Existential psychotherapy

Dr Robert Shaw

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

6 December 2013

Introduction to existential psychotherapy

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Nowadays, in clinical practice, existential psychotherapy involves diverse groups of patients, methods and theories. It is a formulation of procedures which are loosely linked to some common themes (which I will describe to you shortly). The unifying notion for these themes is that existential psychotherapy is a philosophical method of therapy (strictly speaking it is the content and not the method which is philosophical) that is founded on the belief that the inner conflict within a person is due to the individual person’s confrontation with the universal omnipresent predicaments of human existence. (Page 1)

存在主义心理疗法的介绍

目前，在临床实践中，存在主义心理治疗涉及到不同的病人群体、手段以及理论。它是一种与某些共同主题（我将会简洁地向你们说明）联系松散的一般构想。这些主题的共同概念在于认为存在主义是一种治疗方法中的哲学方法（严格来说它内容上是哲学的，而不是方法）。这种方法基于一种信念：个人内心冲突是由于个人面临着宇宙中无处不在的人类生存困境。

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Introduction to existential psychotherapy

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A clinical practice – emerging minor tradition临床实践—新兴的传统

Theory derives from some experiences of people理论源于人的经历

These experiences all relate to

human existence这些经历涉及到人类的存在问题

《人的自我追寻》

5Kirk Schneider is an American who works in existential psychotherapy and I mention him because he visited my university last year. Existentialism often associates with humanism and Schneider is such a theorist. Humanism in its early philosophical conception supports rationalism (the belief that we should depend on reason and our reasoning ability) and emphasises that human beings must solve their own problems as opposed to trusting in God or fate. Humanists are generally atheists. Schneider was until recently the editor of The Journal Humanistic Psychology . (Pages 1 & 2)

柯克•施耐德，美国人，存在主义心理治疗师，上一年他曾经到访我校，因此我提及他。存在主义经常与人本主义联系在一起，而施耐德就是这样一个理论家。早期的人本主义哲学观点提倡理性主义（认为人们依靠理性以及推理能力生活）而且强调人类需要自己解决问题而反对神灵等信仰。人本主义者一般都是无神论者。施耐德直到最近才辞去了人本主义心理学杂志编辑的职务。

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The scope of the literature文学领域

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Kirk SchneiderExistential Psychology Conference,

Nanjing, 2010

What is existentialism?什么是存在主义？

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1. The philosophy of human existence关于人类存在的哲学

a. Existing 存在b. Way of existing 存在方式

2. Philosophical tradition of thought and a related popular movement思想的哲学传统以及与其相关的大众运动

What are the predicaments of human existence?什么是人类生存的困境

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The existential experience生存体验

Something that happens to people发生在人们身上的事情

A feeling and insight that overcomes people一种可以压倒人们的感觉和洞察

Can bring fear, anxiety能带来恐惧、焦虑Can bring tranquillity, surrender带来安宁、折服

The predicaments 困境

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What are the “universal omnipresent predicaments of human existence”?

Consider this concrete example. We all worry about ourselves as unique and special individuals. There is a sense in which we are individually responsible for ourselves –we cannot hand ourselves over to anyone else. We all must confront our freedom to decide and to act as we determine. We all must live with the understanding that we will very soon face our own death. We must all confront the fact that whatever we do on this Earth will not make any difference to anything in a million years’ time. Living as we do with our personal goals and hopes is itself rather absurd, because they will count for nothing in the long run. All these things relate to our human way of being (the way that we exist). How are we to respond to our human way of being? (Page 2)

什么是“宇宙中无处不在的人类生存困境”？

看看这个具体的例子。我们都会因为自己作为一个独一无二和特殊的个体而焦虑。在这种感知中，我们意识到自己要为自己负责，也就是说我们不可能把自己交给其他人。我们必须面对做决定以及按照自身意愿去行动的自由。我们都知道我们很快要面临死亡。我们必须面对一个事实，无论我们在地球上怎么做都不会对千万年后的世界造成影响。向着我们个人目标和希望来生活本身就是可笑的，因为这样终究会一无所有。所有这些事情跟我们的存在方式有关（生存的方式）。我们将要对生存方式做出怎样反应呢？

Predicaments? 什么是“宇宙中无处不在的人类生存困境”？

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1. “Universal omnipresent predicaments of human existence” “宇宙中无处不在的人类生存困境”

2. Existential psychotherapy seeks to help people with these matters存在主义疗法力图帮助那些正为此事焦虑的人们。

3. What are the themes?有哪些主题？a. Death死亡b. Freedom自由c. Isolation孤独d. Meaninglessness 无意义感 (Pages 3 & 4)

What are the predicaments of human existence?什么是人类生存困境？

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a. Death死亡b. Freedom自由c. Isolation孤独d. Meaninglessness无意义感

An example not in the paper.一个文章中没有提到的例子

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"The Scream”《呐喊》

Various media 用不同的素材创作

1893-1910

Edvard Munch爱德华 蒙克

Painting Location: Oslo, Norway挪威，奥斯陆

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“一天晚上我跟两个朋友沿着小路漫步——路的一边是

城市，另一边在我的下方是峡湾。我又累又病，停步朝峡湾那一边眺望——太阳正落山——云被染得红红的，象血一样。

“我感到一声刺耳的尖叫穿过天地间；我仿佛可以听到这一尖叫的声音。我画下了这幅画——画了那些象真的血一样的云。——那些色彩在尖叫——这就是‘生

命组画’中的这幅《呐喊》。”

