The Humanist Existential-Experiential Approach
Besides Freud's therapy of treating mental illness, there are many other kinds of therapies. One of them is the humanist-existential-experiential approach. How does it work? Who developed it?
Because human beings are so complex there have been a lot of philosophies and perspectives which tried to explain their essence and their behavior. One of these approaches comes from the general humanist movement with the difference that it specialized in one particular domain: psychology.
Psychologists from this current consider human beings as persons who are good or neutral in their essence. They say that the mental disease appears only when the life conditions are altered.
Starting from this premise, the humanists developed a series of therapies which focus on different problematic aspects. The most famous therapy is the Rogersian one, also called the non-directive therapy or the therapy centered on the client. The Psychodrama is a procedure developed by Moreno which says that the positive essence of the human nature lies in spontaneity and when it is blocked, the psychopathology appears. The Gestalt therapy, developed by Pear says that the psychological problems are the result of an "unclosed gestalt". Other such methods include the Logotherapy, the Transactional Analysis, the positive Psychotherapy and the Eriksonian approach.
Furthermore, the Rogersian Therapy is still used by many psychologists in this orientation and the guiding theory of the procedure is the following: a person fully develops his/her personality and entire potential through actualization. This process eventually would lead to the real self. The mental illness appears when the society interferes and obstructs the attaining of the full potential. This happens when the worth of the person is conditioned. Because one has to act in a certain way, expressing some emotions and repressing others, that person stops being her real self and develops an ideal self. Neurotic symptoms appear when there is a big precipice between these two concepts, which further lead to a feeling of threat, then to anxiety and eventually to defensive mechanisms, increasing the inconsistency between the two selves.
The psychologists who make use of this approach believe that the key in treating mental illness is the therapeutic relationship. Unlike the other therapies, in this one the therapist does not set a diagnosis because he believes that every person is unique and unrepeatable and therefore cannot be placed in a certain category.
They do make a list of problems, focusing especially on emotional problems. After making the list, the psychologists begins to ask questions then listen and then make a conversation with the client in order to make him feel free to share. The aim of the therapeutic relationship is to give the client an opportunity to experience a different type of relationship than the ones he has in the society and which block the development of his real self. This relationship between the psychologist and the client has three levels. In the first level the therapist uses a very important instrument, the unconditional acceptance. Because there are no criteria set to value the client, he would start to feel unconditionally accepted and could begin to express his real self without being afraid of being judged. If this does not work, the problem might be with the therapist. There might be a lack of inconsistency between what the psychologist feels and what he actually expresses. This lack of inconsistency is perceived by the client as a barrier in the process of his plenary expression. After this problem is solved, the relationship advances to the next level where the focus is on trust.
When the client begins to trust the therapist, the relationship reaches the next level, which is called "togetherness" or "trust transforming relationship". At this stage the client has full trust in the therapist and can talk about and share everything. The humanists consider that the client is healed at this point. They consider that the psychologist's empathy, consistency and unconditional acceptance are necessary and sufficient to make the client see that he is worthy without any other imposed condition and that he can develop his real self even though the society is not a real help, but rather and impediment.
In conclusion, the humanist- existential- experiential approach regards people as being born with a positive or neutral nature. In order to develop the personality, one has to actualize his potential. The conditions which lead to the reaching of a person's full potential are empathy, consistency and unconditional acceptance. The society is lacking in offering these conditions and because of these some persons develop mental illness. The key in healing lies therefore in the therapeutic relationship that aims to reach these 3 necessary and sufficient conditions.
Psychologists from this current consider human beings as persons who are good or neutral in their essence. They say that the mental disease appears only when the life conditions are altered.
Starting from this premise, the humanists developed a series of therapies which focus on different problematic aspects. The most famous therapy is the Rogersian one, also called the non-directive therapy or the therapy centered on the client. The Psychodrama is a procedure developed by Moreno which says that the positive essence of the human nature lies in spontaneity and when it is blocked, the psychopathology appears. The Gestalt therapy, developed by Pear says that the psychological problems are the result of an "unclosed gestalt". Other such methods include the Logotherapy, the Transactional Analysis, the positive Psychotherapy and the Eriksonian approach.
Furthermore, the Rogersian Therapy is still used by many psychologists in this orientation and the guiding theory of the procedure is the following: a person fully develops his/her personality and entire potential through actualization. This process eventually would lead to the real self. The mental illness appears when the society interferes and obstructs the attaining of the full potential. This happens when the worth of the person is conditioned. Because one has to act in a certain way, expressing some emotions and repressing others, that person stops being her real self and develops an ideal self. Neurotic symptoms appear when there is a big precipice between these two concepts, which further lead to a feeling of threat, then to anxiety and eventually to defensive mechanisms, increasing the inconsistency between the two selves.
The psychologists who make use of this approach believe that the key in treating mental illness is the therapeutic relationship. Unlike the other therapies, in this one the therapist does not set a diagnosis because he believes that every person is unique and unrepeatable and therefore cannot be placed in a certain category.
They do make a list of problems, focusing especially on emotional problems. After making the list, the psychologists begins to ask questions then listen and then make a conversation with the client in order to make him feel free to share. The aim of the therapeutic relationship is to give the client an opportunity to experience a different type of relationship than the ones he has in the society and which block the development of his real self. This relationship between the psychologist and the client has three levels. In the first level the therapist uses a very important instrument, the unconditional acceptance. Because there are no criteria set to value the client, he would start to feel unconditionally accepted and could begin to express his real self without being afraid of being judged. If this does not work, the problem might be with the therapist. There might be a lack of inconsistency between what the psychologist feels and what he actually expresses. This lack of inconsistency is perceived by the client as a barrier in the process of his plenary expression. After this problem is solved, the relationship advances to the next level where the focus is on trust.
When the client begins to trust the therapist, the relationship reaches the next level, which is called "togetherness" or "trust transforming relationship". At this stage the client has full trust in the therapist and can talk about and share everything. The humanists consider that the client is healed at this point. They consider that the psychologist's empathy, consistency and unconditional acceptance are necessary and sufficient to make the client see that he is worthy without any other imposed condition and that he can develop his real self even though the society is not a real help, but rather and impediment.
In conclusion, the humanist- existential- experiential approach regards people as being born with a positive or neutral nature. In order to develop the personality, one has to actualize his potential. The conditions which lead to the reaching of a person's full potential are empathy, consistency and unconditional acceptance. The society is lacking in offering these conditions and because of these some persons develop mental illness. The key in healing lies therefore in the therapeutic relationship that aims to reach these 3 necessary and sufficient conditions.
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