Humanistic Psychotherapy Research Articles

The Lawlessness of Loss: Poetry and Autoethnographic Writing as Therapy in Grief and Loss.

This study seeks to locate and evaluate 'poetry therapy' as a form of therapeutic method for use by practitioners of humanistic psychotherapy especially when used in responding to the traumas associated with grief and loss. Following an initial survey of the literature, the study will explore some examples of the use of poetry therapy for grief, with an especial qualitative focus upon the insights to be gained from first-hand autoethnographic accounts. The study undertakes a literature review which also includes some consideration of peer-reviewed autoethnographic explorations authored by theorists and practitioners of psychotherapy in order to identify what additional insights, if any, may be gained from accessing these personal accounts of process. In particular, the humanist perspective upon grief should be tempered with pragmatism so as to avoid regarding poetry as a reductive sentimentalising of trauma: encountering loss may be seen as experiencing subjection to a 'lawless' world. The study confirms the use of poetry therapy and autoethnographic writing has significant utility and potential, whilst recognising the challenges for empirical confirmation, the need for practitioners to be sensitive to the nuances of the source materials and the subtlety of appropriate application for different client perspectives and groups.

Learning Chinese and making meaning – ways to develop intercultural citizenship in the foreign language classroom

Abstract Using Chinese language teaching in an engineering department as an example, this paper explores how language teaching can meet the challenges of globalisation and the advancement of technology by fulfilling its educational function as described in Byram’s model of intercultural communicative competence. By adapting theories and practices from counselling psychology, the proposed curriculum focuses on emotions to help learners uncover emotional barriers that arise when confronted with differences. It will support learners in raising awareness and developing their capacity to negotiate differences, leading to more effective cooperation with others. The paper discusses the use of experiential exercises in the classroom. They include those developed in Chinese language pedagogy, namely the performed culture approach and those developed in humanistic psychotherapy, such as body psychotherapy. The aim is to help learners notice their own feelings, attitudes, and behaviour as well as the otherness of the other in the classroom. This approach is powerful because it is in the here and now. It utilises movements and different senses as well as cognition. It helps uncover barriers to intercultural communication hidden under the surface by making the unconscious conscious. Reflection is a key part of this process. Learners are expected to reflect on their own thinking and feelings and to make sense of the dynamics in the classroom. Learners are expected to develop reflexivity, subjectivity and intersubjective awareness while acquiring linguistic competency and social cultural rules of use.

Philosophical Counseling as a Form of Supporting Human Resilience

The topic of this article is philosophical counseling as an effective tool to support human resilience. Philosophical counseling encourages individuals to become aware of their beliefs and values, develop critical thinking skills, and find essential meaning in life. However, it may not work for everyone and should be used as a complementary tool alongside other forms of support, such as humanistic psychotherapy. Undoubtedly, it is also important to consider systematic research on the potential benefits and limitations of philosophical counseling in supporting, for example, individual mental health, well-being, and broadly understood human resilience.

A language not our own: Derrida and humanistic psychotherapy.

A language not our own: Derrida and humanistic psychotherapy.

The ecological-enactive approach to embodiment in humanistic psychotherapy.

The ecological-enactive approach to embodiment in humanistic psychotherapy.

Coming to Terms with “Self-Actualization”: The Reception of Kurt Goldstein in Humanistic Psychotherapy

The ideals and practices of self-improvement aimed at achieving a sense of self-realization of our lives have permeated popular culture since the mid-20th century, largely due to the work of American humanistic psychologists. This paper delves into the popularization of these notions, arguing that they partially stem from a particular American appropriation of the German neurologist and psychiatrist Kurt Goldstein’s concept of self-actualization. First, the paper examines Goldstein’s encounter with American psychology, tracing his early interest in psychotherapy, the stages of his forced migration to America, and the reception of his work within American psychology. Second, it offers an analysis of the interpretations and applications of Goldstein’s holistic approach and its concept of self-actualization by humanistic practitioners, notably Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation and Carl Rogers’s client-centered approach to psychotherapy. Finally, the paper closes with a critical discussion of the distinction between Goldstein’s approach, which emphasizes the creative process of a “coming to terms” between organism and environment, and humanistic psychotherapy, which underscores individual responsibility.

