Overview of Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy
The nature of humanistic-existential psychotherapy can be captured in helping the clients become aware of their uniqueness, leading to a greater awareness of self-identity, the meaning of life, and the surrounding world (Binder, 2022). The therapy aims to encourage an individual’s capacity to make decisions to develop a separate personality and create strong interpersonal ties that lead to happiness. This ignores labelling and diagnosis, instead focusing on self-exploration and meaning-making. According to Binder (2022), it provides five significant steps that constitute personal growth: gaining self-understanding, developing an identity appropriate for healthy intimate relationships, seeking answers about the meaning of life, accepting common anxiety, and learning about death and nonexistence. Through these characteristics, clients can share what is unique to them, see what they find meaningful, and grow in a safe therapeutic environment. The humanistic-existential approach to psychotherapy focuses on encouraging individual development, self-directedness, and purposeful existence based on deliberate actions and genuine life.
Overview of the Holistic Therapy Approach
Holistic therapy refers to a comprehensive treatment that touches on an individual’s spirit, body, mind, and soul. This involves going deep into oneself and these dimensions with personalized psychotherapy treatments based on scientific findings. According to Hoffmann-Vold et al. (2020), Holistic therapy employs some elements of psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, breathwork, and mindfulness practices, among other therapeutic modalities that are applied in both individual and group settings. As far as dealing with physiological symptoms that are rooted in psychological factors, it is advantageous to mention mental health issues like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress management, and some existential crises. While there is a broad scope for holistic therapy, Hoffmann-Vold et al. (2020) show successes, notably in relieving body pain and negatively related emotions such as depression in diseases such as breast cancer. Holistic therapy operates in numerous ways by considering the relationship between the body and mind, often encompassing energy-based treatments. The sessions are frequent, flexible in terms of duration, and varied in terms of structure with regard to a mix of different approaches. This allows for tailor-made holistic therapy, as treatment length is adapted to an individual’s development and perceived ongoing benefits.
Differences Between Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy and Holistic Therapy
Philosophical Foundations
The philosophical foundations of Humanistic-existential psychotherapy and holistic therapy are markedly different. Humanistic-existential psychology assumes uniqueness, human development, and the search for meaning and aims towards life fulfilment. It primarily focuses on such issues as self-reflection, personal responsibility, and one’s internal state (Binder, 2022; Zieske, 2020). The philosophical differences affect the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner’s therapeutic process as they shape how PMHNPs view their patients, their desired goals for treatment, and their relationships with the clients. For those who embrace humanistic-existential psychotherapy, it may promote self-awareness and personal development (Hoffmann-Vold et al., 2020). On the other hand, practitioners opting for a holistic approach could be focused on correcting imbalances in one’s body, mind, and spirit.
Treatment Techniques
The two approaches vary in how they treat people, each using different means to treat people’s needs. These can be classified into experiential and insight-oriented approaches, including person-centred therapy (PCT), Gestalt, and existential therapies. Binder (2022) indicates that such approaches provide for a greater understanding of oneself, taking responsibility, and an opportunity to explore existential matters. Conversely, holistic therapy incorporates many therapeutic approaches, such as psychodynamic treatment, cognitive and behavioural therapy, breath work, mindfulness, and energy treatments (Hoffmann-Vold et al., 2020). Because holistic treatment covers all of these physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual areas, people develop different techniques to support its approach. The differences in treatment procedures suggest that PMHNPs make different intervention decisions depending on the client’s desires. Humanistic-existential psychology focuses on introspection and experience, whereas holistic is an all-round approach that includes cognitive, emotional, and physiological elements.
View of Mental Health and Illness
Mental health and disease, humanistic-existential psychotherapy and holistic therapy are conceived differently. Mental health is explained by humanistic, existential therapy as arising from genuine expression of the self, self-realization, and a meaningful existence. Instead, it shuns pathologizing people and emphasizes self-growth. On the other hand, holistic treatment recognizes that psychological, physical, and spiritual elements are involved in general health (Hoffmann-Vold et al., 2020). It regards the symptoms as expressions or indicators of different types of imbalance in the multiple dimensions of wellness. Assessing PMHNPs’ implication approach regarding the assessment and intervention strategies is essential. Practitioners may consider positive psychology, focusing on the clients’ inherent abilities to develop themselves. PMHNPs may utilize Holistic therapy in conducting a thorough assessment to pinpoint problems along the holism continuum, resulting in integrated interventions addressing the interrelated dimensions of health and wellness.
Application of Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy in a Video
To illustrate the application of Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy, I selected the video featuring James Bugental. The choice of humanistic-existential psychotherapy for the patient, Gina, is evident in Bugental’s commitment to the search for authenticity and the exploration of the core issues of life. As showcased in the video, the therapeutic aims revolve around attending to Gina’s current experience and giving feedback on her thoughtful conduct. In line with Zieske (2020), Bugental highlights that one should understand the implicit, explore the unstated, and venture into the client’s experience.
References
Binder, P.-E. (2022). The call of the unlived life: On the psychology of existential guilt. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.991325
Chaudhary, M. H., Dev, S., Kumari, A., Kanwal, K., Jadav, D. N., Rasool, S., Tayyab Saleem, M., Bhagat, R., Prachi, F., Puri, P., Kashif, M., Varrassi, G., Khatri, M., Kumar, S., & Mohamad, T. (2023). Holistic Approaches to Arrhythmia Management: Combining Medication, Ablation, and Device Interventions. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.45958
Hoffmann-Vold, A.-M., Allanore, Y., Bendstrup, E., Bruni, C., Distler, O., Maher, T. M., Wijsenbeek, M., & Kreuter, M. (2020). A holistic approach for SSc-ILD – achievements and ambiguity in a devastating disease is needed. Respiratory Research, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-020-01459-0
PsychotherapyNet. (2009). James Bugental Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy Video. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-B2MVr30Yw&ab_channel=PsychotherapyNet
Zieske, C. (2020). A Brief History and Overview of Existential-Phenomenological Psychology. American Journal of Undergraduate Research, 17(2), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2020.020
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