History & philosophy - The Society for Existential Analysis was founded in 1988 by
Emmy Van Deurzen and has since developed and attracted considerable interest and
respect both from within the United Kingdom as well as Internationally.
The Society is organised through an Executive Committee. Members of this committee
are elected by the membership of the Society at the Annual General Meeting AGM.
The members of the Society comprise a network of professionals and students (i.e.
Psychologists, Counsellors, Psychotherapists and others) who have an interest in
the human condition. Particular emphasis is given to the development and dissemination
of Existential and Phenomenological ideas within the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
The Society holds an Annual Conference, regular Forums and Discussion groups. It
publishes its own bi-annual peer reviewed Journal with an international readership
and provides up to three Newsletters a year for its members – the Hermeneutic Circular.
Through its activities and publications, the Society provides an International focus
for the promotion and practice of Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy and the
application of Existential Philosophy and Phenomenology within the world of therapy.
The Society actively encourages debate and research into the development of Existential
– Phenomenology.
The society is a member of the International Federation of Daseinsanalysis and is
a registering organisation of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
Existential ideas have a lineage that can be traced far back into the history of
philosophy and even into man’s pre-philosophical attempts to attain a fundamental
self-understanding.
The Existential approach to Psychotherapy has been recognised in Europe since the
early 1920’s. In the UK the Society has, since 1988, served as the principal organisation
uniting therapists who practice Existential Psychotherapy. While many of its practitioners
see it as a form of 'depth analysis' - the approach having much in common with Psychodynamic,
Humanistic, Experiential, Relational and even contemporary Cognitive Behavioural
(CBT) approaches – most of its central concepts have been developed as alternatives
to Psychoanalytic ideas.
The Existential emphasis upon ‘relational existence' challenges linear concepts and
assumptions about personal development, the nature of the 'self' as well as thinking
about the past, present and future – the Existential approach having parallels and
links with contemporary thinking in quantum physics – especially in relation to issues
of human uncertainty and the possibility of achieving such a thing as absolute truth.
The Existential-Phenomenological approach emphasises the 'unfolding' nature of our
awareness of being and what it is to exist.
Those involved in the world of Existential Analysis often embody a range of philosophical
stances – each developing perspectives about existence that have evolved from many
years of philosophical study, professional practice and reflection on life’s rich
tapestry. The list of Philosophical texts that has informed the development of the
science and art of Existential Analysis seems practically inexhaustible – however,
to begin with, below you will find a brief introduction to some of the key ancient
philosophers and Existential thinkers of the last few centuries that continue to
inform the development of Existential Analysis and some of their main ideas:
Heraclitus of Ephesus (ca. 535 - 475 BCE)
Socrates (circa 470 - 399 BCE)
Soren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855)
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)
Edmund Husserl (1859 - 1938)
Martin Buber (1875 - 1965)
Ludwig Binswanger (1881 – 1966)
Karl Jaspers (1883 - 1969)
Paul Tillich (1886 - 1965)
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 - 1951)
Gabriel Marcel (1889 - 1973)
Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976)
Medard Boss (1903 – 1990)
Jean – Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980)
Victor Emil Frankl (1905 – 1997)
Maurice Merleau – Ponty (1907 – 1961)
Rollo May (1909 – 1994)
Albert Camus (1913 – 1960)
Ronald David Laing (1927 – 1989)
Irvin David Yalom (1931)
Heraclitus of Ephesus (ca. 535 - 475 BCE): A Pre-Socratic Ionian philosopher, a native
of Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor (today’s coast of Turkey) - Heraclitus is recognized
as one of the earliest dialectical philosophers with his acknowledgment of the universality
of change, and development through internal contradictions. He is famous for (allegedly)
expressing the notion that no man can enter the same river twice: "We both step and
do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not." Emphasising that the true nature
of everything is continual change itself – everything is in ‘flux’. Heraclitus was
the first person in the Western world to create a robust philosophical system. His
writings influenced the thought of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the modern process
philosophy.
Socrates (circa 470 - 399 BCE): Ancient Greek philosopher – Socrates is widely credited
for laying the foundation for Western philosophy, and is held as its most influential
practitioner. The most important source of information concerning Socrates is Plato.
