Exploring Experience Through Experiential Therapy Techniques
We often hear, or say to ourselves, "The past is in the past. What's important is today." In a way, this is true. After all, you can't go back and relive the past. Healthy communication generally takes place in the here and now. But, what do you do if your past is preventing you from enjoying all the present has to offer you? Experiential therapy offers a wonderful answer to this question.
What Is Experiential Therapy?
Experiential therapy is a type of mental health treatment that can help you deal with past events and apply your learning to your current situation. It is a common type of therapy in addiction treatment because, unlike traditional talk therapy, it involves taking part in hands-on activities, such as expressive arts or physical challenges.
Who Is This Type Of Therapy For?
The people who gain the most from experiential therapy are those who have trouble talking about painful times in their lives, addiction, or otherwise expressing their deepest emotions. People who have been abused may be able to get in touch with the pain of those experiences, That way, they can process those feelings in healthier ways.
People with substance use disorders, drug addiction, compulsions, or eating disorders are good candidates for this type of therapy as well. People with issues of grief and loss can come to terms with those emotions. Families who have poor interpersonal functioning can learn to get along in healthier ways. Individuals who have patterns of unhealthy relationships can gain self-awareness, go to the root of the problems, and discover what goes wrong within the relationships. They can forge a stronger and healthier identity as someone who deserves to be happy with themselves and in current or future relationships.
How This Type Of (Experiential) Therapy Works
Typically, experiential therapy is only a part of the therapy you receive. Addiction recovery, for example, is often used in conjunction with talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapies. Usually, the first thing that happens is your therapist or someone in charge of the activity provides an introduction to the activity along with rules or instructions on how to do it. During the experiential therapy activity, bad feelings may come up. This is a good thing because it allows you to explore those feelings and resolve the issues they've caused you.
Seeing you in unguarded moments as you struggle to express your feelings or meet some physical challenge gives the therapist a clearer picture of who you are as a person and what types of things are most painful to you. This gives them greater insight into what you need for recovery and how they can best help you.
The therapist may work with you as you engage in the activity and/or provide talk therapy later to explore the impact of the activity. As you receive treatment, you may delve into emotional issues that stemmed from childhood or recent trauma, abuse, grief, loss, substance use issues, or anger issues. When you're faced with a challenge that evokes the same feelings as past trauma, you have the opportunity to sort through it, feel it, understand it, and move on. Once you deal with your negative feelings, you may begin to have richer experiences and more profound positive feelings of happiness, joy, safety, self-esteem, and love for others in your life. However, if you feel threatened, you should seek help immediately by calling 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 800.799. SAFE (7233).
Who Can Provide Experiential Therapy To Me?
Any therapist may use experiential techniques during mental health or addiction treatment sessions. Unless the therapist has special training, activities are typically limited to role-play, puppetry, guided imagery, and other therapies that can take place easily within the confines of an ordinary session of talk therapy. Several types of allied health professionals have additional training and are certified to provide experiential therapy during counseling or rehabilitation programs.
These include occupational therapists, art therapists, music therapists, and more. If you're an inpatient in a medical or psychiatric facility, you may be able to participate in several different types of therapy while you are there.
Where Do Experiential Therapy Sessions Take Place?
Often, experiential therapy takes place in your therapist's office or addiction recovery center. If your therapist is trained in using experiential techniques, they may add them to your sessions to help you deal with specific issues that come up. Typical experiential therapies used in an ordinary therapist's office include role-playing, puppet play, and guided imagery.
Some facilities even have a ropes course or other challenge-type courses on their grounds. They may be set up to provide animal-care therapy as well as various recreational therapies. Sometimes, therapy might take place in a resort, retreat center, addiction treatment center, rehabilitation program, or recreational facility equipped for this type of therapy.
Different Types of Experiential Therapy
Psychodrama
Role-Playing
Puppets
Guided Imagery
Sand Tray Therapy
Art Therapy
Expressive art therapy allows patients to get in touch with deeply negative emotions they've repressed before. They don't have to speak at all as they dive into the emotional turmoil they've never felt or dealt with up to that point. Once they reveal their feelings, talk may come easier as the therapist helps them make sense of what has happened. Types of art used in experiential therapy may include drawing, painting, sculpting, and making collages.
Crafts
Music
Animal Care
When people interact with animals, something almost magical happens. As they take care of a dog or a horse, they may begin nurturing themselves as well. Patients feel a connection with the animal throughout treatment, knowing that it doesn't judge them and that they're doing something for it that it can't do for itself. This may put them in touch with their inner child, a child who may be wounded from childhood trauma or abuse.
Not Comfortable Talking In Therapy? Experiential Therapy Could Be For You
Play Therapy
Play therapy is a type of experiential therapy often used for children. However, teens, patients in addiction recovery treatment, and family groups can also benefit from it. As you all engage in a game of make-believe, storytelling, sand play, or any other play activity your therapist suggests, you may be able to get past the part of yourself that edits your words before you speak. That open, honest child within you has room for expression and emotional growth.
