E-H from other therapeutic modalities. Acceptance means first openness and suspension of judgment.
Existential-Humanistic theory holds that the self of the client relies on protective layers. A diagram of those layers includes the following:
Both primary and secondary process matter in therapy. However, historically, psychotherapy privileged interpretation to enlivening experience. That can be challenging. For instance, it’s easy to “talk about” something and, in so doing, fail to discover, learn, integrate, heal, and grow.
E-H therapy is more a journey of exploration than a classroom or doctor’s office. The journey depends on a different, less hierarchical relationship. Of course, the therapist has a role, specific skills, and expertise. However, the relationship is one of collaboration, co-creation. The therapist and client are more “fellow travelers.”
The standard interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan is about having compassion and charity for those in need, without expectation of reward. But what if we think about it slightly differently?
The Chinese finger trap is a good illustration of the law of reverse effect: try something and get the opposite. The framework is helpful to remember when working with psychological protections (i.e., “spacesuits”). When we push or confront, we may get resistance.
Working with “spacesuits” is part of the art of therapy. Still, there are points to keep in mind.
“Houston, I feel a lot of water on the back of my head.” Instructed to return forty-five minutes into a maintenance repair spacewalk on the International Space Station, astronaut Luca
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” The legendary words are rather trite today. Their perceptiveness drained with time and abuse. Nonetheless, pain, suffering, and death do
E-H Therapy theory holds that four existential givens (also called paradoxical polarities) pervade The Cosmological Dimension of the Therapeutic Encounter. The third polarity is wishing to be connected but being irrevocably separate.
This problem shows the power of a mental set, an unconscious predisposition to approach a problem in a particular way based on experience and habit. A mental set exemplifies the limitations experience puts on choice. However, the past is simply one of several limitations placed on our freedom.
A picture is worth a thousand words. At Eternity’s Gate by Vincent van Gogh conveys the overwhelming weight of grief. However, the title brings home the meaning of the work
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