Existential psychotherapy is a theory on individual psychology which concentrates on freedom and responsibility and highlights the role of responsibility and free choice in one’s life. Thus it involves looking human conditions that elevate potential of humanity. In this essay, we will examine the major concepts and strengths of existential psychotherapy while highlighting the advantages of the theory.
The Existential Psychotherapy. Existential Psychotherapy asks deep questions about the nature of human beings and the nature of anxiety, despair, isolation, loneliness and grief. It deals with the central questions of love and creativity. Its basic concepts include: the I-Am experience, normal & neurotic anxiety, guilt and guilt feelings and the three forms of world (Existential psychotherapy — a General Overview).
The “˜I-Am’ experience. This is the realization of one’s being, choosing one’s own being and experiencing it. The deeper and more discerning therapy is explained by the existential therapy and explain the morbid effects of repression of “˜being’. This type of therapy explains that anxiety arises from the need to survive and preserve our living to assert our being. Anxiety shows by the beating of the heart, high blood pressure and apprehension sense while stressing that anxiety is more basic than fear. Guilt experience has also the existential therapy. Guilt can take two forms of neurotic and normal guilt. Guilt can arise out of fantasized transgressions and also sensitize us our behavioral ethical aspects. The other basic concept is the being-in-the-world. We need to describe the world we live in not just by explaining the environment alone. The world here is the meaningful structure in which we exist and participate including the past which molds and reforms one (Existential Therapy. Existential therapy technique & guide).
The advantages of existential therapy. This type of therapy tries to rest individuals’ ultimate concerns about: death, meaninglessness isolation and freedom. It is therefore suitable to those who want to increase self awareness and take control of their lives to make positive changes. It also addresses family and relationship matters while the existential treatments are useful in treating anxiety which is a mental disorder. It is also used to treat depression and address a patient’s underlying cause of disease (Existential Therapy. Existential therapy technique & guide).
Conclusion
Although a new concept and not supported by many, existential therapy deals with cognitive and behavioral in man. It gets the patient to focus on the present as well as the future and aims at individuals improving their choices about freedom and self-knowledge. Thus helping people to accept who they are and be the beings they are, human beings.