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I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature

Theory and practice理论与实践18

Sometimes you hear people say they want to learn about the practice –they want to get right the practical, and supposedly useful, things that they can learn. They say the theory is all a bit abstract, unsettled and contentious. Those who fund university education sometimes say things like this: just teach the students useful skills, they say. “We want universities to produce graduates who are work ready, not people who know a lot of useless theory.” I exaggerate, but you can appreciate the sentiments I am expressing. (page 5)

有时会你会听人们说他们想学习如何实践——他们学习那些可操作的、并且有用的东西。他们说理论是抽象的、值得怀疑的以及充满争议的。那些大学教育赞助者又说会这样说：教授学生一些有用的技能就够了。他们说“我们希望大学能制造一些准备好工作的学生，而不是那些只知道很多无用的理论的人。”我有点夸张，不过你能领会到我所表达的感想。

Theory and practice 理论与实践19

1. Practical people 讲究实用的人

2. Serious things are always done on the basis of theory – but the theory is not examined完成重要事情都会有一套理论——不过都没有检查过

3. You act on the basis of your understandingNot just your conscious understanding你的行动出于认识——不仅仅是你意识到的部分

4. Skills – physical compared to cognitive技能——操作性与思维性的对比

What do these

people have in common?

他们有什么相同？

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Skills 技能

Practical skills操作技能

Thinking (cognitive) skills

思维（认知）技能

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Theory and practice:理论与实践Skills技能

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Practical skills操作技能

Thinking (cognitive) skills思维（认知）技能

The theory and practice of existential psychotherapy存在主义疗法的理论与实践

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1. A theory (named as “existential”)套理论（称为“存在主义”）

2. A practice (named as “psychotherapy”).种实践（称为“心理疗法(Page 6)

You act on the basis of your understanding你根据你的认识来行动

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In psychotherapy –when you work with patients or students, be it with them individually or with them in groups –you are implementing a theory. Now in some unfortunate cases, the clinician does not consciously, deliberately consider the theory. Such a clinician acts upon instinct or intuition. If asked why they make certain moves they say they act on the basis of “experience” –whatever that means. But they cannot tell you the exact reasons for what they do: by this I mean that they cannot ever tell you. (Page 6)

当你们在心理治疗时，无论是跟病人还是学生，是对个体还是团体，你们都在实施一套理论。在一些不成功的个案中，病人并不能自觉地有意地细想这套理论。这样的病人根据自己的本能和直觉进行反应。如果问他们为什么有这样的行动，他们会说是根据“经验”——无论那意味着什么。他们不能告诉你他们行动的准确原因，我想说，他们根本不能告诉你

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As a professional person who must take responsibility for the life and wellbeing of patients, you must be able to give a considered account of what you do: your treatments must be based upon an understanding of each patient’s situation and characteristics. That understanding is the theory. It is how you understand the patient and their needs that counts. This understanding comes from what you know and adopt as your theory. It is the appreciation to theory which takes so long in medical schools. The practical physical skills are quite easy to learn. It is the decisions that practitioners take which are difficult. It is to learn to make the right decision that medical students attend university, not to learn how to hold a scalpel. (Page 6)

一个专业人士必须对病人的生命和幸福负责，你们必须为你们所做的事提供深思熟虑的理由：你们的治疗必须建立在对每个病人的情况和人格的了解之上。理解就是理论。你怎么理解病人以及他们的需要是很重要的。理解是源于你所知道的事以及你把什么作为你的理论。在医学院里，人们一直都很肯定理论的作用。可操作的物理技能是相当容易学习的。医生做决定并非易事。医学生要学的不是怎么操手术刀，而是怎么做出正确的决定。

Suggestions for teachers对老师们的建议

1. The teacher’s private study of existentialist theory老师个人对存在主义理论的研究

2. The direct teaching of existentialist theory to students对学生进行存在主义理论的指导教学

3. The adoption of existentialist psychotherapy objectives and methods in the counselling of individual students

在对学生个体咨询时采取存在主义心理疗法的目标和方法

4. The adoption of existentialist psychotherapy in group counselling sessions. (Page 7)在团体咨询时采用存在主义心理疗法

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The practitioners engagement with

theorists实践者与理论家的结合

The problem the psychotherapist with an inclination for existentialism must confront is the formulation of existentialism which they are to adopt. What is to be your theory? Who are to be the leading theorists that you will study to guide you in your work? Many will follow modern advocates of the therapy. For example, earlier I mentioned Kirk Schneider and his works. They would be a good starting point. … If you seek a more profound theoretical foundation for your own thinking and for your work with patients, I would recommend Martin Heidegger. (Page 8)

偏好存在主义疗法的治疗师们一定会存在这样的问题，他们应该采用的存在主义观点是什么。你的理论是什么？谁会成为你工作中学习的主要理论家？很多人会跟随现代心理治疗的倡导者。例如，我提到的柯克•施耐德还有他的著作。这会是一个很好的起始点。亚

隆也有很多值得阅读、发人深省、令人愉快的作品。如果你想为你的思想和治疗工作寻求一个影响更深远的理论基础，我会推荐海德格尔。

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休伯特·德莱弗斯

《现象学与存在主义的同伴》

《存在主义——简短的介绍》

托马斯弗林

29The Left Bank Parisian cafes – Jean-Paul Sartre巴黎左岸咖啡馆——让-保罗·萨特

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Existential psychotherapy存在主义心理疗法

Thank you