Existential Group Research Articles

Canonical and existential groups in universal classes of Abelian groups

Universal classes of Abelian groups are classified in terms of sets of finitely generated groups closed with respect to the discrimination operator. The notions of a principal universal class and a canonical group for such a class are introduced. For any universal class K, the class K ec of existentially closed groups generated by the universal theory of K is described. It is proved that K ec is axiomatizable and, therefore, the universal theory of K has a model companion.

Complex Experiences of Meaning in Life: Individual Differences Among Sociodemographic Variables, Sources of Meaning and Psychological Functioning

Recent findings have shown that existential experiences are complex and, at least theoretically, it could be separated into several different categories (meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, existential indifference, and existential conflict). In this study, we sought to examine in a large Brazilian sample (N = 3,034 subjects, from 22 Brazilian states) the plausibility of existence of these categories and how people inserted on them would differ in terms of sociodemographic variables and psychological functioning (engagement with sources of meaning and scores on a set of dispositional and well-being constructs). Our results showed the existence of all four categories of meaning. Men were more frequently classified into the existentially indifferent and crisis of meaning groups. The meaningfulness group presented higher scores in all sources of meaning when compared to other groups, whereas the existentially indifferent group presented the lowest scores. A highly diverse pattern of relationships between the sources of meaning and the levels of meaningfulness for the different categories of meaning was found. Significant differences between the existential indifference and the existential conflict groups were found for subjective happiness, life satisfaction and self-esteem but not found for optimism, pessimism, hope (agency and pathways), and self-efficacy.

A Qualitative Study on Spiritual Experience of Participants in Existential Therapy Group Counseling

A Qualitative Study on Spiritual Experience of Participants in Existential Therapy Group Counseling

Groups in Schutz: The Concrete Meaning Structure of the Socio-Historical World

Schutz is well-known for his social-psychological description of how an individual self relates to “consociates,” “contemporaries,” “predecessors,” and “successors,” but there are rudiments as well in his oeuvre of an account of groups or collectivities that can be developed analogously to show how groups can share space and time like consociates, share only time like contemporaries, and not share time (but could share space) like a group in relation to its dead predecessors and not-yet founded successors. This aspect deserves exploration because individuals apart from their memberships in voluntary and existential groups are abstract and the concrete has of course ontological priority.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of the Transactional Analysis, Existential, Cognitive, and Integrated Group Therapies on Improving Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving is one of the necessities of life in twenty first century. Therefore, Psychologists consider it as a skill that everyone must learn it. The purpose of the present study is to compare the effectiveness of the transactional analysis, existential, cognitive, and integrated group therapies on improving problem–solving skills. For this purpose, 65 subjects of the clients who were referring to the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad's Mental Health Centre were selected randomly and subjects placed in 5 groups in random assignment method (13 participants in each group). The research method is Pre-test/Post-test control group design. To gather the data, Long & Cassidy’s problem solving styles questionnaire (1996) was used. In the descriptive level, the data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, and in the inferential level Analysis of Covariance test (ANCOVA) was used. The results of data analysis were indicative of the fact that after modifying pretest scores, there was a significant difference between group’s subjects. The results showed that group therapies were effective on improving problem-solving skills and that cognitive and integrated group therapies were more effective on improving problem-solving skills comparing to other groups. Regarding the results of the present study, it can be concluded that transactional analysis, existential, cognitive and integrated group therapies were effective on improving problem-solving skills of the clients who were referring to the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad's Mental Health Centre.

Quantum Testers for Hidden Group Properties

We construct efficient or query efficient quantum property testers for two existential group properties which have exponential query complexity both for their decision problem in the quantum and fo...