Challenge Courses
Often, addiction treatment, medical, and psychiatric facilities have their challenge courses on the grounds. One of the most popular types is a ropes course. Challenge courses give you intense physical activities to engage in that keep you grounded in the here and now while presenting you with what might be similar challenges to the ones that caused you emotional pain in the past. You're in a situation in which you can't give up easily or withdraw into yourself. This may bring up intense emotions, giving you a chance to experience them and put them in the past.
Adventure Therapy
Adventure therapy is usually done away from the clinical setting. Common adventure therapy activities include white-water rafting, obstacle courses, rock climbing, hiking, camping, and bicycling. This type of therapy is done in groups and often with teens. You get a chance to solve your problems, learn to take the initiative to accomplish tasks, accept personal responsibility, become more self-aware, practice getting along with others, and adapt to working as a team. Challenge courses can also be used for adventure therapy.
Experiential Family Therapy
Experiential family therapy is a kind of group therapy in which families interact while doing an activity. Each reveals more about themselves with each session. Any poor interaction patterns may come up during the activity. The therapist may stop the activity long enough to deal with this new information or discuss it during group talk afterward.
Online therapists can conduct experiential therapies through video conferences. The clients are guided in an activity such as role-playing or sculpting as they discuss their issues with their therapist.
In a study involving 6 participants in online occupational therapy, the outcome showed that the participants found that communication was easy for this mode of treatment. Participants also reported that the software used was straightforward and posed few problems. Overall, participants rated their experiences as positive.
Takeaway
If you're ready to begin therapy now, counselors are available at BetterHelp to work with you. You can engage in these activities in the comfort of your own home or wherever you have an internet connection and at a time that’s convenient for you.
If your family is interested in improving the way you interact with each other, an online therapist can work together with you in experiential family therapy to help you develop healthier relationships. BetterHelp is only one click away. It all begins with your desire to live a better life. Below are some reviews of BetterHelp counselors from people experiencing similar issues.
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What are some types of experiential therapy?
There are various forms of experiential therapy work, including:
- Gestalt therapy
- Art therapy
- Music therapy
- Drama therapy
- Poetry treatment
- Animal-assisted therapy
- Recreational therapy
- Therapeutic play
What is the role of the therapist in experiential therapy?
Unlike traditional therapy treatments, where the therapist is supposed to function as a “blank screen” without offering much advice or reassurance to allow for emotional processing of the client’s inner thoughts and emotions, experimental therapy is a very creative and inclusive type of therapy that does not dictate what therapists should and should not do. Instead, experiential therapists offer hands-on expressive tools that the patients engage with to foster creative artistic processes, explore negative feelings, cope with past experiences and painful memories, promote healing, gain greater self-awareness, and bring about positive changes.
Is CBT an experiential therapy?
No, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is not the same as experiential therapy. CBT is a more structured approach, meaning that people undergoing this method usually follow a more specific set of steps during treatment. Experiential therapy, on the other hand, is one of the more casual therapeutic methods, where therapists are free to incorporate other therapeutic approaches, such as participating in outdoor activities, music therapy, role-playing, and more, during treatment. However, they have in common that they can be effective tools for treating several behavioral disorders. CBT and experiential therapy can help manage:
- Substance addiction and other forms of addiction
- Anxiety and depression
- Eating disorders treatment
- PTSD
- Compulsive behaviors
What is experiential trauma therapy?
Experiential trauma therapy is a therapeutic method intended to help people with painful past experiences heal from trauma using the use of expressive tools, including role play and art therapy. The goal of experiential trauma therapy is not for the person to re-experience the negative emotions associated with the trauma. Instead, it seeks to help the patient identify and address any subconscious traumatic memories that may be causing psychological difficulties and emotional conflicts.
What is experiential technique?
Unlike other talk therapy treatments that mainly involve talking with the counselor, there are many techniques that therapists can use during experiential therapy. Existential therapy treats the whole person, not just one part of their mental health. As part of a behavioral health program or addiction treatment, experiential therapy can help you learn healthy coping mechanisms and manage certain emotions using any of the following techniques:
- Roleplay, re-experience, and re-enactment
- Drawing
- Sand tray creations
- Arts and crafts
- Theater
- Journaling
What are experiential interventions?
Experiential interventions involve the use of expressive tools and activities in a therapeutic setting to release repressed feelings so the person is better able to experience positive emotions, such as love, empathy, forgiveness, and self-esteem. Experiential interventions are common and effective in addiction treatment and recovery, and for managing mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
Who started experiential therapy?
Experiential therapy was born from the humanistic existential movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
What is experiential learning in counseling?
What is experiential humanistic therapy?
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