Yaloms Perspective of Existential Therapy Essay - 1094 Words

Yaloms Perspective of Existential Therapy Existential therapy through the eyes of Dr. Yalom is very fascinating. There is never a fixed life that each person is supposed to live. In his therapy the clients are allowed to find out for themselves what it is they need by receiving adequate questioning from Dr. Yalom. His questioning guides them down the existential path to freedom and responsibility. If we affirm life and live in the present as fully as possible, however, we will not be obsessed with the end of life(Corey p.153). This is the way of thinking for the existential theorist when it comes to patients who deal with death anxiety. Dr. Yalom dealt with this issue when he did a study on bereavement. He put an ad in the†¦show more content†¦She told him that she never actually let herself believe that her daughter was going to die, even though it was as plain as day. And because of that, she never dealt with the real issues with her daughter. After several meetings Penny was finally able to see her own li fe and how this guilt she had was causing problems for the rest of the family. She had two sons. After finding out that neither of them lived at home, Dr. Yalom asked how Penny felt about it. This opened up doors for Penny and allowed her to take responsibility for the things in life that she could control. In the end, she had a good understanding of death and therefore was able to live life more fully by getting both kids back into the home and rejoining the family. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. We are put in certain situations that we have no control over, but we also have a choice in that situation as to what direction we are going to go. The ability to make that choice is freedom and going in the right direction, the one that benefits humanity and us is the responsible choice. This topic brings us to the chapter Fat Lady. In this chapter Dr. Yalom treats a woman by the name of Betty. This woman walked into his office for the first time weighing 250 lbs. She was not only overweight, but she was very depressed as well. This was a hard case for Dr. Yalom because he had neverShow MoreRelatedEssay about Reflection on Love’s Executioner1694 Words   |  7 Pagessuicide, I think I may be intimidated not only by her demands, but by the twenty years of therapy she had before seeking treatment. Thelma, hesitantly, decides on giving therapy one last try as she cannot seem to move passed on being obsessed over Matthew. (Yalom, 2000) Yalom states his goals of therapy and what she can expect. 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He tells her that it is not going to be easy and that its wil l take dedication in therapy to get her to realize that her obsession is based on the power she has given to MatthewRead MoreExistential Humanistic Counselling, And The Role Of Bracketing2269 Words   |  10 PagesThe Phenomenological Focus of Existential-Humanistic Counselling, and the Role of Bracketing A phenomenological focus in existential counselling relates to the degree in which a therapist attempts to stay with the lived experiences of the client (Spinelli, 1989). The phenomenological method, as explained by Spinelli (1989), has a foundation of three main rules to guide the therapist. The first rule of ‘epoche’, recommends putting aside any prejudices and biases, as well as expectations or pre-conceivedRead MoreLoves Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy2265 Words   |  10 Pagescould get back together. She has been obsessed about it, and even though she has seen other doctors before Dr. Yalom, this is the first time she is talking about Mathew to somebody else. Thelma Hilton seeks therapy once again after a failed suicide attempt and almost twenty years of therapy without any satisfactory results for her severe depression, with an underlying condition for the last eight years, of obsessive compulsive behavior towards her â€Å"relationship with one of her therapists name Mathew