How Silence Contributes to the Performance of Sincerity in Psychotherapy

Most literature concerning silence in psychotherapy has focused on the meaning of silences, particularly from psychoanalytic perspectives, and is based on clinical experience rather than empirical studies. These authors tend to interpret silence as pathology or resistance in the client and/or advise clinicians to be especially tolerant of silence and to avoid filling silences. Although some studies have found that moderate silence is correlated with better outcomes, these studies ignore psychosocial aspects of the interaction. No research has looked at silence in psychotherapy as a linguistic device to manage the local sequential environment. Silence following an initiating action is characteristic of dispreferred responses such as refusals and negatively valenced answers in general conversation. In this study, we used conversation analysis to explore preference and the role of silence in nine spiritually oriented humanistic psychotherapy sessions. We found that in contrast to everyday conversation, in these interactions, there is a preference for gaps and pauses while immediate responses are dispreferred.

Emosjonsfokusert terapi

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is rooted in the humanistic psychotherapy tradition. A core assumption in EFT is that our life experiences are organised in emotion schemes. For instance, problematic childhood experiences that are not processed can form what are typically referred to as maladaptive emotion schemes, continuing to influence us later in in life. The goal in EFT is to activate, process and change maladaptive emotion schemes. Such a change process typically occurs through an emotional sequence, moving from secondary emotions (e.g., depressive hopelessness) through primary maladaptive emotions (e.g., maladaptive shame) to adaptive emotions (e.g., assertive anger). This sequence is termed changing emotion with emotion, and builds on substantial process research. In this article, we will describe from an EFT perspective how psychological illness arises and which conditions are necessary for it to change. We will give an account of the empirical foundation for the model and illustrate some specific interventions using the case of ‘Nadine’. Keywords: Emotion-Focused Therapy, transdiagnostic therapy, humanistic therapy, experiential therapy

A Single-Case Design Investigation for Measuring the Efficacy of Gestalt Therapy to Treat Depression in Older Adults with Dementia in Italy and in Mexico: A Research Protocol.

Psychotherapy is one of the evidence-based clinical interventions for the treatment of depression in older adults with dementia. Randomised controlled trials are often the first methodological choice to gain evidence, yet they are not applicable to a wide range of humanistic psychotherapies. Amongst all, the efficacy of the Gestalt therapy (GT) is under-investigated. The purpose of this paper is to present a research protocol, aiming to assess the effects of a GT-based intervention on people with dementia (PWD) and indirect influence on their family carers. The study implements the single-case experimental design with time series analysis that will be carried out in Italy and Mexico. Six people in each country, who received a diagnosis of dementia and present depressive symptoms, will be recruited. Eight or more GT sessions will be provided, whose fidelity will be assessed by the GT fidelity scale. Quantitative outcome measures are foreseen for monitoring participants’ depression, anxiety, quality of life, loneliness, carers’ burden, and the caregiving dyad mutuality at baseline and follow-up. The advantages and limitations of the research design are considered. If GT will effectively result in the treatment of depression in PWD, it could enrich the range of evidence-based interventions provided by healthcare services.

Authentic Muddle: Revisiting authenticity in psychotherapy

Humanistic and existential therapies have a strong emphasis on authenticity both as a vital characteristic of the therapist and as something desired for the client. Psychoanalysis has also put increasing significance on authenticity as an important ingredient in the therapeutic relationship. I question and deconstruct definitions of authenticity in different modalities, to consider whether, despite differences in language, they amount to the same thing. Second, I investigate the limitations of authenticity, whether it is a relational or intrapsychic phenomenon, how fallibility applies, what are the limitations of self-disclosure, and whether authenticity can best be thought of as an embodied experience. Finally, I consider the practice implications of examining authenticity and whether there is a useful alternative in sincerity. Keywords authenticity, humanistic psychotherapy, existentialism, inter-subjectivity

