Table Of ContentExistential Thought
and
TherapeutiPcr actice
AnI ntrodutcot ion
ExistePnstyicahlo therapy
HansW . Cohn
SAGEP ublications
Londo•n T housanOdak s • New Delhi
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© HansW . Cohn1 997
Firpsutb lis1h9e9d7
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Contents
Preface
v
Notes
Vll
Acknowledgements
Vlll
1 Whati sE xistenPtsiyaclh otherapy? 1
2 PhilosophBiaccaklg round 9
3 ExistenPtsiyaclh otheraanpdy
Psychoanalay Csoimsp:a rison 21
4 TheT herapeuRteilca tionship 29
5 Existenthieanlo-mpenologDiicmaeln sions
ofG roups 45
6 Minda ndB ody 59
7 AspectosfA nxietayn dG uilt 69
8 TheQ uestioofnt heU nconscious 75
9 Dreamsa ndS ymptoms 83
10 Being-inW-otrhledS- exually 89
11 Withdrawaanld D elusion 105
12 Aimso fP sychotherapy 119
RecommenRdeeadd ing 129
Index 131
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For
JENNY
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Preafce
My aimi nw rititnhgi bso oki st wofolId w:i sht op reseannt
overafrlalm eworkfo ra ne xistential-phenomaepnporlooagcihc al
top sychotheraanpday t t hes ameti me showh ow sucha frame
worka ffecttsh ed ay-to-pdraayc tiocfet het herapiTshti.sa im
inevitasbhlayp etsh es tructuroeft heb ook- itd emandsan
emphasoinsc ertaaisnp ecotfst he approach whialsep ecottsh er
areu navoidably neAg lfeecwit neidt.ci oamlm entosn w hatt his
books etosu tt od oa ndw hati tr egaradssb eyonidt ssc opsee em,
therefoarpep,r opriate.
Firstth,r oughotuhteb ookt hee xistential-phenomenological
framewoirskc omparewdi tthh ea ssumptioofpn ssy choanaalsy sis
originparlolpyo sbeydF reudT.h ough theseo fhc aovuer,s e, been
modifieodv ert hey eartsh,e ir basiucn diedrelmaioses tf orms of
psychodynatmhiecr apIyt.s eemed usteofui ln troduac nee w
frameworkb yc ompariintgw itho net haits m oref amiliar, par
ticulaarstl hye e xistenatpiparlo aicshi nm anyw aysh,i storically
andt heoreticaa rlelsyp,o ntsoep sychoanalMyosrieso.v ejru,sa ts
theorayn dp ractiacreei nterwovienpn s ychoanaleyxsiisst,e ntial
thinkibnego memsa nifeisntt h et herapeustiitcu ation.
Secondltyh,ii ssn ota histoorfey xi stentpisaylc hotherLaipkye.
psychoanalysis, epxsiysctheontthiearplar peys enittss eilnf a
numbero fd iffermeondte lsTo. refetrot hema lwlo uldo bscure
thep urposoeft hibso ok.
Them odelI am introduciinsbg a seodn t hea ttempotfst wo
Swistsh erapiLsutdsw,i Bgi nswangaenrdM edardB osst,of mda
new foundatfioornt hep ractiocfpe s ychotheriantp hye p hilo
sophiccaoln cepotfMs a rtiHne ideggHeeri.d egghearda profound
influenocnet het hinkionfag n umbero fE uropean philosophers,
particuloanr tlhya otf J ean-PaSualr traen dM auricMee rleau
PontyI. t hinikt w ouldb ef aitro s ayt haHte ideggMeerr,l eau
Pontayn dS artarree t hem ostd istivnocitc eisnw hatb ecamteh e
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vi PREFACE
philosophmiocvaelm encta ll'eedx istentiianEl uirsomp'Te h.o ugh
theivri ewsd ifferiendm any ways,t heys harcee rtabians ic
philosophical assIutim stp hteiiiordn esa.ts h afto rmt heb asiosf
whatI c alelx istenptsiyaclh otheriant phyi bso ok.
