What is Existential Psychotherapy?

From Wikipedia: Existential psychotherapy is a philosophical method of therapy that operates on the belief that inner conflict within a person is due to that individual’s confrontation with the givens of existence.[1]

These givens, as noted by Irvin D. Yalom, are: the inevitability of death, freedom and its attendant responsibility, existential isolation, and finally meaninglessness.

These four givens, also referred to as ultimate concerns, form the body of existential psychotherapy and compose the framework in which a therapist conceptualizes a client’s problem in order to develop a method of treatment.

These are pretty big concepts, especially when confronting feelings of meaningless. However when understood through the eyes of creativity…life offers many possibilities.

Getting to the root of these options, using imagery and my forty years of experience accompanying others on their spiritual path allows me to fully understand anyone’s concerns…help identify the powerful feelings present and ones that need to be understood.

As an artist and trained clinician I help anyone access their unconscious…weave it together with their conscious mind and infuse the process with a respect and dignity for the larger forces we all seek to understand.

The tools of the artist allow for easy release of “what’s on your mind”…and I can help you analyze the deeper meaning of whatever images come forth…and it has nothing to do with artistic talent…just understanding the correlations of color and form to the natural world we all inhabit.

When a person’s thoughts and feelings are brought together…within a creative and nurturing space profound insights are born…new ideas flourish…and decisions can be made to bring meaning to our lives.

 

Ed Regensburg, LCAT
Clinical Art Psychotherapist, Creative Sanctuary with Ed Regensburg, LCAT