Existential psychotherapy and the therapeutics of activism^*

* This paper was presented at the 22nd Conference of the North American Sartre Society, Existentialism and Engagement: The History and Future of Existentialism, University of North Carolina Wilmington, November 5th 2016.

Abstract

This paper considers the socio-political perspectives of Sartre, de Beauvoir and Fanon and their relationship to existential psychotherapy practice. It argues that their existential analyses of oppression must play a greater part in informing existential psychotherapeutic practice and pedagogy. In this current neo-liberal political age, in which therapy is increasingly being utilised as a form of psychological coercion and mystification, an understanding of the structures and systems of alienation and oppression that construct experience must translate to a broadening therapeutic concern beyond individual to social change. The author suggests that engaging with a politics of alienation and actively responding to the oppressive social conditions which generate distress and marginalisation should be intrinsic to existential psychotherapy practitioners and their representing institutions.

Dieser Aufsatz erwägt die sozio-politischen Perspektiven von Satre, de Beauvoir und Fanon und deren Beziehung zur existentiellen Praxis der Psychotherapie. Es diskutiert, dass deren existentielle Analyse der Oppression, in der Exstientieller Analyse, sowie in der existentiellen Psychotherapie, eine groesse Role spiele muss. In dieser momentanen neo-lieberalen politischen Zeit, in der Therapie als Zwang und Taeuschung dargestellt wird, muss ein VerstÄndniss der Strukturen und Systeme der Entfremdung und Unterdrueckung uebersetzt werden, und muss zu einem weitgehenden therapeutischen Anliegen werden, und weiter als individualler und sozialler Wechsel. Der Schriftsteller schlaegt vor, dass eine Verbindung mit der Politik der Entfremdung instrinsik sein sollte fuer alle existentiellen gewandten Psychotherapeuten und deren vertretenden Organisationen, diese sollten aktiv Antwort leisten zu der Bedrueckung der sozialen Umstaende, die Stress und Ausgrenzung hervorbringen

Este artículo considera las perspectivas socio-políticas de Sartre, S. de Beauvoir y Fanon y su relación con la práctica de la psicoterapia existencial. Se discute que su análisis existencial de la oppresión debe jugar un papel importante en informar la práctica de la psicoterapia existencial y su pedagogía.En la época actual de neo-liberalismo politico en la cual la psicoterapia es utilizada como coerción y mistificación, la comprensión de las estructuras y sistemas de alienación y oppresión que construyen la experiencia, debe traducirse en una preocupación terapéutica mas amplia y desde el cambio individual hacia el cambio social. La autora sugiere un compromiso con políticas de alienación y una respuesta activa hacia las condiciones sociales opresivas que generan angustia y marginalización, el cual debe ser intrínseco a los profesionales de la psicoterapia existencial y a las instituciones que los representan

Questo documento prende in considerazione le prospettive socio-politiche di Sartre, de Beauvoir e Fanon in rapporto alla pratica di psicoterapia esistenziale. Si sostiene che le loro analisi esistenziali dell'oppressione dovrebbero assumere una maggiore rilevanza nella pratica psicoterapeutica esistenziale e nella pedagogia. Nell’attuale era politica neoliberale, in cui la terapia viene sempre più utilizzata come forma di coercizione psicologica e mistificazione, la comprensione delle strutture e dei sistemi di alienazione e oppressione che costruiscono l'esperienza deve tradursi in una preoccupazione terapeutica che va oltre il cambiamento individuale e sociale. L'autore suggerisce che impegnarsi con una politica di alienazione e rispondere attivamente alle oppressioni sociali che generano angoscia ed emarginazione dovrebbe essere intrinseco ai professionisti della psicoterapia esistenziale e alle istituzioni da loro rappresentate

Cet article considère les perspectives socio-politiques de Sartre, de Beauvoir et Fanon et leurs relations à la pratique de la psychothérapie existentielle. Il soutient que leurs analyses existentielles de l’oppression doivent jouer une plus grande part dans la pratique et la pédagogie de la psychothérapie existentielle. Dans l’âge néo-libéral au sein duquel la thérapie est utilisée de manière croissante comme une forme de coercition psychologique et de mystification, une compréhension des structures et des systèmes d’aliénation et d’oppression qui forment l’expérience doit se traduire par un accroissement de l’intérêt thérapeutique au-delà de l’individu vers le changement social. L’auteur suggère que s’intéresser à la politique d’aliénation et activement répondre aux conditions sociales oppressives qui génèrent détresse et marginalisation devrait être intrinsèque aux praticiens de la psychothérapie existentielle et des institutions les représentant.

