Existential Theory and Our Search for Spirituality

Throughout the course of Western history, science, religion, philosophy, psychology, and counseling have struggled to find common ground and opportunities for integration. Existential theory may begin to bridge humanity's search for spirituality and psychological wellbeing. Due to it's foundation in philosophy and the search for meaning, existentialism is uniquely suited to this task. It is our search for meaning, truth, and the I-thou experience that facilitates movement from the cognitive realm to the spiritual, transcending traditional psychotherapeutic rhetoric through a greater awareness of universal truths (Tomer, Eliason, & Wong, 2008 Tomer, A., Eliason, G. and Wong, P., eds. 2008. Existential and spiritual issues in death attitudes, New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates/Taylor & Francis Group. [Google Scholar]; Eliason, Hanley, & Leventis, 2007 Eliason, G., Hanley, C. and Leventis, M. 2007. “Integrating spirituality, religion, and pastoral care in counseling”. In The counselor's companion: What every beginning counselor needs to know, Edited by: Gregoire, J. and C. Jungers, C. 658–674. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Google Scholar]; 2001 Eliason, G., Hanley, C. and Leventis, M. 2001. The role of spirituality: Four theoretical orientations. Pastoral Psychology, 50(2): 77–91. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], Eliason, 2000 Eliason, G. 2000. “Spirituality and counseling of the older adult”. In Death attitudes and the older adult, Edited by: Tomer, A. 241–256. Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis. [Google Scholar]).