An Overview of the HEP Tradition

Prepared by Jim McNamara and Caroline Mardon, March 2008, in response a request from the Alliance of Psychotherapy Training Institutes (APTI) for each member institution to give input re developing a common curriculum for psychotherapy training

Edited Version

History

The Living Institute Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy Diploma (LIEIPD) is a training in the Holistic Experiential Process Method (HEP). HEP has been developing as a specific tradition since the 1970’s, but draws on psychological traditions going back to the early part of the century, philosophical traditions from the last 200 years and spiritual traditions from the last two millennia in both Western and Eastern culture. HEP draws on humanistic, existential, phenomenological, transpersonal, psychodynamic, archetypal and somatic depth psychologies, as well as the new sciences of holism, chaos theory and self-organizing systems theory. HEP is a twenty-first century, embodied, psychodynamic psychology that locates itself in a cultural, ecological and cosmological context. With its roots in the nineteenth century romantic existential tradition and twentieth century humanistic depth psychologies, HEP is also participating in the current re-emergence of spiritual models that draw on ancient cosmologies, from both eastern and western mystical traditions, where nature is seen to embody patterns of integration that link the part with the whole, so that everything is understood to be interconnected. This includes a complex understanding of the ‘norm of nature’ and the ‘healing power of nature’ as expressed in Naturphilosophie, homeopathy and naturopathy. It also includes a focus on Thomas Berry’s geocentric theology, with its implicit ecopsychological and ecospiritual approach to the study of earth stewardship, and its account of the interrelationship of spirituality, ecology and health. HEP also draws on the 19th century Romantic and late 20th century postmodern traditions in philosophy and culture, 20th century modernist art and literature, and also on continental philosophy as a way of understanding human relationship and the place of individuality in culture and cosmos.

The Humanistic-Existential-Phenomenological tradition, which HEP considers itself to be primarily a part of in the broadest sense, has been a part of Western psychology and psychotherapy for a long time, most prominently since World War II, in the form of humanistic and existential psychology, which have been mainly mediated via the Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP) and the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JHP). The AHP was formed in 1961 under the sponsorship of Brandeis University. Maslow, May and Rogers were important early theoreticians. The first international conference on humanistic psychology was held in Old Saybrook, Connecticut in 1964. Attendees included Allport, Bugental, Buhler, Murphy and Murray. Moustakos had been a colleague of Maslow’s in the ‘50’s as humanism began to formulate as a force in psychology. Humanistic psychology became known as “the Third Force” in psychology to distinguish it from psychoanalysis and behaviourism. Although this development was primarily taking place in North America, European and world wide professional organizations for Humanistic Psychology soon developed. Later, the Association for Transpersonal Psychology split off from AHP, and transpersonal psychology has become a tradition in its own right, with a journal and training institutions

Through the ‘30’s to the ‘50’s, in both Europe and America, a number of philosopher-psychiatrists and psychologists attempted to incorporate ideas from existential and phenomenological philosophy into their work. The philosophical works of Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Husserl (1859-1938) and Heidegger (1884-1976) are considered fundamental in this philosophical background. Kierkegaard’s questions, “What is the point of a person’s life?” and “What is the purpose of human events?” are basic to the Humanistic-Existential-Phenomenological tradition, although his Christian orientation in attempting to answer them has been rejected. Husserl is responsible for establishing the ‘phenomenological method’ of conducting enquiries into the human condition by enquiring in terms that are defined by, and arise out of, being human, with particular focus on the unique individuality of each person. Heidegger brings a transpersonal theme into his quest for authentic existence (Ek-sistenz) in the context of simply “being here” (Dasein) through caring for the “things-that-are.” Hegel’s (1770-1831) dialectic model of complex holism in human experience and history also contributed to the existential idea of individual and cultural evolution as being mediated by the active dynamic between conflictual yet complementary polarities.

Throughout the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, in both America and Europe, the existential-phenomenological theme took root in the fertile soil of a burgeoning field of reaction against the fascistic right wing political agenda that culminated in the horrors of World War II. The ground for this in America had been prepared by William James (and others) from around the turn of the century, through his psychology modelled on empirical observation of individual experience, oriented toward action in the world.

