Existential Psychotherapy uses phenomenological methodology to explore an individual’s lived experience. The main task of existential phenomenology is the exploration of potentials for freedom and the unavoidable limitations inherent in human beings’ experience of themselves as beings-in-the-world. It holds that all phenomenon experienced by humans are constructs, formed out of intentionality whereby we imbue our phenomenal world with constantly changing significance and meaning. It allows us to gain a greater understanding of what ‘’is there’’ without interpretational biases and uses a three-step process:
- Rule of Epoche: whereby initial biases and prejudices are suspended as far as possible in order to focus on the primary data of our experience.
- Rule of Description: whereby the client is encouraged to describe their experience rather to avoid standard theories of meaning being postulated.
- Rule of Horizontalisation: whereby initial hierarchies of significance or importance upon descriptions are avoided.
The phenomenological method challenges the typical view of the role of the ‘I’. Contrary to the ‘I’ initiating experience, the phenomenological I only exists when we analyse and reflect on the experience. From this perspective, the I does not exist in objective reality but as being-in-the-world, with unique and intentionally derived conscious experience. In therapy, the individual is seen to have a choice of how to be - which changes - rather than being a fixed self.
By trying to bracket assumptions regarding the client’s issues, the therapist aims to maximise the client’s autonomy and freedom to be how they are and choose to be. Instead of imploring the client to change – an assumption often made – the client is encouraged to reassess, explore and possibly choose to change meanings arrived at in the past. By focusing on the noematic and noetic foci of intentionality (the what and how of experience) as opposed to the why, the client is encouraged to avoid hypothesising on what could be. Instead they are more likely to recognise the elastic nature of their experience and recognise their active interpretational role towards the givens of life. Thus, the client is encouraged to become more authentic and open to the possibilities of who they can be.
This perspective has major implications for considering the notion of psychopathology. In contradiction to any DSM-IV definitions of mental disorder, psychopathology can be considered phenomenologically and ontologically as Jasper’s outlines in General Psychopathology (1963).
