Introduction
Professional therapy is a technique that has substantially gained ground over other therapeutic solutions used to address individuals’ distress and mental health issues. While some approaches focus on altering attitudes, others target individuals’ behaviors. The methods help individuals come to terms with life and improve their perspectives by targeting their mental processes through different approaches. Thus, existential and psychoanalytic therapies have differences and similarities in their practices, but both aim to achieve the patient’s mental well-being goal.
History and Development
Psychoanalytic therapy is an in-depth mental health treatment solution that aims to bring deeply buried thoughts and unconscious feelings or emotions to the consciousness. The technique dates back to the late 20th century, as it was adopted from the psychoanalytic theory developed in the 1890s by Sigmund Freud (Kapsambelis, 2019). In turn, existential therapy emerged during the third decade of the 20th century based on the philosophies of Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche (Van Deurzen & Arnold-Baker, 2018). It heavily borrows from psychoanalysis concepts and philosophy and has significantly advanced using guidelines from these fields. It seeks to answer life’s toughest questions and push individuals toward reconciling their existence. Although the purposes of the techniques differ, the history of their development includes the origins of psychoanalysis.
Key Concepts and Assumptions
Psychoanalytic therapy is an approach that investigates the implications of the unconscious mind on individuals, thoughts, emotions, feelings, and habits. Psychoanalytic therapy is based on the concept that human actions are influenced by intrinsic factors and biological drives that are not always within reach (Peterfreund, 2020). Psychoanalytic therapy practitioners assume that individuals suffer from inner conflicts due to experiences and hidden emotions in their subconscious minds. Existential therapy associates an individual’s problems with their experiences and conflicts (Ziaee et al., 2022). Overall, the general concept is that both methods are based on investigating unconscious and past traumas.
Therapeutic Goals
Considering the key concepts and assumptions, the ultimate therapeutic goal of psychoanalysis is to uncover and address the issues to enhance well-being. Existential therapy has the same therapeutic goals as psychoanalytic, which include helping people recognize the implications of their choices, find a purpose, overcome fear, and minimize anxiety. Hence, the method seeks to enhance individuals’ mental stability and improve their living standards. Both approaches aim to improve the patient’s psychological state through distinguished techniques.
Therapeutic Role and Functions
Psychoanalysis is a concept that taps deep into an individual’s inner being to understand the underlying causes of certain insecurities or behaviors. Subsequently, psychologists can apply this technique to manage anxiety, depression, trauma, identity problems, self-assertion challenges, and low self-esteem (Safran & Hunter, 2020). The existential method has some of the mentioned functions but concentrates more on the present situations and the relation of the trauma to the current problem. Therefore, the role of both approaches is to uncover the issues and allow a patient to acknowledge, deal with, and resolve present problems.
Therapeutic Relationships
The therapeutic relationship in the case of psychoanalytic therapy consists of a working alliance, transference, and transparent communication between the practitioner and the patient. Existential therapy functions by altering an individual’s perception of themselves to help them adapt to environmental conditions that are implicit in existence (Whitehead, 2018). The role of the existential therapeutic approach is to limit people’s anxiety and enhance their social, spiritual, and psychological awareness (Heidenreich et al., 2021). The therapeutic relationship in existential therapy involves mutual respect and the pursuit of meaning, authenticity, and uniqueness.
Therapeutic Techniques Applied in Cases
Psychologists, through psychoanalytic therapy, adopt various techniques depending on the issues being addressed. The major psychoanalytic approaches include dream interpretation, free association, and transference. Dreams are perceived as a gateway to the unconscious mind, while free association involves freely sharing thoughts as they come to mind. Transference is a stage reached when a patient can appropriately project their feelings towards people or memories. However, Peterfreund (2020) suggests that the success of psychoanalytic therapy depends on an individual’s ability to confront triggering and stressful experiences. The treatment will be productive if a person is willingly ready to face the trauma.
The Extent of Evidence Base
There are information and data on the evidence of the methods’ valid results. Several research resources support that the techniques effectively manage mental health conditions like depression, trauma, and substance abuse (Woll & Schönbrodt, 2020). The therapeutic methods adopted in existential therapy include listening to a patient, talking, and answering their questions. The sessions can last for several weeks and months, depending on the program’s goals (Heidenreich et al., 2021). Existential and psychoanalytical therapy is reliable in managing depression, stress, and anxiety disorders
Strengths and Limitations
Psychoanalytic therapy exhibits a range of benefits, especially when integrated with other psychotherapy approaches. Its main strengths include focusing on inner emotions, past experiences, and interpersonal relationships. However, critics argue that the course emphasizes impossible attributes to measure and quantify, including aggression, childhood experiences, sex, and the unconscious mind (Bernardi et al., 2021). Existential therapy is appraised for its ability to empower individuals and encourage critical decisions, conscious choices, and self-preservation (Whitehead, 2018). However, many argue that the approach is highly intellectual, which is ineffective in individuals who cannot thoroughly examine their nature.
Conclusion
Psychoanalytic and existential therapy are versatile counseling techniques that allow individuals to actively engage in the treatment process and achieve self-motivated behavioral changes. Despite the difference, their origins come from psychoanalysis, and both approaches aim to improve the patient’s psychological state through distinguished techniques. The therapeutic relationship involves mutual respect and the pursuit of meaning to achieve goals, uncover issues, and allow a patient to acknowledge, deal with, and resolve present problems. Although the approaches’ attributes may be tough to evaluate precisely, much evidence demonstrated how the techniques such as free interpretation contributed to mental health improvement.
References
Bernardi, R., Suquilvide, L. P., & Hanly, C. (2021). Assessing strengths and limitations of clinical evidence in a psychoanalytic clinical material. In change through time in psychoanalysis (pp. 281-305). Routledge.
Heidenreich, T., Noyon, A., Worrell, M., & Menzies, R. (2021). Existential approaches and cognitive behavior therapy: Challenges and potential. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 14(1), 209-234.
Kapsambelis, V. (2019). Psychoanalytic approaches to psychotic disorders in a public mental health system. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 35(4), 577-585.
Peterfreund, E. (2020). The process of psychoanalytic therapy: Models and strategies. Routledge.
Safran, J. D., & Hunter, J. (2020). Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapies. American Psychological Association.
Van Deurzen, E., & Arnold-Baker, C. (2018). Existential therapy: Distinctive features. Routledge.
Whitehead, P. M. (2018). Existential health psychology (and what it isn’t). Society for Humanistic Psychology, 22-25.
Woll, C. F. J., & Schönbrodt, F. D. (2020). A series of meta-analytic tests of the efficacy of long- term psychoanalytic psychotherapy. European Psychologist, 25(1), 51.
Ziaee, A., Nejat, H., Amarghan, H. A., & Fariborzi, E. (2022). Existential therapy versus acceptance and commitment therapy for feelings of loneliness and irrational beliefs in male prisoners. European Journal of Translational Myology, 32(1). Web.