Existential Therapy Paper

3 Outline how the factors relating to views on death and dying can impact on practice

Death and attendant matters have been seminal topics of reflection, disputatious debate, and other modes of social discourse since the dawn of civilization and, presumably, also among the people who predate civilization. The sociology of death was now an accepted specialty area, but the growth and development of a hematological literature in this specialty continued to be very much an interdisciplinary effort, and it was still difficult to disentangle the sociological enterprise from that of other behavioral sciences. Moreover, Dying patients and their family members today also may use the time period between diagnosis and death to ensure that the memory of the decedent will persist after loss. The notion that the dying process may be used as a time to assert one’s identity was first set forth in Death and Identity, where Robert Fulton (1965) argued that ‘‘preserving rather than losing...personal identity’’ is a critical aspect of the dying process. Victor Marshall (1980) subsequently proposed that heightened awareness of one’s impending death trig- gears increased self-reflection, reminiscence, and the conscious construction of a coherent personal

Assisted living facilities are one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Unfortunately, assisted living facilities have a history of being problematic. Specific cases from the movie Life and Death in Assisted Living Facilities indicates that assisted living facilities are often under staffed, poorly trained, and often admit elderly patients who are not qualified candidates for their facilities (Byker and Thompson, 2013). When taking this in to account, it is important to consider why families may admit their loved ones in to assisted living facilities. Hillier and Barrow (2015), associate problems of caregiving with the responsibility itself, the caregivers personal health, role strains, strained family relationships, ect. With all of this strain on an informal caregiver it seems most beneficial to the caregiver and the elderly individual to consider admittance in to an assisted living facility. Once a basis has been established as to why an elderly person is admitted in to an assisted living facility, further insight shall be established to denote what is considered elder abuse. In this movie, Life and Death in Assisted Living Facilities, several

Years before, I was truly inspired and motivated by a book titled “When Nietzsche wept”to explore in more depth the field of psychology as a science. Through the plot, the particular book introduced to me some basics concepts of psychology and may triggered some questions of mine. After a short period of time and some research, I enrolled in an undergraduate program of Psychology as I found it to be quite a stimulating science for me. Recently, I noticed that the writer of this book is Irving Yalom, a well-known and awarded by American Psychology Association, founder of existential psychotherapy. As a humanistic approach, existential therapeutic process and existential theory as a whole found to be quite familiar to me and may reflected

Person centred care is associated with treating people with respect, acknowledging their rights as human beings and having a trusted and therapeutic relationship between the person and their care provider (McCormack et al, 2011). Guidelines of person centred care give clarity towards how nurses should behave and such knowledge and expertise they should develop. These skills acquired can then be used to enhance person centred care through self and team assessment (McCormack et al, 2008). In this essay, I will critically explore individualised person centred care in association with McCormack’s model. I will identify how this model can improve the experience of care for the older person. Finally I will discuss how person centred nursing can

The result shows that 46 or 92% of the elderlies wished that they had more respect to themselves. Forty or 80% of them said that they sometimes pity themselves while 34 or 68% of them perceived that they have little or sometimes nothing to help their family and friends. In addition, 33 or 66% of elderlies said that they are not happy with their accomplishments in life while 32 or 64% of them perceived that they do not have capabilities and good qualities that they can be proud of and shared that they find it difficult to accept the changes happening in themselves at the present moment. Moreover, 28 or 56% of the elderlies shared that they often think and wish that they are in other people’s condition while half of them (50%) think and feel that they are useless. Further, despite of the adversities experienced in later life, 32 or 64% of elderlies didn’t think that they

This paper describes and analyzes a life review interview with an older adult. The purpose of this paper is to discuss, record and reflect on an older adult’s life in order to evaluate them on the last stage of Erik Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development; integrity versus despair. This paper will also focus on the elements of a life review as well as the reflections of the interview on the part of the author.

Existentialism can be defined as the philosophy concerning itself with finding self and the said meaning of life through free will, personal responsibility and choice. This belief is that people are out there in the world searching to find out what they are and who they are throughout life and how these people will make choices in life because of their outlook, beliefs, and experiences. These personal choices become unique to the person without the necessity of an objective form of truth. Overall an existentialist believes that a person should be forced to be responsible and choose without the assistance of laws, ethnic rules or traditions.

