Spiritual/Existential

Spiritual/Existential Therapy is a treatment approach that, by definition, takes into account the very nature of the human condition. This approach posits that our lives are brief and precious, and proposes that a frank engagement of meaning in one's life can be deeply liberating.

Spiritual/Existential Therapy is a fusion of contemporary psychotherapy with more time-worn notions found in traditional religious literature. The Christian "dark night of the soul," the Jewish Mussar Movement and the Buddhist approach to attachment are a few such examples in religious practice. Spiritual/Existential treatment does not promote a particular spiritual solution to psychiatric disorders, but rather address psychological defenses and pathology from the standpoint of their meaning, with an openness to the unknown.

Treatment with a Spiritual/Existential therapist may be quite traditional. For instance, medication or cognitive therapy may be required for a depressive disorder that has proved to interfere with daily functioning. Guided imagery may be useful for a patient in a life transition (work, marriage, divorce, midlife or illness) who might benefit from discovering the power of her imagination. As in traditional psychoanalytic work, a careful examination of the patient's family, 'here and now' analysis and transference interpretation can all be helpful therapeutic tools.

Spiritual/Existential Therapy will also take a strong look at the nature of meaning for the patient - meaning that often has its origins in childhood. This approach might ask, What are the narratives of meaning that the client had at home or in her religious life, and do they work anymore? As an existential treatment the client is challenged to create an "edge" of growth and take some risks outside the confines of the treatment room.

The client may be encouraged to read, meet or experience the vitality of other traditions and narratives. Alternatively, she may develop a spiritual practice from within her own religious tradition. Some clients reject traditional religious traditions altogether and find meaning in experiences such as service, self care, the physical body or writing. Often, a client will take on a teacher in order to increase her insight into spiritual matters; this in turn becomes material for therapeutic dialogue. How this is done, without unduly influencing the patient to live out a narrative constructed by the therapist, is the stuff of therapy.