Co-experiencing psychotherapy explained in a dialogue

ABSTRACT

Co-experiencing psychotherapy was developed in Russia by Fyodor Vasilyuk and his colleagues after an impactful encounter with Carl Rogers. Through an interview with Jeffrey Cornelius-White, with Fedor Shankov serving as translator and later contributor after Vasilyuk’s death, the ideology and methodology of co-experiencing psychotherapy is explored. Fyodor Vasilyuk addresses the phenomenology of co-experiencing therapy as well as its relationship to both cultural-historical psychology and person-centered psychotherapy. He describes the concepts of his approach as well as the importance of the synchronous relationship between the client and therapist in overcoming crises along with a comparison of other anthropological practices’ conceptualizations of human experiences. The interview closes with Shankov’s accounts of personal experiences with Vasilyuk, honoring his legacy of creativity as a person, bravery to live daringly, and for developing a humanistic approach founded on Russian psychological traditions.

L’expérience de la co-thérapie expliquée sous forme de dialogue

L’expérience de la co-thérapie a été développée en Russie par Fyodor Vasilyuk et par ses collègues suite à une rencontre déterminante avec Carl Rogers. Le système et la méthodologie de l’expérience de la co-thérapie sont explorés au travers d’une interview avec Jeffrey Cornelius-White et Fedor Shankov agissant comme traductrice puis ensuite, après le décès de la Fyodor Vasilyuk, comme contributrice. Fyodor Vasilyuk aborde la phénoménologie de l’expérience de la co-thérapie aussi bien en relation avec la psychologie dans son contexte culturel et historique qu’avec la psychothérapie centrée sur la personne. Elle décrit aussi bien les concepts de cette approche que l’importance de la relation ajustée entre le client et le thérapeute dans le dépassement des crises et en propose une comparaison avec d’autres conceptualisations anthropologiques pratiques de l’expérience humaine. L’interview se termine avec des récits d’expérience personnelle de la Fedor Shankov avec Vasilyuk, rendant hommage à l’héritage de sa créativité en tant que personne, à son courage d’avoir vécu avec audace et saluant le développement d’une approche humaniste reposant sur les traditions psychologiques russes.

Miterlebende Psychotherapie, in einem Dialog erklärt

Miterlebende Psychotherapie wurde von Fyodor Vasilyuk und seinen Kollegen nach einem eindrücklichen Encounter mit Carl Rogers in Russland entwickelt. Mit Hilfe eines Interviews mit Jeffrey Cornelius-White, bei dem Fedor Shankov als Übersetzende und später ‐ nach dem Tod von Fyodor Vasilyuk ‐ als Beitragende fungierte, wird die Theorie und Methodologie der miterlebenden Psychotherapie erforscht. Fyodor Vasilyuk spricht sowohl die Phänomenologie der miterlebenden Psychotherapie an als auch ihre Beziehung zur kulturhistorischen Psychologie sowie zur Personzentrierten Psychotherapie. Er beschreibt sowohl die Konzepte seines Ansatzes als auch die Wichtigkeit einer synchronen Beziehung zwischen der Klient- und Therapeut-Person, damit man Krisen überwinden kann; dazu kommt noch ein Vergleich von Konzeptualisierungen menschlicher Erfahrungen anhand von anderen anthropologischen Praktiken. Das Interview endet mit dem Bericht von Fedor Shankov über persönliche Erfahrungen mit Fyodor Vasilyuk und ehrt sein schöpferisches Vermächtnis als Person, seine Tapferkeit, mutig zu leben und sowie das Verdienst, einen humanistischen Ansatz entwickelt zu haben, der auf russischen psychologischen Traditionen begründet ist.

Terapia de co-experienciação explicada num diálogo

La psicoterapia Co experiencianda fue desarrollada en Rusia por Fyodor Vasilyuk y sus colegas despues de un impactante encuentro con Carl Rogers. Mediante una entrevista con Jeffrey Cornelius-White y Fedor Shankov sirviendo de traductor y luegp contribuyendo despues de muerte de Fyodor Vasilyuk, se explora la ideologia y metodologia de la psicoterapia co experienciada. Fyodor Vasilyuk se dirige a la fenomenologia de la terapia co experienciada asi como tambien a su relacion con ambas, la psicologia historica cultural y la psicoterapia centrada en la persona. El describe los conceptos de su enfoque asi como tambien la importancia de la relacion sincronica entre el cliente y el terapeuta para sobrellevar crisis con una comparacion de otras practicas antropologicas conceptualizandas de la experiemcia humana. La entrevista cierra con el relato de Fedor Shankov de su experiencia personal con Vasilyuk, honrando su legado de creatividad como una persona, su valentia de vivir atrevidamente, y por desarrollar un enfoque humanistico basado en tradiciones psicologicas Rusas.

La psicoterapia Co experiencianda explicada en un dialogo

A terapia de co-experienciação foi desenvolvida na Rússia pela Fyodor Vasilyuk e seus colegas após um encontro de grande impacto com Carl Rogers. É explorada aideologia e a metodologia da psicoterapia de co-experienciação através de uma entrevista com Jeffrey Cornelius-White e com Fedor Shankov a fazer de tradutor e mais tarde de contributo após a morte da Fyodor Vasilyuk. Fyodor Vasilyuk aborda a fenomenologia da terapia da co-experienciação bem como as suas relações com a psicologia histórico-cultural e a psicoterapia centrada na pessoa. Ele descreve os conceitos da sua abordagem, assim como a importância de relações sincrónicas entre cliente e terapeuta. A entrevista termina com o relato da Fedor Shankov sobre a sua experiência pessoal com Vasilyuk, honrando o seu legado de criatividade em pessoa, coragem de viver de forma ousada e desenvolver uma abordagem humanista com base nas tradições russas da Psicologia.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-experiencing
• experiential therapy
• Fyodor Vasilyuk
• person-centered approach
• interview
• Vygotsky
• Rogers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fyodor Vasilyuk

Fyodor Vasilyuk was a professor, doctor of psychology, leading researcher at the Laboratory of counseling psychology and psychotherapy at Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, founder and head of the department of individual and group psychotherapy at Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, founder and president of the Russian Association for Co-experiencing Psychotherapy, founder and chief editor of the Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy Journal. He published over 100 works, 3 books on methodology of psychology and psychotherapy, co-experiencing psychotherapy and related subjects.

Jeffrey Cornelius-White

Jeffrey Cornelius-White is Professor of Counseling at Missouri State University. He is a co-editor of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies and a former chair of the Board of the World Association for Person-Centered Psychotherapy and Counseling. He has published over 100 works, including several authored and edited book collections on person-centered counseling, education, and interdisciplinary studies, and multicultural issues in psychology and related fields.

Fedor Shankov

Fedor Shankov is a researcher at the Laboratory of Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy at Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, first category psychologist at the Supervision sector of Moscow Service for Psychological Help to Population, member of the Russian Association for Co-experiencing Psychotherapy. He is now finishing his dissertation on spiritual coping, also works on elaboration of the co-experiencing psychotherapy and legacy of his mentor, professor Fyodor Vasilyuk.