Experiential Psychotherapy Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

At the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first century, the new current in terms of studying the shapes of human intelligence, risen from the transpersonal psychology area, brought to the world the third type of intelligence that tends to become acknowledged (after its antecessors: cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence): „spiritual intelligence”. Spiritual intelligence, as defined by researchers, is strongly connected to the fulfillment of a human being’s profound need – to feel that everything has a meaning, a purpose. It is the intelligence that makes us whole and renders our integrity. It is the intelligence of the soul, the profound self-intelligence. It is the intelligence that makes us ask ourselves fundamental, existential questions and overcome the boundaries we were used to. The psychologists that discovered this type of intelligence say that its development guarantees the psychic health. The main challenges, which occurred once we accepte...

Introduction: This paper compares and analyses Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) through the paradigm of Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling at three levels: intention, process and practice. Objectives: The aim is to identify specific similarities and differences between the two approaches in order for practitioners of both to mutually benefit. Methods: A high-level comparison of SFBT and Symbolic Modelling approaches; a line-byline linguistic analysis of a representative SFBT transcript using models from Symbolic Modelling such as: ‘vectoring’, the Problem-Remedy-Outcome model and Clean Language; an examination of a sample of common Solution-Focus questions for metaphors, presupposition and ‘leading’ syntax, with alternative ‘cleaner’ versions provided. Results: Examples of similarities and differences between the two approaches at the level of intention, process and practice were identified. A selection of SFBT questions were modified to show how they could be cleaner, i.e. ...

- by Alexandru Ioan Manea
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- Metaphor, Experiential Psychotherapy, Clean Language, Symbolic Modelling

Gestalt Therapy techniques are considered to be powerful tools for the remobilization of human growth and change. I will attempt to show that the power of these techniques lies in the fact that they are effective ways of dealing with our "internalizations". I will first briefly review object relation theory and then discuss gestalt techniques as they pertain to internal objects.

- by rudolph bauer
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- Sociology, Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology

Aim: To identify therapists’ views on sexual boundaries and the strategies they employ to manage them in therapeutic practice. Method: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 13 accredited, experienced practitioners of psychotherapy or counselling. A grounded theory approach, informed by principles from Free Association Narrative methodology, was employed, in which team members used debriefing sessions for extending depth of understanding of the interviews. Findings: There is consensus about boundaries at the extremes, but variability about fantasy, flirtation and touch. A core process was generated from accounts of successful management of sexual attraction. We identified four problematic ways of reacting to boundary pressure, each with potential to harm clients and therapy. Discussion: A participant-observer stance was conceptualised as essential for managing threats to boundaries, consistent with the empathic stance. Minor boundary crossings were viewed by interviewees as both potential precursors of more serious transgressions, and as opportunities for understanding the client's difficulties. Implications for practice: These span training, accrediting organisations, supervision and therapy practice.

- by Anna Madill
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- Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Therapy
- by rudolph bauer
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- Sociology, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Hinduism, Comparative Religion

Donald Winnicott's radical existential psychoanalytic understanding of transitional awareness and transitional relatedness is an amazing and little used doorway for today's psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. In today's cognitive clinical culture we have become cognitions tampering with cognitions. Life as cognition. Existential Ontology Winnicott's creative understanding of our capacity for transitional awareness and transitional relatedness intertwines both our personal psychology and our innermost experience of our own existential ontology. Transitional knowingness intertwines both our mind and our primordial awareness field. Our field of awareness knows the field of Being since awareness is the field of Being. Transitional awareness intertwines both our mind and our psyche. Donald Winnicott's phenomenological understanding of the self radicalizes our sense of self from being a representational picture or cognitive affective schema or synthesis of disparate psychological part's to a fluid sense of self as a direct experiential felt sense of ongoing continuity of Being. Our knowingness though the medium of awareness, opens for us the direct knowing of the experience of Being. The experience of Being is for us our sense of natural spirituality. Our liminal transitional awareness field opens us into the immediate ongoing intimate experience of Being. This experience of Being is of Being within our very own self and of Being within our very own relational life-world. Ordinary Personhood We, as a most ordinary person, can experience the unfolding movement of the experiencing of Being within our own self as our self, and simultaneously, the unfolding experiencing of our own being as the being-ness of Being which is the Being of the world. As we experience the Being .

- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Gnosticism, Buddhism
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Gnosticism, Cultural Studies
- by rudolph bauer
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- Religion, Gnosticism, Buddhism, Hinduism
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Buddhism, Comparative Religion

One Knower: Different Modes of Knowing In all philosophical and psychological traditions knowing has many different meanings. In Tibetan Buddhism there is nondual Dzogchen and in Hinduism there is nondual Kashmir Shaivism. In both these nondual traditions there is profound understanding that there is one knower with two different modes of knowing. My Mind Knowing You and Things One mode of our knowing is the conventional subject object knowing which is the mind knowing as the perceiver and the perceived. This is our ordinary knowing of mind, my mind knowing you and things. This is my mind knowing of all the various forms of otherness. This is my mind knowing of singular aspects of phenomena and my mind knowing, by discrimination, the differences within phenomena. This is my mind knowing of the reality of objects, and the actuality of events and situations. This is my mind knowing the reality of persons and sentient beings as well as non-sentient beings and things. This is my mind's natural mode of dualistic knowingness. My Knowing as Direct Perception As humans knowing we both have and are this wonderful other mode of knowing. In Dzogchen this is the great knowing of awareness and through awareness, and this knowing described as direct perception is often called gnosis, or jnana, or ye she. Kashmir Shaivism names this dimension of knowing of this vast field of awareness/consciousness vimarsa. This vast

- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Gnosticism, Buddhism
- by Deirdre Barrett
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- Neuroscience, Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Applied Psychology

For much of my personal and professional life I have had an enduring interest in the distinction between mind and awareness. As my education unfolded over these many years, I have been happy to recognize that this distinction between mind and awareness is of serious consideration in continental phenomenology, in forms of psychoanalytic understanding such as the object relations work of Donald Winnicott, as well as in many forms of the experiential psychotherapies such as Gestalt, experiential focusing, in Ericksonian hypnosis, structural family therapy, archetypal psychotherapy, existential psychotherapy, existential psychoanalysis to name a few. When I began to extend my interest based on continental phenomenology into the eastern wisdom traditions, I found the same distinction within the Hindu Tantric tradition of Kashmir Shavism. Later in my life I found the same distinction within the Tibetan non-dual Nyingma tradition of Dzogchen. In my study of the Qi Gong tradition, I had the good fortune of being able to study for a number of years with Dr. Yan Xin who is a most remarkable healer and who has this same distinction of mind and awareness in his form of Daoist Qi Gong. From an historical view point, this distinction of mind and awareness was central in gnostic philosophy and gnostic theology. In contemporary Jungian archetypal psychology there is a similar distinction between the knowing of mind of ordinary life world of lived experience and the knowing of the archetypal dimension of lived experience, as well as the knowing of the primordial awareness dimension of pure potentiality. I have also had this interest in and through the phenomena of my own knowingness, the knowing of self, the knowing of others and of knowing of the encompassing nature of Existential Being. I have had for as long as I can remember, the sense of the explicit experience of my mind as explicit thoughts, and explicit feelings and explicit sensations and explicit imaginative imagery, and at the same time a subtle sense of tacit or implicate or implicit sense of intuitive knowing. In this way I have always felt I had two ways of knowing.

- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Gnosticism, Psychology, Clinical Psychology

Mind Alone For many years psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy was singularly centered on the unconscious mind and conscious mind. There was only mind and the mind could become aware of its own self and its own representational realm. The self itself was representational and the emphasis on the mind was in the light of analytic thinking and analytic observation. There was an emphasis on objectification of mental phenomena and subjectivity itself. Knowing was knowledge by association, by reflection and mediation by linguistic signifiers. Knowing was neither non-conceptual nor pre-reflective, nor was there a place for direct experiential knowingness. Knowing was associated as mind alone and singular mind functions such as thinking, feeling, sensation, memory and imagination. Transitional Space as Space of Awareness With the presentation of the work of Donald Winnicott there was a shift in the psychoanalytic understanding of knowingness. A similar change in psychoanalytic thinking about knowing was also taking place in the Jungian and archetypal analytic schools. In psychotherapy Winnicott emphasizes a focus on the suspension of mind and in the process of suspension of mind, awareness was freed to focus within awareness, free to focus itself on itself. In the suspension of mind (a Winnicottian form of the phenomenological reduction,) the patient relocates themselves. The patient relocates from being located in mind alone or even located in a particular function of mind alone such as: feeling function or thinking function or sensation function or memory function; the patient enters or relocates themselves into the intermediate area of experience. This intermediate area of experience or this in-between space of experience is also described as the transitional area of experience and relatedness. Sometime this place is also described as the place of potential space. The sense of self shifts from being located in the mind or mental function of the mind into the more embodied sense of spacious awareness or as the place of potential space. Winnicott would described this knowing

- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Social Theory, Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Social Theory, Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Gnosticism, Buddhism, Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind

This paper compares the analytic and experiential approaches to dreams in order to illuminate the intrinsic and necessary relationships between the two understandings. It describes how dream work reflects the bimodalness of symbolism, thought and ultimately human consciousness. An extended example of dream work reflecting both analytic and experiential modalities is presented.

- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Discourse Analysis, Gnosticism, Sociology

Being within awareness as awareness and being with another who is within awareness is a most powerful skillful means to bring forth awareness within one's self and within each other. Two awarenesses are better than one, just as self regulation can be enhanced by co self regulation on the bodily dimension. Self-illumination is a co-emergent process between and within companions, compassionate companions. The lucidity within one's own awareness, as one's own awareness can experience the lucidity within the other's awareness as lucidity. It is true, awareness awakens awareness both in one's self and in the other. This is the secret of the tantra. The luminous energy within one's own body can resonate to the luminous energy in the other's body, deepening the mutual embodiment of light. Light is awareness and awareness is light. The attunement to awareness within one's own body can bring forth the attunement of awareness within the body of the other. The self arising of the awareness field in one's self resonates to the self arising of awareness within the other's body. The self arising of the energy or the chi or the shakti can bring forth the self arising within each other and can bring forth the sustaining of the energy field within each other. In essence, humanness is the manifestation of light, and the manifestation of primordial luminous energy, and the openness of the great space of compassion.

- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Gnosticism, Buddhism
- by rudolph bauer
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- Business Ethics, Religion, Buddhism, Sociology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Buddhism, Psychology, Positive Psychology, Psychoanalysis

This paper describes in detail those aspects of trance that facilitate the ongoing therapy process with the borderline personality and secondly, the utilization of trance phenomena to directly work with the borderline person's experience... more

- by rudolph bauer
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- Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Gnosticism, Buddhism
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Buddhism, Psychology, Clinical Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Psychology, Clinical Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Gnosticism, Buddhism, Sociology, Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Social Theory, Sociology of Religion
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Psychology, Clinical Psychology

Introduction: This paper outlines the basic concepts of mental space representations, its primary concepts and the connection to psychology and psychotherapy. Also included are the descriptions of three mental space based psychotherapies and their applications. A comprehensive list of references containing case-studies and researches is also provided for the three mental space based psychotherapies, for further study and research. Objectives: This paper aims at revealing the connection between the well-researched concepts of mental space and visual-spatial representations and their use and applicability in the psychotherapy and overall psychology field. Methods: Literature review. Results: The consideration of the importance of mental representations and their influence on the clients’ social world, and emotional problems and the further encouragement of developing tools and approaches that can work directly with this abstract constructs. Conclusions: This paper anticipates a new pa...

Introduction: This paper outlines the scientific background behind the mBraining approach (mBIT multiple brain integration techniques) regarding the recent research in neuroscience revealing the relationship between the cerebral, enteric and cardiac neural systems and its potential as an optimization tool. In addition, a number of case studies have been detailed, to confirm the effectiveness of this approach and a number of extensive references have been included for further study. Moreover, parallels and common principles with experiential therapeutic approaches are being discussed. Objectives: This paper aims to promote the mBIT approach as a complementary diagnosis and optimization tool with applications in coaching, therapy, counseling and overall personal optimization. Methods: mBIT approach methodology and literature review. Results: The five case studies included in this paper clearly indicate the effectiveness of the mBIT approach in managing and resolving issues such as: oc...

- by suzanne henwood
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- Neuroscience, Embodied Cognition, Experiential Psychotherapy, Coaching

- by James Lawley
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- Metaphor, Experiential Psychotherapy, Clean Language, Symbolic Modelling
- by rudolph bauer
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- Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Family Therapy, Cognitive Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Religion, Buddhism, Comparative Religion, Sociology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Gnosticism, Buddhism, Sociology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Social Theory, Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Religion, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
- by rudolph bauer
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Psychology, Clinical Psychology

Introduction: It has been recently proven in repeated studies and publications that emotional intelligence is responsible for the successes and achievements in different existential dimensions, especially through the qualitative increase of interpersonal relationships. Also, several hypotheses were issued regarding the fact that the level of emotional intelligence may be increased through various creative activities and educational-therapeutic programs. Objectives: The present study aimes to investigate the dynamics of emotional intelligence in relation to the participation in a unifying personal development program through dance and movement. To this end, we covered two major stages and objectives at the same time: 1 – building up and implementing a unifying personal development program through dance and movement (UPDDM) and 2 – conducting a statistically quantitative study in order to capture the effects of the program on emotional intelligence, as well as the correlation between ...

- by Alexandru Ioan Manea
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- Metaphor, Experiential Psychotherapy, Clean Language, Symbolic Modelling

ABSTRACT Introduction: It has been recently proven in repeated studies and publications that emotional intelligence is responsible for the successes and achievements in different existential dimensions, especially through the qualitative increase of interpersonal relationships. Also, several hypotheses were issued regarding the fact that the level of emotional intelligence may be increased through various creative activities and educational-therapeutic programs. Objectives: The present study aimes to investigate the dynamics of emotional intelligence in relation to the participation in a unifying personal development program through dance and movement. To this end, we covered two major stages and objectives at the same time: 1 – building up and implementing a unifying personal development program through dance and movement (UPDDM) and 2 – conducting a statistically quantitative study in order to capture the effects of the program on emotional intelligence, as well as the correlation between it and the self-satisfaction regarding the physical body. Method: The experimental-quantitative research was conducted on an experimental sample, composed of 32 persons and a control sample composed of 32 persons as well. The method of applying the instruments was the test-retest type. The initial testing was at the beginning of the program and the retesting took place two months after its finalization. There was a period of six months between the test and retest. The conducted experiment consisted in a program called "Filia Alchemic Dance", composed of 3 modules, 20 hours long each, every two months. "Filia Alchemic Dance" is a complex program, based on UPDDM and, implicitly, on the Experiential Therapy of Unification. Results: The results obtained after the statistical data processing show significant differences between the control group and the experimental one in the two main variables, emotional intelligence and self-satisfaction regarding the physical body. There is a strong positive correlation between these variables, which confirms the hypotheses of the research. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that unifying personal development, with corporal support, in this case through dance and movement, is a valid method of increasing the emotional intelligence by reconnecting with one's own body and through the inner unification between body, emotion, reason and spirit.