A Rational and Empirical Analysis of Existential Psychotherapy

Abstract

Existential psychotherapy is a diffuse and declining approach plagued by a lack of consistency, coherency, and scrutiny. This article offers a personal representation of existential psychotherapy based on rational and empirical analyses. I performed an informal content analysis on over 80 publications pertaining to the topic. Eight themes emerged consistently: ontology, intentionality, freedom, choice/responsibility, phenomenology, individuality, authenticity, and potentiality. The philosophical presuppositions and clinical implications of each theme are briefly reviewed. The therapy practices of 33 existentially oriented psychologists are then examined to determine differences and similarities within (existential-analytic versus existential-humanistic) and between (existential, behavioral, psychodynamic) theoretical camps. As expected, the empirical results support the rational existential themes that, in a reciprocal manner, relate to therapy behavior. Consideration of these issues is intended to provide a synthesis in which philosophy and therapy can obtain a useful, coherent framework. Formidable challenges confronting existential therapists are discussed, and several "radical" solutions are proposed.