The somewhat abstract, discursive, dispassionate aspect of psychoanalysis was unable to integrate the experiential embodiment theme inherent in the existential tradition, especially the work of Heidegger. The elaborate metamodelling, and somewhat rigid theoretical construction, of psychoanalysis also mitigated against a full phenomenological focus on individualism and embodied emergent experience as the basic data of psychotherapeutic process. It was not until the explosion onto the psychology scene in America of the so called “Third Force” of Humanistic psychology in the late ‘50’s and ‘60’s that the experiential approach to psychotherapy began to be developed, and various therapeutic models emerged that permitted a practical, methodological, technique-oriented incorporation of existential and phenomenological principles. These models included for the first time in the history of psychotherapy, a complexly elaborated operative focus on bodily experience and emerging self awareness as defining themes in therapeutic technique, extending in fundamental ways the already existing focus on these themes in the psychoanalytic tradition.

The Humanistic-Existential-Phenomenological tradition has passed from elaboration of psychoanalysis by philosopher-psychiatrist into a diverse and eclectic range of therapies. Many modalities that are not part of this tradition share similar goals and therapeutic attitudes. The person/client-centred attitude of Rogers, for example, is especially widespread, not only in psychotherapy but also in education. Jungian psychologists Brookes and Mindel draw significantly on phenomenology, as do archetypal psychologists such as Sardello, whose Institute for the Humanities in Dallas, Texas is concerned with not just the psyche, but with how people actually live their lives. Gendlin, one of Rogers’ original collaborators, has integrated themes from Heidegger’s existential philosophy with client-centred therapy utilizing a technique he calls “focusing” to reveal an individual’s embodied felt sense of self.

Existential psychotherapy continues, mediated by such people as Schnieder (a guest faculty of the Living Institute and presenter at the Human Dimension of Psychotherapy conference sponsored by the Living Institute), Bugental, van Deuzen, Spinelli and others. Grof’s holotropic breathwork is now internationally taught and standards are maintained by the Association for Holotopic Breathwork International. The International Primal Association supports the practice of primal therapy as regressive emotional work (including back to birth and intrauterine life) with the APPPAH (Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health) carrying the general theme of the importance of gestational and birth history in determining subsequent healthy functioning. Gestalt centres throughout the world teach Gestalt methodology to psychotherapists, educators and organizational developers. Encounter groups have moved from the intensive immersion style to be integrated into ongoing, long-term therapeutic models, along with other techniques. Lowen’s bioenergetics and Pierrakos’ core energetics continue as viable practices. Dusquesne University psychology department for twenty-five years has extensively researched and taught phenomenological psychology, which they have published as the “Duquesne Studies in Phenomenological Psychology”. The Humanistic-Existential-Phenomenological tradition has an academic tradition dating from 1970’s through accredited free standing graduate schools such as Saybrook, Fielding Institute, and university psychology departments such as West Georgia, Seattle, Dallas. Its professional tradition is carried through the Association for Humanistic Psychology and the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, who’s current editor, Schneider, is guest faculty of the Living Institute. The American Psychological Association recognizes humanistic, existential, phenomenological and transpersonal psychology through its Division 32 (Humanistic Psychology) and their peer review journal. Individuals are active in a number of other universities, and practitioners are active, prominent members of professional associations. May, for example, was recently publicly honoured by the American Psychological Association for his contribution, and Rogers has been awarded several distinctions by the same body. Greenberg, a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Toronto who teaches at York University, has developed, in conjunction with others, a model he initially called Focused Emotional Psychotherapy, which draws on the gestalt, Rogerian and existential traditions (including an operative focus on the body). It has gone on to become an internationally recognized form of experiential psychotherapy, a form which Ottawa’s Mahrer has also developed.