Existential approach to group psychotherapy

The review discusses a model of working with psychotherapeutic groups, based on the existential psychotherapy paradigm developed by the author and called “existential experience group”. Its main concept is the idea of the human being as being-in-theworld (Dasein). The process of psychotherapy has two major directions, the first being an attempt to understand the problems of participants in the context of the main dimensions – physical, social, psychological and spiritual – of human life, and the second exploration of participants’ life difficulties in the context of “givens” (universal conditions) of existence. The following “givens” are described as essential: “thrownness” in the world, relations to others, the finiteness of life, freedom and responsibility, anxiety, meaning and meaninglessness, experience of time. The existential experience group represents a structured life situation in which participants with their unique life stories and experiences, involved in transactions among themselves and with the therapist, attempt to develop a common group life. The “group life” is a concentrated expression of individual lives of participants. The problems of participants are treated as certain inadequacies of current ways of “being-in-the-world”, as distortions of individual relation to existential “givens”. The group discusses the problems of participants not in relation to their personal life story (though it is given consideration as well), but rather in the context of the collectively created group life. The author discusses the universal objectives of the existential experience group, the main points of its functioning and ways of work. The basic structure of the group work is provided by the most usual norms of groups (openness and sincerity, interrelatedness of freedom and responsibility, sharing responsibility among participants and the therapist, confidentiality and regulated communication of participants outside the group) and also by changes of “developmental periods” of the group (“childhood”, “youth”, “maturity” and “old age”). The contents of sessions of existential experience groups is not planned in advance. It is determined by participants’ therapeutic goals and interpersonal situations arising “here and now”. Also, the position of the therapist in an existential experience group is analysed, since it is a greatly significant part of the psychotherapeutic work. The author stresses the importance of the therapist as phenomenologically oriented, giving priority to the participants’ experience as conceived by themselves. The main attitudes of the therapist are empathy and neutrality. For the therapist, it is critical to remain a real person in the group, a live human being with his own obligations and specific responsibility in the group.In an existential experience group, therapeutic changes are pursued by constantly directing participants to consciously reflect the conditions of humans’ being-in-the-world. Changes in understanding oneself and life are considered most essential.

Quantum Testers for Hidden Group Properties

We construct efficient or query efficient quantum property testers for two existential group properties which have exponential query complexity both for their decision problem in the quantum and for their testing problem in the classical model of computing. These are periodicity in groups and the common coset range property of two functions having identical ranges within each coset of some normal subgroup. Our periodicity tester is efficient in Abelian groups and generalizes, in several aspects, previous periodicity testers. This is achieved by introducing a technique refining the majority correction process widely used for proving robustness of algebraic properties. The periodicity tester in non-Abelian groups and the common coset range tester are query efficient.

Bipolar Disorder: From Psychoeducational to Existential Group Therapy

The aim of this study was to assess the importance of addressing psychoeducational and existential issues in group therapy for patients with bipolar disorder. The group consisted of 10 bipolar patients. Group sessions were held for 2 hours weekly for 3 months and then monthly up to 2 years. Group topics focused on psychoeducation, cognition and existential issues. Over 2 years, two members had a minor relapse that did not require hospitalization. Adherence with pharmacotherapy and follow up was 100%. All members reported significant improvements in family and social function and nine members remained employed in full-time jobs. There was a high level of satisfaction with the group process. Addressing existential and psychosocial issues in bipolar disorder group therapy may improve outcome. This approach deserves further thorough investigation.

Complementary/Alternative Therapies for the Treatment of Breast Cancer. A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials and a Critique of Current Terminology

The objectives of this study was to evaluate and critically analyze all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of ''alternative cancer cures'' (ACCs) for breast cancer. The electronic databases Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine, Scirus, BIOSIS, CancerLit and CINAHL and for ongoing trials the MetaRegister at http://www.controlled-trials.com/ and the National Research Register at http://www.update-software.com/national/ were searched from their inception. Bibliographies of located studies were scanned. Unpublished or ongoing trials were identified through correspondence with experts in the field. Our own files were hand searched for further RCTs. Review methods included a systematic review of RCTs involving breast cancer patients treated with ACCs, survival, parameters indicative of tumor burden, disease progression, cancer recurrence, and cancer cure. Results were tabulated and summarized. Thirteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria. In most cases their methodological quality is low, with only two RCTs scoring ''4'' and four RCTs scoring ''3'' out of 5 possible points for methodological quality. The treatments tested included various methods of psychosocial support such as group support therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy cognitive existential group therapy, a combination of muscle relaxation training and guided imagery, the Chinese herbal remedy Shi Quan Da Bu Tang, thymus extract, transfer factor, melatonin, and factor AF2. Encouraging but not fully convincing results emerged for melatonin.