UNDERSTANDING LOW ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT BASED ON PASS AND ERICKSONIAN HUMANISTIC THERAPY

Academic underachievement is a burning problem far from being solved. This study evaluated the efficacy of a humanistic psychotherapy intervention program based on planning, attention, successive and simultaneous (PASS) inductive learning, and indirect metaphorical Ericksonian communication grounded in the neuroscientific knowledge of human behavior. The rational neuroscientific foundations are explained throughout the discussion, highlighting the interaction cognition-emotion. The sample was 600 subjects classified as low achievers, very low achievers, and behavioral-psychosomatic dysfunctional low achievers. The mean age was 13.93 (SD = 1.56; range 12-17), 29.5% women. A normal control group of 172 subjects was selected (mean age, 13.88; SD = 1.75;range 12-17; 49.4% women). ANOVA and stepwise regression analysis were performed. No PASS deficit explains the low achievers. A dysfunctional emotional reason is suggested. A lower simultaneous PASS appears related to very low achievers. A lower planning PASS and the "N" pattern appear related to behavioral-psychosomatic low achievers. The "N" pattern is a suggestive marker of emotional dysfunction. After 6 months of intervention, 55% of very low achievers, 85% of low achievers, and 80% of behavioral-psychosomatic participants did not satisfy the criterion of an underachiever. More studies are required to contribute to the accumulative understanding of scientific phenomena, and so investigate replication.

Person centred approaches to learning hold a potential for a mature depth of understanding and engagement as opposed to the traditional 'transmission of knowledge' approach to learning

AimsDo students experience a person-centred experiential (PCE) approach to learning in a university context differently to transmitted knowledge learning from prior education, and if so, how?BackgroundThe person-centred approach, as defined and developed by Carl Ransom Rogers, remains on the margins of practice in the UK. The approach sustains a non-medical stance. All of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Person Centred Experiential Counselling (APT PCEC) workforce require a qualification in person-centred experiential counselling. In order to attune to Roger's hypothesis regarding the conditions required in order to facilitate psychological growth, person-centred learning is a principle stance.Researching experiences of PCE learning through anonymous feedback from students attending different levels of training (BA, MA and post qualification PCE-Counselling for Depress (CfD) License) is an initial test of the hypothesis .Counselling education in the UK is increasingly highly standardised and driven by competency frameworks. This work begins to uncover person-centred students’ evaluation of undertaking person-centred qualifications. Modules and continuing professional practice were constructed to facilitate a person-centred learning environment wherein the curriculum was designed by students or the experiential aspect of the learning drove the agendaMethodThe sample was made up of (N = 30) students. 8 students were studying for a Master's degree in person-centred experiential psychotherapy, 10 students were studying a BA in humanistic psychotherapy, 12 students were attending a mandatory IAPT Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training in PCE therapy. The evaluation responses were subject to a thematic analysis.ResultThe emerging themes parallel each other and indicate that degree students were very aware of the difference from their previous learning experience in education.68% of MA Students experienced psychological maturation through the process of training.83% of BA students became more agentic in their approach to learning.83% IAPT therapists noticed the nurturing, compassion and humane approach to the learning, despite the mandatory nature of the offer and empowered them in regards to their non-medical stance within an NHS context.ConclusionOur findings point to the significance and impact of person-centred learning for person-centred psychotherapists’ development during and post-qualification. Implications can be drawn in regards to engaging with person-centred learning in public sector and health contexts.Person centred approaches to learning hold a potential for a mature depth of understanding and engagement as opposed to the traditional ‘transmission of knowledge’ approach to learning.

