Experiential therapy
Experiential therapy – is a category of therapeutic techniques in which expressive tools and activities—such as role-playing or acting, props, arts and crafts, music, animal care, guided imagery, or various forms of recreation—are used to allow clients to re-enact and re-experience emotional situations from their past or their relationships. The objective of experiential therapy is to focus on the activities and, through these experiences, better identify emotions associated with success, disappointment, responsibility, and self-esteem. Under the guidance of a trained experiential therapist, the client can explore and cope with feelings of anger, hurt, or shame, related to their past experiences, that may have been ignored or pushed away previously.
Recreating authentic experiences allows feelings, beliefs, and attitudes beneath the conscious mind to come into awareness. Experiential therapy is not one type of intervention, but a variety of different interventions focusing on experiences, emotional processes, interactions with others, creativity, and reflections of events. (Greenberg et al., 1989).
Types of Experiential Therapy:
There are several types of experiential therapy, according to Romanoff. These include:
1. Drama therapy: Also known as psychodrama, drama therapy is the most common form of experiential therapy. It involves re-enacting or re-creating conflict-based situations in a safe setting to help you release any negative or suppressed emotions associated with that situation.
Music therapy: Music therapy uses music to create positive changes in behavior.
2. Art therapy: Art therapy uses creative artistic processes and tools to help you work through conflicts and become more aware of yourself. Tools in art therapy include painting, sculpting, and drawing.
3. Play therapy: This form of therapy, which is usually used with children, capitalizes on therapeutic play to work through psychological difficulties that children may not be able to express through words.
Outdoor therapy: Outdoor therapy includes wilderness therapy and adventure therapy. It combines wilderness excursions, adventure activities, and therapy sessions.
4. Animal-assisted therapy: Interacting with animals and caring for them can be therapeutic. Animal-assisted therapy sessions can include animals like dogs or horses.
Melissa Madeson. Experiential Therapy Guide: 24 Activities, Techniques & Examples. 24 Oct 2023. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/gcfmdn
Bischoff, G. (2016). Solution-focused brief therapy and experiential family therapy activities: An integration. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 12(3), 191–213. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/uvqbcj
Elliot, R., & Greenberg, L. (2007). The essence of process-experiential/emotion-focused therapies. American Journal of Psychotherapies, 61(3), 241–254. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/rgurih
Gupta Sanjana. What Is Experiential Therapy? Updated on December 13, 2024. Retrieved from: https://surl.li/tqyely