Meaning and Purpose

Victor Frankl is perhaps one the most famous leaders in the discussion of meaning.  In his signature book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he talks about his many years as a prisoner in Auschwitz where mere survival was the source of meaning, and yet in such a deplorable setting, the search for further meaning became even more important. In this book he says, “Striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force.” (2006, p.99)

To explore our daily sense of meaning and purpose may be a more significant starting point.  For instance, one meaning may be about just getting out of bed every day and going to work or getting the kids off to school for that day. The larger purpose in the daily tasks are obviously about making a living, parenting or getting an education, but those sometimes get lost in the details. Therefore, we can lose sight of this grander perspective and perhaps develop a sense of meaninglessness or lack of purpose.

It is when we “get stuck in the weeds” of life that we are prone to have more existential anxiety about the meaning of our lives; about our identity as human beings. Many times we may not be fully aware of the complete nature of this anxiety, we just know that we feel something’s missing.

This feeling is amplified exponentially, of course, by experiences of trauma or loss. Depending on the severity and timing of such destructive life events, it can be that an individual has not been able to develop such an identity or that identity has been seriously damaged.

Breaking out of this existential angst or repairing an identity to a fuller meaning and purpose is a central part of psychotherapy. There are several ways in which a therapist can be helpful in this process. The primary way is through the qualitative tone in the relationship. If therapists can genuinely provide a comprehensive presence of respect for the client sitting in front of us, we can better foster the opportunity for the growth of internal respect.

We can then foster and support the courage of our client to widen the lens from the mundane existence of daily living. To understand a larger scope of life to include a more solid sense of meaning, such as a spiritual, values or a cause-driven sense of purpose.

Finally, we can assist in the creative process that the client embarks on to build the tools and resources necessary to implement and grow into a restored identity.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic

Respecting Our Differences

Human differences are infinite. We have different ethnicities, cultures, religions, family backgrounds, appearances, interests, and abilities. We each look different, sound different and act and think differently. Many variations of human experience, appearance, and expression shape our unique positions in life.

Williams and Levitt (2007) studied the differences between the values of therapists and clients as they relate to multiculturalism. They found substantial evidence supporting that real value differences exist between therapists and clients and that “therapists cannot be value-neutral and that they routinely convey their values with clients.” (p. 256). Therefore, they say, “the potential exists for therapists to consciously or unconsciously influence clients to become more like themselves.” They point out that most therapists are unaware of the potential negative effects of sharing such values with the client because they do so intending to benefit the client. Especially within a multicultural context, there is a higher probability of alienation, shame and/or indoctrination for the client in ways that either shut down the treatment or is counter-indicated for real progress to be gained.”

To widen our lens, to be able to experience the fuller personhood of our clients, means to be more aware of all the components of their uniqueness and to find a means to fully embrace that which is unique. In order to do this effectively, we need to be able to notice differences without engaging the filters of our own bias.

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) recognizes that the highest quality of the therapeutic relationship is necessary in order to create a process that is truly effective for enduring positive outcomes. To nurture these relationships, they need to be grounded in the most genuine sense of acceptance and respect. Using the terminology of Martin Buber, it is in the “I-Thou” relationship, the total realization of the other person as wholly distinctive from oneself and yet wholly valued as a human being, that we are then able to more safely and effectively enter our client’s world and assist in improving his or her experiencing of that world.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.

Williams, D., & Levitt, H. M. (2008). Clients’ experiences of difference with therapists: Sustaining faith in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research, 18(3), 256-270. Slay-Westbrook, S. (2016). Respect-Focused Therapy: Honoring Clients through the Therapeutic Relationship and Process. Routledge. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/18815978/

 

 

 

 

 

Mistakes, Regrets and Self-Forgiveness

We all make decisions we later regret. For many of us, this happens much more frequently than we like to admit. Our culture supports, defends, even molds this denial of imperfection through media, advertising, etc. leaving us with the concept that idealistic perfection exists, and we can all have it if we all look just like the emaciated models, buy the right car, have the right job and friends, live in the right neighborhood.  Most of us know that this is myth and marketing deception, but we get ourselves wrapped up in it to some degree anyway.

It is, in my opinion, when we can let loose our tight grip and angst for perfection, when we can start admitting our mistakes to ourselves and others, that we can then have the freedom to make better choices. Not only can we learn from our mistakes, we can clear out the emotional space to be more able to make more rational choices.

Notably, some mistakes are more devastating than others. Some can result in real trauma or loss, which can lead one into a lifetime or shame and self-degradation. Aiding our clients in clearing out shame, guilt and overburdened regret is essential in order for them to have the potential for self-forgiveness, acceptance and confident humility.

This process of self-forgiveness, an integral piece of RFT, is truly acknowledging wrongdoings done with grace, letting go self-imposed penalties, self-regret, hatred or other forms of disregard.  It is also about being able and willing to make amends and correcting hurtful behavior where and when possible in context of relating to others. (Halling, 2006)

Forgiveness gives credence to positive possibility in our lives and opens the door to making better choices. Help clients learn to embrace mistakes and learn to use them wisely in the future. Short of mistakes, there will be many hard decisions, not necessarily labeled good or bad, which, unfortunately, involve sacrifice, pain and/or loss.  But so is there much greater chance for real, sustainable and substantive joy and peace when we are willing to believe in ourselves enough to take risks, that are not completely calculated, but also based on our faith, sense of values, a daring expectation for good to come from it and, always, the willingness to attach responsible action behind it.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.

What Respect Really Means

For many of our clients, there is little experiential connection with the concept of respect, because it feels contrived, obligatory or simply nonexistent—often from childhood. Predominantly, they don’t feel privy to getting any of its benefits, as it seems only to be for others, primarily “elders” or those in authority positions. Far too often the lack of genuinely feeling respected, honored by others authentically, can lead to lifetimes of never respecting oneself and therefore not having the grounding to be able to adequately respect others.

Our job as therapists, then, is to help clients realize that respect—in its truest form—is not contrived and is not hierarchical. In fact, to be genuine and grounded it needs to be mutual, shared symmetrically. To have high esteem for someone and that is unreturned by that person, it becomes at some point, meaningless for both. For example, if a child adores his father who is admissive or abusive towards his child, the adoration becomes unfulfilling and may, in fact, turn into resentment or despair. Respect needs to come from a place of authenticity and symmetrical balance to have any true validity.

Respect is more than a noun; it is also a verb. It is action. The Latin origin of the word is ‘respectare,’ which means to look back or look again. To reconsider. The realization that respect cannot be demanded or coerced in any meaningful way opens the possibility to a surprising new awareness of another person we thought we knew well, but upon intentional reconsideration, we find something wonderful we may have never noticed before.

Challenge your clients to take the next opportunity to “look again” at the person they most take for granted or get annoyed by, themselves first, or maybe a spouse or family member, a neighbor or coworker, and try assisting them to look through a lens of respect that can filter out the negatives enough to find one new positive perspective they may not have seen in the same way before. This may take some practice, but the more chances we take on this new path of interpersonal discovery, the more we may be delightfully surprised.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.