Psicología y Psicoterapias Transpersonales. Reflexiones y Propuestas


 
 
 La Psicología Transpersonal ocupa en nuestro país un lugar muy poco conocido. Los estudios académicos han descuidado, por el momento, incluir en la formación profesional de los psicólogos los aspectos relacionados con la dimensión espiritual del ser humano. De este modo, cuando en la práctica clínica se plantean problemas psicológicos relacionados con este ámbito, el profesional se encuentra sin marco teórico o herramientas prácticas para abordarlo. Igual ocurre con los estados de conciencia no habituales, conocidos como Estados Modificados de Conciencia (EMC). Sin embargo, eso no quita que las personas que se encuentran con ellos acudan a un psicólogo algunas veces. Otras lo hacen a un maestro espiritual o a un pseudoprofesional. El presente artículo plantea el panorama general que ofrece la Psicología Transpersonal y los modelos psicoterapéuticos derivados de ella, haciendo hincapié en los elementos comunes y diferenciadores respecto a la Psicología de la Religión, así como las dificultades y carencias que muestran. En él también se hace una propuesta concreta desde el modelo de Psicoterapia Integradora Humanista y se realiza una interpelación a las instituciones académicas y científicas para que no dejen de incluir en sus estudios e investigaciones los aspectos tratados por la Psicología Transpersonal.
 
 

Listening as a Relational and Experientialist Praxis: Insights from Gestalt Therapy

ABSTRACT Humanistic psychology is grounded in dialogic communication and existentialist phenomenology, involving a relational philosophy and experientialist methodology. Its relative neglect within listening research is canvased before exploring the praxis of Gestalt therapy – a humanistic psychotherapy – which models integration of philosophy, theory, and practice relevant to listening. While listening research is increasingly attuned to relational aspects of communication and elements of humanistic therapies, it remains shaped by a metaphysics of atomization, compromising its capacity for integrated praxis. The value of conceptualizing listening as a praxis similar to that of Gestalt therapy is therefore elucidated, with particular reference to listening pedagogy in higher education.

Allegiance Bias and Treatment Quality as Moderators of the Effectiveness of Humanistic Psychotherapy: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BackgroundIn many countries, humanistic psychotherapy (HPT) is viewed as a broad psychotherapeutic approach and is accepted in health care systems. To qualify for reimbursement by health insurance in Germany, psychotherapy approaches have to be evaluated positively by the German Scientific Board of Psychotherapy (GSBP). The GSBP examined HPT and its subapproaches based on an application by a number of professional organizations affiliated with HPT (Work Group Humanistic Psychotherapy, WGHPT). The GSBP came to the decision that none of the HPT subapproaches provided sufficient evidence to be evaluated as evidence based. Potential reasons for the discrepancy between international recognition of HPT and GSBP’s decision will be explored: researchers’ allegiance may have led to a risk of bias disadvantaging HPT. Furthermore, the evaluation criteria of the GSBP did not systematically consider whether HPT was conceptualized bona fide and implemented with sufficient treatment integrity in the studies.ObjectiveThis systematic review will re-examine the studies included in the review of the GSBP. Within 2 comparisons (HPT vs control and HPT vs other psychotherapeutic interventions), we will examine moderating effects of treatment quality (bona fide and treatment integrity) and allegiance on the effectiveness of HPT.MethodsThis review is based on the prior systematic review by the GSBP. The GSBP examined randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and studies with non-RCTs of HPT interventions for individuals with mental disorders. All studies suggested by the WGHPT were included; moreover, the GSBP conducted searches in standard electronic databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEX) and handsearches in relevant systematic reviews and contacted experts. A total of 2 independent GSBP reviewers performed study screening using a structured form. On the basis of the prior work of the GSBP, all studies that were positively screened by the GSBP will be included in this review. Data will be extracted independently by 4 authors. Standardized mean difference will be calculated, and possible publication bias will be tested using funnel plots and Egger test. A priori defined subgroup or meta-regression analyses will be performed for treatment quality, allegiance, type of nonactive control, study quality, type of subapproach, and target population (children and adolescents or adults).ResultsThe GSBP identified 115 eligible studies that will be reanalyzed in this systematic review.ConclusionsResults about moderator effects of treatment quality and allegiance will provide important information about their impact on the evaluation of HPT and other psychotherapy approaches and can be used for further evaluation methods.Trial RegistrationPROSPERO CRD42019128983; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=128983International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/15140

