Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

Description:

Daseinsanalysis (also known as existential therapy) is a type of therapy used in clinical psychology and psychiatry developed by Swiss psychiatrist Medard Boss. Boss, a student of German philosopher Martin Heidegger, saw daseinanalysis as a technique for reframing how the therapist sees and understands the relationship of the human being and the world. More specifically, Boss emphasized the need to understand phenomena as they are experienced by the client rather than through highly theoretical constructs of other types of psychotherapy, such as Freudian psychoanalysis. Based on Heidegger's theory of "Being-in-the-world," this approach attempts to eliminate the strong sense of bifurcation between an independent human and totally extrinsic world; Instead, the therapist is encouraged to attend to the two as an indivisible whole.

Although his professional work did not make any references to Buddhism, Boss was highly interested in Eastern religions and even traveled to India to study and practice meditation. Much like Boss' approach to psychotherapy, Buddhism, too, emphasizes the need to look closely at the nature of experience for the purpose of alleviating human suffering. This chapter from the book Psychology and Buddhism: From Individual to Global Community looks at dasineanyalsis and Buddhism for their important similarities and differences, especially as they pertain to personal and social responsibility. Citing the case study of a woman diagnosed with cancer, the author shows how Buddhism and daseinanalysis can be integrated into a therapeutic method for helping patients cultivate acceptance in the face of adversity. (Zach Rowinski 2005-01-09)