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Alternative Therapy Types Research Paper

Existential Psychotherapy Imperialism

The class text makes mention in one of its chapters about existential psychotherapy. This treatment style seems to be yet another tool in the proverbial toolbox that psychiatrists and therapists can use or advocate along the same lines as cognitive behavioral therapy, EDMR and so forth. The author of this report will review how it came to be, what it is comprised of and how/why it may work for many or at least some people. The author will also offer thoughts and feelings about how promising and relevant this topic seems to be. While some therapeutic techniques are more widely known and/or ostensibly effective than others, it is also true that any method that garners good results for even a subset of patients is worth exploring or leaving aside as an option should the need arise.

Analysis

As was made clear by the text, the people behind the field of existential psychotherapy are some of the heavyweights of the history of the general subject of psychotherapy. Such people, per the book and other sources the author of this report glanced at, include Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Rollo May, Viktor Frankl, Irvan Yalom and others. The similarities between this field and others is not surprising but all unique fields of psychotherapy and so forth should be explored and evaluated based on the merits and the unique makeup of the therapy. The author of this report would liken the...

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To be sure, there are many that actively shun religion and/or are bluntly atheist. However, there are many others that pray, go to church and/or otherwise have a very spiritual part of their psyche. This human condition and facet can be used in an advantageous way for many but it would be a dead end for many others. The author of this report would hold that existential psychotherapy is probably very similar in this regard. It would probably do wonders for some but would be ineffectual for others. While doctors and therapists should ultimately choose the best course to achieve mental health balance, the patient's predilections and preferences are certainly not irrelevant. Also, it has to be held true that whatever can be reasonably done to make mental health improvements more long-lasting and more expedient should proceed at a diligent and reasonable pace. Unless it is clear that taking a certain path would do more harm than good, then the therapist should at least try to accommodate (Corsini & Wedding, 2013).
One major facet of existential psychotherapy that hits home and sounds extremely informed is the idea of accepting and overcoming fears. Obviously, avoidance and anxiety are things that really need to be hit head-on and avoiding these confrontations and finding ways to overcome them is only going to delay improvement and better outcomes overall. Also very…

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The world can be a very chaotic and dangerous place for a human mind. This is confirmed by the fact that everyone suffers from some degree of anxiety and/or depression at one time or another. Others still suffer on a chronic and consistent basis over years and decades and those people have their own demons and hurdles to defeat. However, existential psychotherapy is a good option for those that don't need to parse out what happened in the past and just need to take steps forward one after the other. Inner peace, no matter how it is garnered, is a noble pursuit and existential psychotherapy is just another option to pick from for those it would work for.

Reference

Corsini, R.J., & Wedding, D. (2013). Current psychotherapies (Tenth ed.). New York: Cengage Learning.
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