Thirdliyn,o rdetro m aintaai nc leaoru tlionfes ucha new
frameworIk h,a dt on egleccetr taiinnt eresatnidni gm portant
approachwehsi chi ntroducvea riatioannsd m odificatipoanrs,
ticulaarstl hye oyf tesne emetdo m e tod eviastieg nificafnrtolmy
theb asicco ncepotfst heE uropeamno vementS.u chd eviations
frequenltelaytd o a rathiemrp reciasneda lmoscto lloquuisaeol f
wordsl ik'ee xisten'toinatlo'l,oa gnyd'' a uthenwtiitch'o puaty ing
attenttioto hne imre aninignt hec onteoxfte xistentpihaill osophy.
ThusI findi td ifficultto d iscear nc onsistpehnitl osophical
framewoirnkt hew orko fR .D.L ainagn,d i tw asp robabnloyth is
intentitoonp roviodnee F.o re xamplienh, imso sti nfluentibaolo k,
TheD iviSdeelhdf.e p oinotusti na f ootnottheah te i su sintgh ew ord
'ontolognioctia nla ' p hilosophsiecnasllei kHee ideggaenrdS artre
buts implaysa na djectdievrei vfreodm 'being'. Hohweed voeers,
notc omparhei uss agwei tthh aotft hee xistenpthiiallo sophaenrds ,
hee stabliwsihte'hd o ntologiincsaeclu rait teyr'mt hahta sb ecome
veryp opulawri ths omee xistenttihaelr apibsuttds r ifpthsi lo
sophicailnal yv acuumT.h ise xamplmea y explaiwnh y Iw ould
findt hei nclusoifoa nne xpositioofLn a ingw'osr ki,n teresatnidn g
influenttihaolu gihtm ayb e,c onfusianngdm isleading.
A feww ordsa lsnoe edt ob es aiadb oumty reluctdaencti sion
nott oi nclutdheeg rouopf A mericaenx istentthiearla piwshoti sn
anyh istoorfey xi stentpisaylc hotherwaouplyd o,fc oursoec,c upy
a prominepnlta cTeh.o ugthh eayr ei nv aryidnegg reiensfl uenced
byE uropeadne velopmetnhtessy,e emt om e veryd eeplryo oted
int heiorw n philosophtriacdailt iionnw hichh umanistiacn d
pragmateilsetm enptlsa ay decisipvaer tI.tw ouldt akae s eparate
studtyo d oj ustitcote h er elation between exihsutmeanntial and
istaiscp ecotfsA merican exisptseyncthioatlh eraanpdty h,i bso ok
isn ott hep lafeo ri tI.tm usth,o wevebre,s tresstehd aAtm erican
therapihsatvsem adei mportacnotn tributiotnoms a nya specotfs
existentthiearla payn,dt hatth eibro okhsa vea greadte atlo o ffer
toa nyonien teresitnte hdi nse wt herapeauptipcr oach.
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Notes
1.T hroughotuhti bso okr eferentcoeF sr eud'wosr ka ret aken
fromt heS tandaErddi tiownh;e rep ossibtlheer, e ferefnoctreh e
Penguin volume (volumaen dp naugmerb eefre renicsae l)s o
provided.
2.N ameso,c cupatiaonndps e rsondaelt aiolfcs l iendtess criibne d
thei llustrahtaivoenb se enc hangeidn ordert o make
identifrcaitmipoons sible.
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Acknowledgements
When I wasw rititnhgi bso okI wast eachitnhge t heorayn d
practicoefe xistenptsiyaclh othertaosp tyu denattts h eS chooolf
PsychotheraanpdCy o unsellaitRn egg ent's College, London. The
Deano ft heS chooalt t het imew asP rofE.m my vanD eurzen
Smithw,h o allb uts ingle-hanpduetdt lhyi asp proacohn the
therapeumtaipc i nt hicso untry, provided oppfoorri ttusn ities
trainainndgg avei ta cademriecs pectabIit lhiatnyhk.e rf org iving
me thec hancteo g aitnh ee xperientchea ntn dsi tesxp ressiionn
thibso ok.
