Existential Psychotherapy The Genetic-‐Phenomenological Approach
Daniel Sousa
[email protected] Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology Research Unit ISPA – University, Lisbon, Portugal Portuguese Society for Existential Psychotherapy
What do we know? Ê Therapy works (efficacy / effectiveness) Ê Different models therapy, same efficacy (Dodo Bird) (Wampold & Imel, 2015)
Ê human relationship, the most important dimension Ê therapy relationship acts in concert with therapy methods,
patient characteristics, and practitioner qualities in determining effectiveness
(Norcross & Wampold, 2011)
What do we know? Ê Effective Elements: therapeutic alliance; empathy; collecting client
feedback; goal consensus; collaboration
Ê profound synergy between therapy interventions/relationship (Norcross & Wampold, 2011)
Ê tailoring therapy to specific client Ê Systematically collect feedback from client
(Lambert & Shimokawa, 2011)
Present Gap Between
Contextual Model Common factors Relationships that works
Medical Model Specific techniques Empirical supported treatments
Where does Existential Therapy stand? Ê focused on issues of being over doing Ê promoting understanding above explaining Ê enhancing description over interpretation
(Spinelli 2007; May 2004)
Ê Focused on presence: human encounter between the client
and the therapist
(van Kaam 1966)
Where does Existential Therapy stand? Ê Polarities: existential – phenomenological; descriptive – interpretative;
psychological – philosophical; spontaneity – techniques; subjective – intersubjective
(Cooper, 2003)
Ê ET is philosophical not a psychological method Ê it is anti-‐technical approach
(van Deurzen and Adams 2011)
Ê may result in a methodological eclecticism Ê leading to a lack of specificity about the know-‐how of the approach
(Walsh and McElwain 2001)
Ê adopting interventions that are inconsistent with the theoretical principles of ET
(Spinelli, 2007)
Phenomenological Method
Ê Epoché – suspension of natural attitude and assumptions Ê Phenomenological reduction – focus on correlation between the
object of the experience and the object as experienced: noema
Ê Description – the phenomenon as manifested by itself Ê Eidetic reduction – invariant structures of experience
(Husserl, 1983)
Static Phenomenology Aims
Ê How objects manifests to consciousness Ê Noetic-‐Noematic Constitution Ê Description intentional meanings Ê Invariant Structures of Experience Ê Self abstract Ê Theory of Knowledge
Static Research: starting point of the phenomenological investigations
Static Method
I can doubtlessly designate phenomenological investigations as static, investigations that attend to the correlations between constituting consciousness and the constituted object like formations, and exclude genetic problems altogether. ”
(Husserl, 2001)
Genetic Phenomenology Phenomenology has ‘‘a new task’’ (Husserl 2001)
inner-‐time consciousness theory
depth of personal existence each lived experience (noema) has a deep temporally constituted dimension, which only the genetic method can explore (Donohoe 2004)
GENTIC METHOD “But then genetic investigation is also necessary, the exploration of the geneses, passive as well active, in which the monad develops and evolves, in which acquires its personal unity and becomes a subject of a surrounding world, which is partly given to it passively in advance, partly actively shaped by itself, and then at highest level becomes the subject of a history.” (Husserl, 2001)
GENTIC PHENOMENOLOGY
• Personal history • Process of becoming
Temporal awareness • Pre-‐reflected consciousness
• Intentional Motivations • Sedimented Meanings
• Surrounding world • Self – Other
• Streaming/standing
Self
Intersubjective
Passive/Active Geneses
• Identity
flow of consciousness self identity (Husserl, 2001; Sousa, 2014)
Static Method
Leading Clues
Phenomenological Methods Mutual Integrative
Genetic Method
Static and Genetic Methods
“These are fundamental questions concerning the distinction, but also the ordering of necessary phenomenological investigations. Where they are concerned, I will always speak of static and genetic phenomenology”
(Husserl, 2001)
Existential Psychotherapy Genetic-‐Phenomenological Approach leading clues Static Method Therapeutic Practices
Genetic Method Therapeutic Techniques
Epoché Phenomenological Reduction Description Dialogical Atitude Eidetic Analysis, Clarifications Experiential Immediacy Empathic Exploration
Therapeutic Process
Interpretation Reflexive Reactivation Oneself as Another Dialogue Experiential Validation Existential Challenge Dreams: Hermeneutic Circle Embodiment
Intentional Experience
Geneses of Meaning Personal Identity / Experiential Self Existence
Therapeutic Process
Genetic Phenomenology
Static Phenomenology
Intentional Experience
Experiential Self
Geneses of Meaning
Temporal Identity
Relational Epoché
human relationship – trust -‐ acceptance – heard/verbalize-‐ understanding -‐ support -‐ security
(Sousa, 2015)
Existential Psychotherapy The Genetic-‐Phenomenological Approach (In) Conclusions Ê human encounter between the client and therapist Ê ET practice based on inter-‐relational dimensions Ê EP includes both stances and therapeutic techniques Ê practical level, there isn’t a gap between ‘‘being qualities’’ and
techniques (relational competences) Ê Beyond a dichotomy between relating and skills
(Sousa, 2015)
Anish Kapoor, The Cloud Gate