The transpersonal tradition branched out from the humanistic tradition starting in the 1970’s through figures such as Vich, Suttich, Grof, Wilber, Almaas, Welwood, Washburn, Vaughan, Walsh. Academic institutions founded in the 1970’s include the accredited Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, California Institute of Integral studies, and Naropa (a Buddhist university founded by Ven. Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche). The International Transpersonal Association, founded by Grof in the 70’s (?date), includes the work of Tarnas, Ferrer, Metzner, McDermott and Kelly (all located at the California Institute of Integral Studies), Mack (until recently located at Harvard), Laszlo (through his evolutionary paradigm and systems theory promoting foundation, The Club of Budapest/ Worldshift Network), Groblin (and his Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which sponsors research into the clinical use of agents such as peyote, ahayuasca, LSD, marihuana). They hold conferences every few years and publish a general interest journal. The tradition’s peer reviewed, professional journals are the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology and the journal of Division 32 (Humanistic Psychology) of the APA which carries transpersonal, as well as humanistic and existential, themes. The AHP and ATP have recently recombined to form a joint organization. The Living Institute is sponsoring a Canadian chapter to be formed at its Human Dimension of Psychotherapy conference, July 18-20, 2008.

The HEP psychodynamic tradition draws on psychanalysis for its basic formulation. The psychodynamic tradition is a defining feature of twentieth century western culture. It originated as psychoanalysis with Freud’s work on understanding and treating psychological and psychosomatic disturbances, what he came to call neurosis, in fin de siècle Vienna, particularly as it manifested in female patients. The theoretical and clinical model that developed drew on his attempt to reframe elements of German Romanticism in a scientific mode, based on his neuropsychiatric background, and combining Breur’s ‘talking cure’ model of treating hysteria with Charcot’s clinical experience in hypnosis, and drawing on sexology studies. Freud was joined by Adler, Jung, Ferenczi, Rank and others in the early 20th century. Reich’s Character Analysis of the 1930’s is particularly significant fro HEP. The original topographic,economic and epigenetic drive theory models have expanded to include ego psychology by mid century and, in the latter half of the 20th century, object relations, self psychology and relational psychoanalysis. HEP retains the basic psychoanalytic formulation, with some elaborations and refinements. HEP is developing a particular focus on the mystical theme in psychoanalysis through the work of Merkur, Grotstein, Eigen, Bion, Loewald, Winnicot, et al. In addition, the psychodynamic model itself has inspired humanistic and existential psychology, been incorporated into transpersonal psychology, and is reflected in the dynamic model of Gestalt, all fundamental to HEP. Reichian and neo-Riechian therapy, bioenergetics and core energetics, beginning in the 1930’s and 40’s, all especially relevant to HEP, are based in the psychodynamic tradition extended to include a significant typological and methodological focus on the body. From Jungian psychology, HEP has taken a psychodynamic model that has incorporated spiritual elements from Alchemy and Gnosticism. Jungian psychology became a distinct tradition in the early part of the 20th century, separating out from psychoanalysis starting in 1912. It does, however, retain a full psychodynamic model of the psyche and the working through of resistance.

The psychodynamic tradition has arisen within a field of parallel cultural activation and that it has, in turn, had extensive impact on Western culture in general. This includes such academic areas as religious studies, anthropology, child studies, political thought and cultural studies (including the Frankfurt School, critical theory and postmodernism), as well as art and literary criticism. It has also impacted on popular culture through literature (e.g. the existential absurd tradition and post modernism), art (e.g. surrealism and abstract expressionism), theatre (e.g. experiential theatre and happenings) and movies (e.g. film noire). These are all referenced in the HEP tradition.

The HEP archetypal tradition draws on Hillman’s archetypal psychology, which began to delineate itself as a post-Jungian, postmodern, phenomenological tradition in the 1970’s, and on the work of Jung, Corbin’s Sufi writings and Plotinus’s Neoplatonism, with their tripartite cosmology of spirit, soul, body, and their fundamental (re)valuing of the mediating imaginal world of the soul as having a reality different from, but equal with, the empirical world of the senses, and being as subtly powerful in a patterning manner as the transcendental world of spirit. Other writers in this tradition important to HEP include Miller, Moore, Lopez-Pedraza, Avens, Romanyshyn, Goodchild, Brookes. Pacifica Graduate Institute (PGI) and the international archetypal psychology conference, held from time to time (the last being in 2000), carry the academic theme in this tradition, with many peer reviewed international Jungian and post-Jungian/archetypal journals. PGI, an accredited free standing graduate school, grants Ma’s and PhD’s in archetypal depth psychology. There are many Jungian/post-Jungian training schools around the world.