Use of existential‐phenomenological counseling for police officers

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate effects of existential counseling on 20 police officers. Existential group therapy was expected to change locus of control beliefs from external to internal, have a positive effect on self‐efficacy, and assist in lowering aggressive tendencies.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental research design was used to compare effects of existential group therapy on police officers with an untreated control group of police officers. Both groups completed the self‐efficacy scale, belief in personal control, aggression questionnaire prior to and following the 20‐week treatment program. A short demographic survey was completed prior to beginning the study.FindingsNo changes were found from pre‐test to post‐test on self‐efficacy, locus of control, and aggression. While the statistical findings were not significant, anecdotal comments indicated that police officers benefited from their participation in the program.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size was too small to allow for generalizations to all police officers in the large urban area in which the study was conducted. Additional research with a larger group is needed to validate the findings of the present study.Practical implicationsAlthough no statistically significant differences were found, the participants in the treatment group reported personal and professional benefits from learning that their peers experienced some of the same concerns when dealing with the public and superiors.Originality/valueNo research was found that had used police officers in counseling groups to help them become more internal and less aggressive.

Quality of life as medicine III. A qualitative analysis of the effect of a five-day intervention with existential holistic group therapy or a quality of life course as a modern rite of passage.

Existential group therapy seems to be a very efficient way of inducing the holistic state of healing, described in the holistic process theory of healing. We have designed a series of four quality of life (QOL) and health courses of 5-days duration called “Philosophy of Life that Heals – Courses in QOL and Personal Development”. The four courses are meant to be taken over four consecutive years. They contain training in philosophy of life and existential theory as well as exercises in holding: awareness, respect, care, acknowledgment, and acceptance. The courses teach the participants respect, love, and intimacy; help them to draw on their seemingly unlimited hidden resources; and inspire them to take more responsibility for their own life. Exercises are accomplished with a partner chosen at the course as: (1) a person you like, (2) a person you do not know already, or (3) a person to whom you want to give help, support, and holding more than you want to get help from him or her. Pilot studies with 5-day quality of life interventions that combine training in quality of life philosophy with psychotherapy and bodywork have proved effective on patients with chronic pain and alcoholism. The present design aims to take this a step further and engage the patients in a process of personal growth that will last for years. The aim is to lead them to a stabile state of quality of life, health, and ability, from where they will not again fall into sickness and unhappiness. The focus of these courses is as much on prevention as is it on healing. The existential group therapy induces spontaneous healing of body, mind, and soul that seems to be highly efficient with hopefully lasting results. Every course is intended to give an immediate improvement in the quality of life, so its efficiency can be measured with the square curve paradigm. We have studied the participant’s accounts from their experience with the courses and have analyzed the remarkably large, qualitative changes in the state of being, quality of life, health, and consciousness, which many participants experience during the course. The long-term and preventative effects of the courses have yet to be documented.

Holistic medicine IV: principles of existential holistic group therapy and the holistic process of healing in a group setting.

