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A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Greg Madison, PhD

Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Contrary to popular belief, Existentialism did not die out along with student riots, free love, and LSD. In fact in recent years it has made a resurgence in, of all places, psychotherapy and coaching. I am an Existential Psychologist practicing in Brighton & London UK, and here I will outline how existential philosophy can form the basis of an increasingly popular approach to helping professions.

Mention the word ‘existential’ and what probably comes to mind is an atmospheric little Parisian cafe along the Left Bank of the Seine, beret-wearing depressives huddled together smoking Gitanes and pontificating about the meaning of life. It’s a stereotype from the sixties associated with the philosophy and the political antics of such notaries as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. What’s less known is that since the late 1980s there has been a resurgence of existentialism in the English-speaking world, most notably within the hotbed of North London psychotherapy society.

This so-called ‘British School’ of Existential Therapy bases its psychology on the philosophies of Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and other continental philosophers. Though each of these philosophers has something unique to say, they all stress individual responsibility, the freedom to choose our lives, and living in full awareness of the unavoidable limits to life, including of course mortality. What we decide to value and believe in life governs our conduct, allowing us to succeed and feel safe in certain ways while also creating difficulties in other areas of life. (more…)

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Greg Madison, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile.

What kind of response does ‘the community’ offer to its members who are experiencing distress? Increasingly since the 1950s, many British and North American mental health services have been devolved to the community level. This de-institutionalization is promoted as an indication that we live in progressive and caring societies. The ‘community care movement’ is based upon the idea that institutions segregate people from the rest of society and that this is unacceptable. But I wonder if the development of community care policy really is an expression of these laudable intentions. As I will suggest later, the tragic shooting deaths in Dunblane Scotland in 1996 offer a bleak backdrop for confronting the lack of care in our communities and our attitudes towards our fellow citizens who are psychologically distressed. (more…)

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Greg Madison, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile.

In this article I would like to suggest that the time has come for psychotherapy to begin to contemplate the future. Not from the standpoint of current theory and contemporary debates regarding research and practice, arguments that are thickly stewed in mental health politics and the profit considerations of private health companies. Rather, I believe that psychotherapists may need to consider their professional role from a future point of view in order to contemplate what function, if any, we should have in the biotechnological revolution forecast to commence within the next few decades. If the futurists are correct, then ten years from now the most intractable issues that mental health professionals grapple with today will in retrospect be totally superfluous.

The world is bracing for an exponential advance in technologies that are predicted to fundamentally alter the very nature of human beings. If the profession of psychotherapy is to remain relevant, I think we must begin to prepare for this revolution. It is possible that in the not too distant future our clients will be presenting issues of deep unease and unbelievable excitement about the inscrutable new choices they will face in this post-human future. As therapists we have a responsibility, I believe, to hear these concerns within the context of their far-reaching psychological, ethical, and spiritual ramifications. (more…)

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Greg Madison, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Leaving home can be a traumatic and exciting experience, especially if we are leaving to live in a foreign country. Research into the experiences of voluntary migrants has unexpectedly revealed that some of these people are actually using migration to express a deeply felt existential need. These ‘existential migrants’ discover more about themselves and feel more alive when confronting unfamiliar cultures. But by repeatedly exposing themselves to a vast range of different people and foreign places they can consequently end up living with a feeling of not being at home anywhere. (more…)

GoodTherapy.org is pleased to introduce “The Human Being of Therapy,” a new column written by GT Member Greg Madison, Ph.D. Greg’s first contribution to “The Human Being of Therapy” is “Existential Migration,” which can be found by clicking here. Please enjoy Greg’s column and feel free to add your comments at the bottom of his article by clicking on the “comments” link.

We’ll let you know when our other featured columnists begin their new series at GoodTherapy.org. Here are some of the columns to expect in the next few weeks:

Ethics in Psychotherapy by Cedar Barstow, M.Ed., C.H.T.

Integrating Spirituality & Psychotherapy by John Rhead, Ph.D.

Collaboration and Nonpathology in Psychotherapy by Noah Rubinstein, LMFT

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Greg Madison, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

“The Human Being of Therapy” is a column that explores topics from the point of view of the common existential dilemmas that we all grapple with in life. These brief articles emphasize a democratic client-therapist relationship in which both people open up to their struggles to meet and connect, and their failures to do so. Also, more general topics about psychotherapy and modern life will be presented in an attempt to understand their deeper significance. Topics will range from the impact of therapist self-disclosure to the significance of moving to another culture, from discussions of research in psychotherapy to a whimsical exploration of a human future not limited by mortality. The column will take a stance that diverges from contemporary society’s emphasis on ’scientific knowledge’ and the tendency to view life experiences as diseases to be cured.

©Copyright 2008 Greg Madison, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish granted to GoodTherapy.org. The following article was solely written and edited by the author named above. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry. Click here to contact Greg and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile