What is the art of a psychotherapist? This is evidenced by the now classic book of the same name by James Bugental, one of the last of the great galaxy of psychologists of the 20th century. His teachers were Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Rollo May and George Kelly. He made a significant contribution to the development of the humanistic and existential approach to psychotherapy, creating his own existential-humanistic approach.

Here are a few thoughts from this book.

We are the creators of our lives

Despite the fact that a person’s life is filled with different events, they are just the material from which he independently builds

your life. 

The extent to which a person can take advantage of his human qualities while living his unique, authentic path depends on gender

the scientific outcome of life and its meaning.

In order for this to happen, a person needs to listen to himself and realize his responsibility for participating in his own life, understand what answers he gives to the key questions of life and what choices he makes based on these answers.

It is on this basis that awareness of all circumstances, conflicts and crises occurs.  According to Bugental, most psychological problems hide deeper and less conscious existential difficulties: choice, responsibility, autonomy, connection with others, the search for meaning and the answer to the questions “Who am I?” What is my place in the world? And what is this world? To find answers, serious existential (life) changes are required.

These changes occur as a person actively searches for more effective ways of existing and reconsiders his existential decisions and choices.

The miracle of life is the ability to change it through awareness. And this miracle is the fruit of the efforts of the person himself and the ability to realize and change.

The world of subjective  

Human life is based on subjective factors. According to Bugental, it is the subjective – the inner world – that is a huge and complex system that contains the meanings, resources and guidelines necessary for change.

All life events, successes and failures undergo this test for meaning from the point of view of a person’s inner world. And it is there that these events receive a true assessment.  And of course, it is the inner world that contains both resources and limitations, grounds for pain, anxiety, disbelief and disappointment.

If I, as a psychotherapist, want to help a person change his life, make it more harmonious, then inevitably the focus of my attention should be the foundation of life - namely the subjective inner world of a person.

The main achievement of Bugental's concept is that he described the phenomenology of the elusive subjective world of man, the main manifestations and ways of influencing the inner world. The art of a psychotherapist lies in the mastery of this understanding and methods of influence

The personality of the psychotherapist is the main tool of therapy

Despite on methodology, knowledge of theory and practice, the psychotherapist works with himself, that is, with his own “I.”

Of course, it is difficult to dispute this fact, but Bugental’s important observation is that psychotherapy is an art and intuition and flexibility play a huge role in it. Just as important is the ability of the psychotherapist, while remaining independent, to actualize the client’s work in caring for and changing his own life.

In this sense, the psychotherapist does not treat in the literal sense of the word, but helps the client get out of the “prison” of his own fears, stereotypes and disbelief, if desired. That is, to help find a way out and find a way to internal resources in order to get out of this “prison.”

Bugental describes this in 13 basic dimensions of psychotherapeutic work and shows how to develop each of them. This is the theory and practice of preparing a psychotherapist to master deep communication skills.

Bugental's existential-humanistic approach

The main advantage of this approach is that the focus of therapy is on a person’s existential issues. In this way, psychotherapy avoids the simplification that many methods are prone to. By avoiding these complex questions, other methods stubbornly “look not where they need to, but where it’s easier.”

This approach is devoid of categoricalness and is filled with respect for the inner world of a person.  If you are convinced that psychotherapy is designed to develop the “human,” then this approach will be close to you.

The method of positive psychotherapy in which I work helps to integrate different approaches organically with respect for the needs of the client. This is also a humanistic method and also contains tools for working with existential queries.

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