Plato's dialogues portray Socrates as a teacher who denies having disciples, as a
man of reason who obeys a divine voice in his head, and a pious man who is executed
for the state's own expediency. Socrates disparages the pleasures of the senses,
yet is excited by beauty. His most important contribution to Western thought is his
dialectic method of inquiry, known as the ‘Socratic Method’. Socrates seems to have
often said that his wisdom was limited to an awareness of his own ignorance. Socrates
may have believed that wrongdoing was a consequence of ignorance. The one thing Socrates
consistently claimed to have knowledge of was "the art of love" which he connected
with the concept of "the love of wisdom", i.e., philosophy.
Soren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855): Danish Philosopher – Theologian - Father of modern
Existentialism – placed great emphasis on subjective truth - the importance of personal
thoughts, feelings and the necessity of taking a ‘leap of faith’ - the kinds of faith
that the existence of God is dependent upon, but that also often occurs in being
able to move from where we are in the present to where we want to be in the future
– this often being a matter of faith.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900): German Philosopher - Argued against society’s
mediocrity - championing those people courageous enough to seize the moment and to
become all that they are able to be - leading Nietzsche to the concept of the Ubermensch
- the ‘Superman’ who lives by his or her own values, morals and beliefs in the pursuit
of passion and power. His resurrection and reinterpretation of the ‘eternal recurrence’
– the idea that every moment that is lived is destined, ultimately, to be relived
again and again for all eternity – has clear implications for the choices that determine
our futures.
Edmund Husserl (1859 - 1938): German Philosopher – Known as the father of Phenomenology,
giving weight to the argument for a science of subjective experience as the source
of all our knowledge of objective phenomena. Phenomenology is the reflective study
of the essence of consciousness as experienced from the first – person point of view.
In order to better understand the world of appearances and objects, Phenomenology
attempts to identify the invariant features of how objects, or phenomena, are perceived.
In doing this Phenomenology sheds light on the way that the assumptions and presuppositions
we hold about reality informs and colours the attributions we make about the things
that we perceive. Husserl’s Phenomenological slogan – ‘All consciousness is consciousness
of something’.
Martin Buber (1875 - 1965): German Philosopher and Jewish Religious Thinker – Emphasised
the importance of the relational nature of human existence – creating the term ‘I-thou’
to refer to a state of being where the people we are in relation with are given equal
status; where people are treated as ends in themselves and not as a means to achieving
some end – ‘I-It’. In short, others are not to be treated like objects but with empathy,
as if they were part of our own being.
Ludwig Binswanger (1881 – 1966): Swiss Psychiatrist – A colleague and friend of Sigmund
Freud, Binswanger is considered the first physician to combine psychotherapy with
existentialism, a theory he expounded in his 1943 book ‘Grundformen und Erkenntnis
menschlichen Daseins’.
Karl Jaspers (1883 - 1969): German Psychiatrist - Philosopher – Points out that as
we question reality, we encounter ‘boundary situations’ that natural scientific perspectives
cannot transcend. It is at the limit of human knowing that we are forced to take
a leap of faith – we are faced with what Jaspers termed: Existenz – as we confront
our limitless freedom of possibilities and finally experience what it is to be an
authentic living being.
Paul Tillich (1886 - 1965): German Protestant Theologian – Emphasised the importance
of having the courage to be in the face of the anxiety of non-being inherent in our
lived experience. In our most introspective moments we have the potential to experience
the terror of our own nothingness – our finite existence and our mortality. Tillich
argues that as humans we feel alienated because we are separated from the essence
of being – in that being human we cannot ever experience the essence of being, although
we may well be able to imagine such an essence – such as perfection or God.
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 - 1951): Austrian Philosopher – Wittgenstein, who spent
a great deal of his life in Cambridge UK, is known for his contribution to Existential
thought through his treatise on language. Although not necessarily thought of as
an existentialist – his approach to philosophical enquiry reflects the close descriptive
quality of the discipline of phenomenology. In his works Wittgenstein asks the reader
to think of language and its uses as a multiplicity of ‘language-games’ within which
the parts of language function, and have meaning, and this understanding will help
to dissolve the problems of philosophy. This view of language represents what many
consider 'meaning as representation'. Wittgenstein argues that these "problems" are,
in fact, "bewitchments" that arise from the philosophers' misuse of language. He
emphasises that the meaning of words are their use in languages. The implications
of his observations for psychotherapy are enormous, posing a direct challenge to
mainstream notions of mental illness, and are proving influential for generations
of Existential Psychotherapists.