Treatment of Trauma: Imaginative Minds of Dissociative Identify Disorder

If childhood trauma leads to dissociation, then this coping mechanism is powered by the imagination, creativity, consciousness, and similar areas of cognitive function. The goal of this article is to promote the treatment of trauma with particular emphasis on humanistic psychotherapy and behavioral therapy, such as “Play Therapy” for pediatric populations. It will thoroughly describe the multiple personality states within dissociative identity disorder, including the individualized sense of “self.” The diagnostic criteria of this mental disorder will be covered, along with assessment techniques that evoke a deeper understanding of dissociative disorders. It will also discuss comorbidities that present with dissociative disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder. This scholarly article suggests that dissociative disorders may result from experiencing tragic events and therefore need treatment for trauma to relieve negative symptoms of dissociation. The multidimensional aspects of dissociation are emphasized in their relation to the treatment of trauma.

Dialogue therapy in psychosis: A philosophical-ethical approach

Theoretical and empirical work is needed to adapt psychotherapy to psychosis. The article introduces dialogue therapy (DT), a philosophical-ethical, humanistic, and dialogue-oriented individual psychotherapy model for schizophrenia and other severe psychosis. Rather than introducing novel methods, DT offers a unified approach, including flexible methodology derived from existing psychotherapy traditions that focuses on difficulties of emotion, relation, identity, and self-regulation that are characteristic in psychosis. The patient is included to participate fully in the dialogue with her/his subjective voice. The therapist is aware, authentically committed, respectful, and takes seriously all forms of utterances. DT invites the patient to a collaborative process, where she/he is acknowledged as a co-researcher in a continuous search for a cure. Crucial in the therapeutic interaction is to collaborate in generating a breakthrough to split off the psychotic symptoms. The context of DT, therapeutic interactions, and specific methods of how to carry out this psychotherapy are outlined in the article. Not applying psychotherapy in the treatment of psychosis might endanger the development of emotions and self-regulation, social competences, and healthy functioning.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and humanistic psychotherapy: an integrative approximation

ABSTRACT This article explores the similarities between humanistic (and existential) psychotherapy, represented here by the ideas of Viktor Frankl, Erich Fromm and Irvin Yalom, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Despite the ongoing dialogue between both therapies during the last decade, regarding both their convergences and divergences, there is a gap in the literature concerning their complementarity in clinical practice. This analysis addresses this gap with the integrative (or pluralistic) clinician in mind, and approximates a theoretical and practical integration anchored upon the transtheoretical model.

Phenomenology and Depth in Existential Psychotherapy

All psychotherapies try to approach what is essential for alleviating patient suffering. In humanistic psychotherapies such as person-centered, Gestalt, and existential therapy, the focus is typically centered on the person, the essence of the human being. The person, however, as that which is free in human beings, cannot be fixed or measured. This raises a difficult question: How do we gain systematic access to this “person” when they cannot be grasped concretely? Drawing on Existential Analysis, the authors describe a phenomenological approach as possibly the most suitable method for this therapeutic task, because it is pervaded by an attitude of allowing the other to be free and a respect for the uniqueness of the person. In this approach, what is essential is drawn from the depth of the person, simultaneously involving the depth of the therapist, while bracketing foreign interpretations and theories. This article describes this method for accessing personal depth in psychotherapy via an existential-phenomenological perspective.

Reflections on and discussions about 'Luminous Life: A New Model of Humanistic Psychotherapy'.

This paper is an attempt to introduce a new approach in Humanistic Psychotherapy. It grew out of a psychiatry consultant's years of work in individual psychotherapy with the patients and got published in a self-help format. Later a clinical psychology consultant read the book and reflected in detail on it. Then the colleagues contacted each-other and had some discussions on the reflections. Few patients' feedback was also included. Initially there are two chapters of Introduction and Humanistic Approach to Mental Health Problems. The major modules in the book comprise Health, Forgiveness, Self, Connections, Will-Power, Relationships, and Living with the Family. The additional modules include Time, Negotiation, Creativity, and Celebrating the Common Person. Also there are two final modules, Orientation for a Possible Future Culture and Summing Up. The paper narrates the entire process of reflection and the related discussion and highlights the major points of this new model of therapy.