Existential Group Therapy

The quest for finding the meaning of our lives can take on many forms. From the time of

the ancient Greeks, through the Enlightenment, continuing into 19th century philosophy, and right up to today people have been seeking an answer to the question, "who am I?". This question is quite multicultural in nature. It is not only the European mind that ponders it, but the Eastern, and Middle Eastern mind wonders as well. The search for meaning is so pervasive, I would hazard to guess that finding meaning in life is a universal human condition.

Overview

Through the door of psychology walks a type of therapy that attempts to try and help the seeker reach their own understanding of their life, and how their life can have meaning. As higher forms of creation, humans have an awareness of their own existence. To this one could add the Biblical idea of free will. This writing will not deal with beliefs about election and free will as defined through scripture, but there is a point to be made from scripture. Along with having the awareness of our existence, Existential therapy presupposes free will as well. I believe that scripture teaches there is something to both of these ideas. In Genesis, once Adam and Eve became aware of good and evil they hid from God. They became keenly aware of their existence. Then, fast forward many years, one will find Jesus making this statement, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15, NIV). Using logical reasoning one must conclude that if the giver of the commandments is telling us "If" we have love for Him we will follow His commandments. This implies, at the very least, that Jesus recognizes the will to choose that was exemplified all the way back to the beginning of the human race. With this foundation there remains a question, as the discussion is focused on Existential therapy, "is this a good model to follow, or is it deficient in its overall makeup?"

Can Existential Therapy Work?

I believe that Existential group therapy can be useful when employed as part of an overall plan to bring people to a place in which they can understand who they are in the "Big Picture" and they can choose to fill the role they have been given by their creator.

People who see their problems more in terms of obstacles to living a fulfilled life, and not necessarily as mental illnesses that need to be cured would be the best candidates for Existential therapy. Why would this be the case? Because it would seem that, for the most part, people who were searching for meaning in life would need to be free from psychopathological issues. To be able to discuss philosophical issues while searching for meaning in life would be a marker of a sound mind that is just struggling to find its way.

This form of therapy, that tells people they are the authors of their lives and they have the power to make their own choices, would be great in helping people find their own personal ideologies. The group member, through exploring many different philosophical perspectives, would be able to construct and fine tune their own beliefs. They would be able to listen to other perspectives from various members of the group, and offer their own thoughts for critique by the group. All of this with the idea of obtaining good ideas and jettisoning bad ideas to ultimately form an ideology that enables them to achieve a better overall understanding of themselves. The understanding should lead them to finding the meaning for which they search.

The Negative Side

Of all of the good ideas that seem to be attributed to Existential group therapy, the negatives are many. The primary negative associated with this form of therapy is the fact that there is no measureable systematic set of guidelines that would insure, to the degree that they can insure, constancy in execution and measureable outcomes. Existential therapy is not a specific technique. The philosophical base of the therapy ensures that there can be as many approaches to implementation as there are philosophies about life. This fact alone could make anyone's head hurt. Since the approaches can be many, and that there are no discernable principles, how can anyone know when a member's self-awareness is reached?

The largest hurdle for someone trying to engage in Existential therapy could be that most people who actively seek therapy are in search not only of the meaning of life, but are generally looking for answers to questions or information to help them right then.

There is also a question of the width of applicability of Existential therapy. To actively search for meaning in life suggests that the seeker has some level of maturity. So, would it work for children or teens? Possibly more important than these groups, what about those of low cognitive ability? In all of the groups mentioned here there are some universal limitations that could apply. Existential therapy requires verbal communication, it requires life experiences, and usually deals with broad topical content. All of these requirements would prove difficult to impossible to meet for the young and those with low cognitive ability.

Part 2 - Activity Design

In keeping with the meaning of life thread, helping a group in search of meaning can be fostered along greatly with the topic of mortality. For some, only when they face their own mortality can they understand the importance of the choices they make and how they are responsible for those choices.

Within the group one might begin by asking the members to discuss who they were and how they acted five or ten years prior. How did their actions impact their life? Were they reaching the goals they had, or was life moving headlong in the wrong direction? Why do they think this was the case? Then, once each person has shared briefly, move the discussion to the present. What choices did they make that led them to their current situation? What are they doing now that they didn't do in the past, what has changed in their life? What choices did they make to affect changes in their life? Now move the discussion into the future. Where do they want to be, and what do they hope their life will look like in a year? In five years? In ten years? What is happening in their life that is holding them back? What good things in their life could they capitalize on to springboard forward? Ask them to contemplate their answers and what they need to do to see positive change happen in their lives.