A key aim of CBT in treating complicated grief is to target dysfunctional thoughts and behaviours by focusing on reducing feelings of distress and suffering to enable the bereaved to move towards acceptance of the loss and revision of their future (Boelen, 2008). To accomplish this aim, negative cognitions need to be identified and changed, and avoidance behaviours need to be confronted (Boelen, de Keijser, van den Hout, & van den Bout, 2007). Similarly to CGT, imaginal revisiting is one technique CBT uses to confront the reality of the loss as well as to reduce anxious avoidance (Boelen, 2008). In addition, to address negative cognitions, cognitive restructuring is used in CBT to identify, challenge and alter unhelpful thoughts (Boelen, 2008). Socratic questioning, is a strategy of cognitive restructuring where the utility and validity of negative cognitions are addressed. To reduce avoidance behaviour in complicated grief, exposure therapy (ET) focuses on gradually exposing the bereaved to aspects of the loss (Boelen et al., 2007). Research proposes that avoiding reminders of the loss is a maintaining factor in CG therefore this may be resolved through confronting these reminders in ET which reduces the need to engage in avoidance behaviours (Boelen et al., 2007). This treatment is in contradiction to IPT yet consistent with CGT.

Residential facilities and Assisted Living communities have blossomed into a massive business, it is the fastest growing living option for seniors. Facilities such as these provides a wide range of services and it is senior housing solution for adults who can live independently, but also require some assistance (Gleckman, H., 2014). The century of the baby boomers is here the nation prepared? The answer is a large no. The geriatric society appears to have been a forgotten body of people that the nation has not been prepared for. Yet, no one has taken the opportunity to ensure that there would be adequate housing along with quality care for the elderly that live on a fixed income. As the elderly lives are now extended with new found

What am I doing here on earth? What do I live for? Why do I feel so alone? These questions do pass human minds as we develop and mature. In a study conducted with psychologist, it is reported that psychologists do not believe that there is no meaning in life and that loving, helping, showing compassion to people brought meaning to them but intimate relationships, family and friends gave them a more personal meaning in life (Kernes & Kinnier, 2008). Existential therapy seeks to help people who are facing problems with issues relating to these and it provides a phenomenological approach during therapy sessions. Existential therapy lives by the belief that every individual has the freedom to choose and is responsible for their choices in life (Corey, 2009). It also encourages clients to be aware that they have the ability to construct their lives, find the purpose of living, deal with anxieties and death (Corey, 2009). Existential therapy is more of an idea rather than an independent school of psychology with certain abided rules in therapy such as psychoanalysis or behaviorism. Some key people that contributed to existential therapy are Victor Frankl and Rollo May.

The only certain thing in life is that it will end one day. Death is inevitable and it often affects everyone involved with overwhelming emotions of grief or guilt. Ironically, death is thrown in our faces almost every day – we hear about it on the news and we see it regularly in the media. For example, the film No Safe Place clearly depicts six families that were forever changed due to acts of terrorism. Michal Ganon and her mother, in particular, have experienced plenty of the concepts that surround death, such as elements of total pain, grief reactions, and survivor’s guilt.

Experience of Self-Pity. Elderlies also experience self-pity due to unavoidable stressful situations in life such as loneliness, loss of loved ones, disability, physical deterioration, absence or longing for children and financial distress. The following are the strategies which may be delivered among elderlies who are experiencing self-pity:

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. (9th Ed.) Pacific Grove, Ca: Thomson

Existentialism as a philosophy has modern roots in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At the time of its development the movement was not readily accepted in academia. It would not be until the twentieth century until it would find greater merit. According to research submitted by Nobin Narzary in his thesis The Rise of Existentialism, the unique history of the twentieth century including world wars, scientific breakthroughs, and the devaluation of human life provided adequate ground for existentialism to take hold [ CITATION Nob12 l 1033 ]. The tragedy of world warfare and loss of human life inspired philosophical debate as to the nature of human existence and its relation to common principals of divinity and human destiny.