HEP is a body oriented psychotherapy. A bodily orientation and a psychosomatic awareness has been a part of psychotherapy since its inception approximately one hundred years ago. Body oriented psychotherapy is a term covering a range of attitudes to and instrumental involvement of the body in a psychotherapy process. The field of body oriented psychotherapy is a part of psychoanalysis, Jungian psychology, psychoenergetic models (such as Reichian and neo-Reichian, bionergetics and core energetics), psychophysical enactment techniques (such as psychodrama and psychomotor therapy), the humanistic-existential-phenomenological tradition (in itself, and as part of traditions such as gestalt, primal and Focused Emotional Psychotherapy), transpersonal psychology, psychosomatic medicine. The humanistic, existential and transpersonal traditions have, however, been the main carriers of this orientation with their fundamental focus on the experience of being an embodied subject. Early body oriented psychotherapies have generally developed outside university settings, but within a professional practice that has subsequently resulted in the formulation of a psychotherapy model and method, which is then offered in training to practitioners through free standing schools. The HEP body orientation draws on bioenergetics (Lowen et al) and core energetics (Peirakos et al), gestalt (Perls et al), encounter (Schutz et al), primal therapy, and psychodrama (Moreno et al). Since the 1970’s, somatic psychology degrees are granted by California Institute for Integral Studies, Saybrook, Naropa University, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute and others. The US Association for Body Psychotherapy, formed in 1995, is a professional organization, with a peer reviewed journal.

Spirituality is as fundamental to HEP as psychology is. In this integration, HEP draws on spiritual themes in the humanistic, existential and transpersonal traditions, as well as Jungian and archetypal psychology, and mythology as given by figures such as Campbell, Jung, Hillman, Eliade, Scholem, Corbin, Sells and the Eranos Conferences. HEP draws on the Romantic tradition and post modernism (including romantic irony and the mis-en-abyme of the nouveau roman tradition), relating it to divine-human union and apophatic mysticism, seeing the world in the Hegelian sense as a place of spiritual evolution, based in a romantic model of the ‘eternal return’. This also integrates the esoteric theme in surrealism and the mystical theme in existential absurdism. The crossfertilizing interrelationship between the Hermetic, Gnostic, Kabbalistic and Rosicrucian traditions is reflected in the syncretic nature of HEP spirituality. This particularly draws on the theme of the presence of the divine in the experience of individual humanness, and in the natural world. The shamanistic aspect of HEP is correlated with the deity work of Vajrayana Buddhism, the ‘body of light’ tradition in Sufism and related themes in other Western theurgic mysticisms.

HEP draws on the traditions of ecopsychology and ecospirituality. The recent advent of the new cosmology, articulated by such authors as Thomas Berry and Sally McFague, has argued that the universe has had a psychic-spiritual dimension from its beginning 13.7 billion years ago, not just a physical-material manifestation. Adopting this new epic of evolution transforms our understanding of spirituality. Providing an Earth-centred understanding of ourselves and spirituality, it reintegrates the human into a sacred universe and redefines our understanding of human and ecosystem health. This has clear implications for an archetypal and transpersonal psychotherapy, including cultural implications.

HEP also draws on the spiritual emergence model. The inclusion in the DSM IV of a new diagnostic category “Religious or Spiritual Problem” marked a significant breakthrough. For the first time, there was an acknowledgment of distressing religious and spiritual experiences, including spiritual emergencies, as non-pathological problems. Spiritual emergencies are crises in which the process of growth and change becomes chaotic and overwhelming as spiritual material begins to emerge. The proposal for this new diagnostic category came from transpersonal clinicians concerned with the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of persons in the midst of spiritual emergencies. It was co-sponsored by Living Institute adjunct faculty David Lukoff. This tradition adresses the history of pathologizing theory in the mental health field, including the work of Stan and Christina Grof, Perry, Mack, Laing, and many other clinical approaches for working with religious and spiritual problems.