In existential holistic group therapy, the whole person heals in accordance with the holistic process theory and the life mission theory. Existential group psychotherapy addresses the emotional aspect of the human mind related to death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness, while existential holistic group therapy addresses the state of the person's wholeness. This includes the body, the person's philosophy of life, and often also love, purpose of life, and the spiritual dimension, to the same extent as it addresses the emotional psyche and sexuality, and it is thus much broader than traditional psychotherapy.Where existential psychotherapy is rather depressing concerning the fundamental human condition, existential holistic therapy conceives life to be basically good. The fundamentals in existential holistic therapy are that everybody has the potential for healing themselves to become loving, joyful, sexually attractive, strong, and gifted, which is a message that most patients welcome. While the patient is suffering and fighting to get through life, the most important job for the holistic therapist is to keep a positive perspective of life. In accordance with these fundamentals, many participants in holistic group therapy will have positive emotional experiences, often of an unknown intensity, and these experiences appear to transform their lives within only a few days or weeks of therapy.An important idea of the course is Bohm's concept of “holo-movement” in the group, resulting from intense coherence between the group members. When the group comes together, the individual will be linked to the totality and the great movement forward towards love, consciousness, and happiness will happen collectively — if it happens at all. This gives the individual the feeling that everything that happens is right, important, and valuable for all the participants at the same time. Native Americans and other premodern people refer to this experience as “the spiritual design”. This design is actually an underlying regulation that appears when people, through their feelings and engagement for each other, tie the group together and engage their complex emotional intelligence. Practically, this means that all participants are sunk in the same information matrix, so that everybody learns from each other. Everything that happens in the perception of each trainee has immediate and developing relevance for him.Spontaneous healing happens far more effectively in a group setting, where all the participants stand together and support each other, than it does in the clinic, where the therapist is alone with the patient. A 5-day course in personal development can be compatible to a half year of holistic individual therapy.

Existential Group Therapy and Death Anxiety

Existential therapy in groups for older adults can help to provide life meaning; to facilitate social support; and to improve coping with grief, loss, chronic illness, and ultimately death. A scenario is presented that provides a clinical illustration of the use of existentialism in groups with older adults.

Course and outcome in bipolar affective disorder: a longitudinal follow- up study

A number of recent studies have questioned whether, despite modern treatment, the natural course of bipolar illness today still involves multiple relapses and impaired psychosocial functioning. This prospective follow-up study examined longitudinal outcome in a large group of inpatients with affective disorders. Fifty-one bipolar manic patients and 49 unipolar depressed patients were interviewed three times: 1) during hospitalization, 2) approximately 2 years after discharge, and 3) approximately 4.5 years after discharge. Subjects were treated under routine conditions and assessed for global adjustment, rehospitalization, and work and social functioning. Only 41% of the bipolar group had a good overall outcome by the time of the 4.5-year follow-up. The bipolar patients had more severe work impairment than the unipolar group. More than one-half of the bipolar patients were rehospitalized at least once during the 4.5-year follow-up period. Outcome for both diagnostic groups improved significantly over time. Many contemporary bipolar patients demonstrate gradual improvement in the first several years after hospitalization. However, a subgroup approaching 60% still experience poor posthospital adjustment in one or more areas of functioning.

Principles of existential experience group

Our preparatory programme for counsellors includes group training with special stress on the problems of personal authenticity, freedom, responsibility, choice-making, guilt, love, suffering, intimacy, and inner silence. The aim here shall be more experiential than discussion-based group life that reveals itself through the moments and the existential problems arising „here and now" as well as their manifestation in everyday life. Participants are oriented toward the very proceeding of the group process. Simultaneously a constant feedback of the process by means of sharing feelings, with attention at every moments on “What am I feeling now?”, coupled with the analysis of the dynamics taking place shall be provided. The main principle of the group experience is such: priority is given not to interpersonal, but to intrapersonal dynamics, i.e. to explore oneself. During the course of the group an attempt shall be made at “meeting with oneself” at multifarious “here and now” moments.

Existential Group Therapy as a Treatment Modality for Exiting Christian Fundamentalists

This article suggests that existential concepts can be useful in group therapy with exiting Christian Fundamentalists.

Confronting Human Finitude:

A conceptual framework for group work practice with people with AIDS based on insights form existential psychotherapy and group development theory is presented with special attention to the persistence of issues of loss, separatin and death. A group interactional subtest reflecting the tension between the denial of AIDS and the morbid preoccupation with illness and death is identifies. An approach to intervention is offered through practice illustrations and analysis.

Attaining freedom in existential group therapy.

Attaining freedom in existential group therapy.