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What is experiential psychotherapy? 3/16/2014 10:59:08 AM
How and why experiential psychotherapy differs from traditional talk therapy. Experiential psychotherapy comes from the notion that a person cannot make a significant change until he or she experiences a change, or feels a change internally.
The psychotherapist who uses experiential methods focuses on identifying and facilitating a transformative experience to the client that relates to the client’s goal. The client may experience the difference from how it was
before, and how it is now. And it usually is seen to occur for the client in the here-and-now of the therapeutic session.
How is experiential therapy different from traditional talk therapy?
Most of us do experiential therapy to some degree, in that our clients’ experiences in the here-and-now therapeutic relationship makes real, significant difference in their lives. However,traditional cognitive behavior talk therapy focuses mostly on the left (logical) brain and our
ability to gain insight about our problems to make changes in our lives. Training, theoretical knowledge and skills in one or more experiential therapies allow the therapist-healer to design appropriate interventions to create inner change.
Much of the healing in experiential therapy relates the client’s ability to be present and to “take in” the experience on multiple levels — both sensory and energetic. Often clients must first learn how to be more present in the here and now so that they make “take in,” and here the
practice of mindfulness is a great help. The lasting nature of that change is almost always subject to the test of time, as well as other problems that may layer the client’s life.
The emerging field of neurobiology indicates our brains are constantly evolving, changing and growing as a result of our experiences and interactions with others and by cultivating mindfulness. "Neuroplasticity" means the shape-shifting in our brains as we integrate life
experiences, attune with ourselves, and heal with others. So, experiences that we have in the psychotherapy room are beneficial to the brain's growth and alteration -- in a good way.
Studies have shown that that experiential therapies are as effective — and often more effective — than traditional talk therapies. Recent studies show longer lasting benefits from action-oriented therapies than talk therapies alone because the experience becomes a “felt sense” in the
limbic system—if even for a moment.
The renowned Bessel van der Kolk, professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and medical director of the Trauma Center in Boston, suggests that experiential therapy should be the treatment of choice for survivors of trauma. His research ranges from the impact of trauma on development and brain imaging, to the use of yoga, neurofeedback, EMDR and theater in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