Περίληψη

Αυτό το άρθρο μελετά τις κοινωνικοπολιτικές θέσεις του Sartre, της de Beauvoir και του Fanon και τη σχέση τους με την υπαρξιακή ψυχοθεραπευτική πρακτική. Υποστηρίζει ότι οι υπαρξιστικές αναλύσεις τους για την καταπίεση απαιτείται να διαδραματίσουν μεγαλύτερο ρόλο στον εμπλουτισμό της υπαρξιστικής ψυχοθεραπευτικής πρακτικής και παιδαγωγικής. Στην πρόσφατη νεοφιλελεύθερη πολιτική εποχή, στην οποία η θεραπεία ολοένα και αυξανόμενα χρησιμοποιείται ως μια μορφή ψυχολογικού εξαναγκασμού και σύγχυσης, η κατανόηση των δομών και των συστημάτων της αποξένωσης και της καταπίεσης που δομούν την εμπειρία χρειάζεται να μεταφραστούν σε ένα ευρύτερο θεραπευτικό ενδιαφέρον για την κοινωνική αλλαγή πέρα από την ατομική. Ο συγγραφέας προτείνει ότι η εμπλοκή με την πολιτική της αποξένωσης και η ενεργή απόκριση στις καταπιεστικές κοινωνικές συνθήκες που επιφέρουν δυσφορία και περιθωριοποίηση θα έπρεπε να είναι εγγενείς στους υπαρξιακούς ψυχοθεραπευτές και στα κέντρα που τους εκπροσωπούν.

Keywords:

• Existentialism
• psychotherapy
• oppression
• neo-liberalism
• activism

Hauptwoerter:

• Existentialismus
• Psychotherapy
• Unterdrueckung
• Neo-Liberalismus
• Aktivismus

Palabras clave:

• existencialismo
• psicoterapia
• oppresión
• neo-liberalismo
• activismo

Parole chiave:

• esistenzialismo
• psicoterapia
• oppressione
• neoliberismo
• attivismo

Mots-clés:

• existentialisme
• psychothérapie
• oppression
• néo-libéralisme
• activisme

Λέξεις-κλειδιά:

• υπαρξισμός
• ψυχοθεραπεία
• καταπίεση
• νεοφιλελευθερισμός
• ακτιβισμός

Notes

* This paper was presented at the 22nd Conference of the North American Sartre Society, Existentialism and Engagement: The History and Future of Existentialism, University of North Carolina Wilmington, November 5th 2016.

1. This is not to suggest that social change as a therapeutic practice should be the sole domain of existential psychotherapy, but an acknowledgement that the philosophy that informs existential psychotherapeutic practice is particularly oriented towards social awareness and activism.

2. This threat remains latent within our societies, propounded by social media forums such as Return of Kings (ROK), a website for ‘neo-masculine’, heterosexual men. A little over three years old, ROK’s aims are ‘to usher the return of the masculine man in a world where masculinity is being increasingly punished and shamed in favour of creating an androgynous and politically correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men’ (http://www.returnofkings.com/about). Recent blog posts include: What Young Men Need to Know To Avoid A Statutory Rape Accusation and Does Borderline Personality Disorder Cause Feminism? The site has tens of thousands of subscribers.

3. The shift from a potential self to a determinate, objectified self through the look or gaze of another.

4. For example, in 2011, Ronald Pies, editor-in-chief emeritus of the Psychiatric Times, said that ‘the “chemical imbalance” notion was always a kind of urban legend – never a theory seriously propounded by well-informed psychiatrists’ (Levine, 2016). In 2013, Thomas Insel, then director of the National Institute of Mental Health, was publically critical of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual’s (DSM) lack of validity, announcing that the ‘NIMH will be re-orienting its research away from DSM categories’ (ibid). Allen Frances, lead editor of the fourth edition of the DSM has since become a vocal critique of its inadequacies and flaws (Greenberg, 2011). The Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) – a member division within The British Psychological Society (BPS) has recently moved away from a disease model of mental health (Scott, 2016) and the newly elected BPS President, Peter Kinderman, is a vocal critique of a psychiatric treatment model and current ‘mental health’ services in the UK (Kinderman, 2014).

5. Including, the Mental Health Resistance Network, Recovery in the Bin, Mad Pride, The Icarus Project, Speak Out Against Psychiatry, MindFreedom and The Spiritual Crisis Network.

6. As an example, in my final two years of psychotherapy training, on an Advanced Diploma in Existential Psychotherapy, white, male privilege was the only perspective presented to students. The course was taught solely by white men and all the required course material were texts written by white men. No other perspective, voice or experience was included within the curricula. I completed this training in 2013.