Ep. 13 - Practicing the Phenomenological Attitude in Therapy: Personal Existential Analysis (PEA)
Personal Existential Analysis (PEA) is a phenomenological psychotherapeutic method developed by Alfried Laengle and is the primary method used within Existential Analysis. In this episode, co-hosts Mihaela Launeanu and Janelle Drisner demonstrate the PEA process by example. Janelle shares with us her experience of joining a new group of people in a course that she will be taking for the next couple of years. Mihaela follows the PEA process to look closely and understand Janelle’s experience, allowing herself to be impressed upon and personally relate to the experience. Through this process of understanding phenomenologically, Janelle and Mihaela deepen the experience cognitively, emotionally, and somatically. It is a rigorous process which requires openness, bracketing, trust, humility, and courage.
The first part of the episode holds this demonstration of the PEA process and the second part of the episode describe what happens in the PEA process, outlining the steps. In brief summary, the steps of the PEA process are as follows:
PEA0 - The client and therapist gather the facts - determining what is known for sure.
PEA1 - The client and therapist notice and deepen how they are moved by the phenomenon (the experience being studied) and the effect that is has. It is here that emotion and impulses are noticed.
PEA2 - The client and therapist notice how they are impressed upon as persons, really looking closely at the phenomenon and taking the time to notice what can be detected, how it is detected, and how it appears to be so that an understanding is cultivated.
PEA3 - The client and therapist determine what the suffering is, taking a position towards the phenomenon, and making a decision about what is to be done.
These steps are expounded upon in the episode to elucidate the experiential process undertaken together. For more information and resources on PEA and Existential Analysis, please visit the website for the Viennese School of Existential Analysis and Logotherapy.
