Schneider and Krug’s book was just what I needed!
After undergraduate studies in German language and literature, a twenty-five year career in another field (human rights and global trade), twenty-two years of psychodynamic therapy as a consumer, and having made the decision to become a psychotherapist for my second (really my third) act, I have been finding myself ever more drawn to existential-humanistic therapy as the KIND of therapist I’d like to become.
I’d sort of stumbled onto this line of therapy by stumbling onto Irving Yalom, one of its trailblazers here in the United States, who also wrote fiction and put together a series of books fictionalizing therapy for some of the great philosophers: Nietze, Schopenhauer, and Spinoza. I was looking for some good books on Spinoza, I found Yalom, I was intrigued by his background in psychiatry, I proceeded, etc., etc.
Schneider and Krug’s book was an accessible and reasonably short survey of the field (148 pages vs. the 544 pages of Yalom’s 1980 opus, “Existential Psychotherapy”, let alone all the other primary works), which is just what I needed. For example, they reprised Yalom’s emphasis of Rolo May, but introduced a new cast of characters I hadn’t heard of such as their mentor, Bughental. I also learned that I’d actually stumbled upon existential therapy long ago, when they made it clear that Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy was an important tributary to the field.
The book’s theory section is a bit dense and uses many terms of art, which made it a bit more difficult for an uninitiated reader: (“psychological stances,” “kinesthetic experience,” “phenomenological modality,” etc. However, these problems are easily overcome with a simple internet search these days. Overall, it is a good choice for them to omit lengthy explanations of these terms and concepts, which can readily be found quickly elsewhere. The Therapy process and case studies ably illustrate and flesh out the ideas presented in the theory section, as well.
The Evaluation section was a useful in locating E-I therapy on the broader map of therapeutic schools and traditions, as well as in helping me to understand its level of acceptance and its opportunities for growth as a therapeutic orientation. For me, it served as an inspiring and rousing “call to arms.”
For me, it was also a boon to learn that there are a great many existential-humanistic institutes and schools here in the Bay Area of California, where I live. Sweet! The book provides a number of well-organized references for further reading and exploration.
I’m giving this a 4 because it will play a significant and influential role in my life and is “just what I needed” right now. Otherwise, it would be a solid 3 from me. See my “about section” for a guide to my ratings if interested.