Gabriel Marcel (1889 - 1973): French Philosopher – Believed to have coined the term
Existentialism. Marcel emphasised the mysteriousness and immensurability of existence,
and the importance of fidelity and openness to the possibility of ‘communion’ with
others – as well as emphasising the primacy of hope. Marcel’s philosophy still has
relevance in our modern technological world – it emphasises the importance of maintaining
our subjective worlds, our individuality, in the face of the annihilating pressures
from scientific materialism.
Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976): German Philosopher – Generally thought of as one
of the most influential of existential thinkers. Most well known for his phenomenological
investigation of being and for his concept of Dasein – the Being for whom being is
a concern. Heidegger’s early works focused on the ability to face existential anxiety,
guilt and death. His later works focus more on human ‘dwelling’ – on our embodiment
in language and in our maintaining openness towards being.
Medard Boss (1903 – 1990): Swiss Psychoanalytic Psychiatrist – He developed the type
of psychotherapy known as Daseinsanalysis under the influence of his friend and mentor
Martin Heidegger (see above). He organised a series of philosophical seminars – Zollikon
Seminars - at his home that where delivered by the latter and addressed to Boss’
fellow psychiatrists, conducted between 1959 and 1969. Well-known for his theory
on Existential dream analysis.
Jean – Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980): French Philosopher, novelist, playwright and social
critic – Probably best well known for his emphasis on the unavoidable responsibility
that comes from being ‘condemned to be free’ – with all the angst, meaningless and
‘nausea’ that existence and freedom evokes. Issues involving choice play a central
role in Sartre’s philosophy – human morality itself being derived from the necessity
to choose. Sartre stated: ‘hell is other people’. Sartre argues that consciousness
is conscious of consciousness being transcendent for itself.
Victor Emil Frankl (1905 – 1997): Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist and Holocaust
survivor – The founder of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. Emphasised the strength
that can be drawn from spiritual life - helping people to adapt and to survive even
the worst imaginable experiences by developing and dwelling in the spiritual dimension
of experience - where we search for ultimate meaning.
Maurice Merleau – Ponty (1907 – 1961): French Philosopher – Brings the body to the
forefront of philosophy, emphasising the embodied nature of human existence. Our
perception of reality being coloured by our intensions – our bodily perceptions having
an active dimension that is shaped by our primordial openness to the context of our
existence. Revealing that our bodies shape, not only, our perception, but speech,
language, sexuality and our relations with others.
Rollo May (1909 – 1994): American Existential Psychologist – an important influence
on Humanistic Psychology, May was adamant to convey the message that the therapist
working with a client must participate in the world of the client and with this basic
motivation. May wrote that “the existential movement in psychiatry and psychology
arose precisely out of a passion to be not less but more ‘empirical’ - from the Greek
empeiria, meaning experiential.
Albert Camus (1913 – 1960): French novelist and Philosopher – known for rejecting
any association to ideologies - including existentialism. Camus emphasised the absurdity
of human existence being the first truth – Camus suggests: ‘always go too far, because
that’s where you’ll find the truth’ and ‘I rebel; therefore we exist.’ Camus presents
us with the dualisms of life and death, where we value life so greatly while at some
level acknowledging that we must ultimately die – at which point all our endeavours
become meaningless. Camus explores the possibility of creating meaning in a meaningless
world – and challenged us to look at the paradoxes that are inherent with life.
Ronald David Laing (1927 – 1989): British Psychiatrist – born in Glasgow, Laing is
associated with the anti-psychiatry movement and known for his published work on
the experience of mental illness, especially psychosis. Laing is noted for taking
the expressions or communications of the individual patient or client as representing
valid descriptions of lived experience or reality rather than as symptoms of some
separate or underlying disorder. In 1965 he founded the Philadelphia Association
in London UK, a charity concerned with the understanding and relief of mental suffering.
Irvin David Yalom (1931): American Psychiatrist and novelist – is Emeritus Professor
of Psychiatry at Stanford University, an existentialist, and accomplished psychotherapist.
The author of many books e.g. ‘The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy’ (1970,
1975, 2005), ‘Existential Psychotherapy’ (1980), ‘Love's Executioner and Other Tales
of Psychotherapy’ (1989), ‘When Nietzsche Wept’ (1992), Yalom popularized existential
thinking to a wider audience.
Please feel free to contact us if you require any further information about the History
& Philosophy of the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA) or would like to provide
feedback about any of the content on this website:
info@existentialanalysis.co.uk