Ia lstoh anmky studenotvse ra numbero fy earwsh oseq ues
tionasn dc ommentkse ptm y mindo penF.u rthermoIr teh,i nk
withg ratitoufdt eh em anys timulattianlgkw si thm y colleague
ErnestSop inelMlyi s.p ecitahla nkgso t oS araYho ungw,h o not
onlgye nerouosflfye rteodp repamrye manuscrfioprpt u blication
buta lsmoa den umerouhse lpfsuulg gestions.
Abovea llh,o weverI, t hankm y friendJ ennyH ay without
whom thibso okw ouldn oth aveb eenw ritteSnh.es uggesitetid n
then rstp lace, heilttp hedr ougiht sv arious stages in many
searchidnisgc ussinoenvse,lr o shte rb eliefi tii ntn h ef acoef a ll
my doubtsa,n dw as throughouuntf ailinegnlcyo uragiTnhgi.s
booki sd edicatteohd e r.
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1
Whati Esx istePnstyicahlo therapy?
Mosfto rmosfp sychothaenrdca opuyn seulnllientsghs,eu ys ae
behavioauprparlo akcehew,pi thai fnr amewdoerrki frvoemd
psychoancaolnycteFiprcte sq.u eonfct oluyr,ts hee,ts hee rapeutic
approadcohn eosct o mpwliyt thh cel assFirceauldm ioadne -l
clieanrtneso ste efno uorrfi vet imaew se eakn dac hafiarc ing
thteh eraupsiusattl alkyte hspe l aocfet hceo ucThh.em odeolf
thousguhptp ortthitenh ge rapperuotciiecssh ,so wevaem ro,r oer
lesmso difiveedr sioofan s sumptwihoincsh easrsee ntially
psychoanalytic.
Whatis t hceo roeft hepssey choanalytic assumptions? Freud
suggestthea'dti nstinwcitsuhwaehlsi' c ahr ee xperienacse d
threataenndiu nnga ccepatrae'b rleep reisnsteaodn '' u ncon
scioaurse'oa ft hpes ycDheef. enacrebesu itlotp revetnhte ir
retuWrhne.nt hetryy t or e-enctoenrs cioutshnedeyos s soi, n
disguSiuscedh.i sguwiissehdae psp eaasdr r eamasss, y mptoms
anda sv arifooursmo sfd istubrebheadv iTohuepr s.y choanalytic
prociesss,sot os peaakd ,e -masokfdi insgg udiesseidsr ote hsa t
thecya bne a ccepitnetcdoo nscioaunsdtnh enese se fdo dri sguise
becomes reTdhuedn idsaanptp.e oafr asnycmep atnoddmi ss turb
ancdeesp enodn's m akitnhugen consccioonussc i'oWuhse'ir.de
wass,a'i Fdr eu'dt,h eergeos hablel(' 1 93830[: 2 : 112]). This
accouinsot fc ourosvee r-simbpulIti t fiheidin,tck o ntatihnes
esseonfca ep sychoanalyticatlhleyr aipnpefruootrcimeces ds .
Morer ecentthlety e r'mp sychoanalytic psychotherapy' has
beeinn trodutcode eds crainab pep rotahcabhta sietss oenlt fh e
Freudmioadne Blu.tI c onsitdheaartl t lh erapaepuptrioca ches
thacta ltlh emselves 'pshyacvhteoh deryionroa itmnpsi s cy'c ho
analyTshiets e.r' mp sychodyinsoa fmtuiescne' vd e rlyo osbeulty
thweo ridt sseulpfp oWratlsr ond-Skdienfinneiortif'op sns ycho
dynamaisc' relattoai tnhge oorfyi nteramcetinntgfa olr ces,
operatingt hwepi styhcih(ne1 '9 8267:5 p)a,r ticuilfta hrilsy
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