Jim Lantz

Family Development and the Martial Arts: A Phenomenological Study

This article outlines the results of a grounded-theory, phenomenological study about the impact of the martial arts on the process of family development. Thirty-two couples and families with at least four months of martial arts study experience were interviewed to identify data and data themes about how the martial arts enhanced family development. Themes identified were self-defense, self-confidence, physical vitality, concentration, respect, friendship, moral development, spirit, training for life, grades, respect for life, and the importance of the martial arts instructor.

Art in existential psychotherapy with couples and families

The authors describe and outline how art can be used in existential psychotherapy to help a couple or family uncover, discover, and make use of the meanings and meaning potentials to be found in marital and family life. In existential psychotherapy with couples and families, art can be used to help the members of the relationship notice meaning potentials in the future, honor meaning potentials that have been actualized and deposited in the past, and discover new ways to actualize meaning potentials in the here and now.

Frankl's concept of time: Existential psychotherapy with couples and families

In this article, Viktor Frankls ideas about time are used to outline the basic curative factors in an Existential approach to psychotherapy with couples and families. In this approach, the future includes meaning potentials that are available to the couple or family; the present is the time to actualize such meaning potentials; and the past includes these meaning potentials which have been actualized by the couple or family and deposited forever in the past. The function of the psychotherapist in the described approach to treatment is to help the couple or family notice, actualize,and honorfamily meanings and family meaning potentials.

Play and Art in Existential Trauma Therapy with Children and Their Parents

In existential family trauma therapy play and art can be utilized during the treatment process to help children and their parents hold, tell, master, and honor their trauma experiences and trauma pain. Clinical material is offered to illustrate this existential treatment process.

Existential Psychotherapy with Couples Facing Breast Cancer: A Twenty Year Report

An existential approach to the treatment of couples facing breast cancer, as well as qualitative themes describing the central clinical concerns of the couples in treatment, is outlined and described. In addition, a descriptive clinical study that reviews the changes made by 27 couples facing breast cancer treated by the first author between 1978 and 1998 is also outlined and described. A non-parametric test was used to determine that changes in scores on two clinical measures were significant, suggesting the usefulness of the presented existential clinical approach.

Marcel's “availability” in existential psychotherapy with couples and families

Gabriel Marcel was a French, Catholic, existential philosopher who first presented the concept of human availability as a central way of strengthening the self and facilitating the experience of human freedom. In this article Marcels ideas about availability are described, reviewed, and examined for their implications for the practice of existential psychotherapy with couples and families.

Franklian treatment with Vietnam veteran couples.

In this article, the Franklian treatment method of existential reflection is described as it can be used in marital therapy with Vietnam veterans. The author also provides information about treatment results with twenty-three Vietnam veteran couples from 1974 to 1987.

Research and Evaluation Issues in Existential Psychotherapy

Existential psychotherapists generally have serious reservations and concerns about the use of systematic experimental research methods to generate knowledge about the practice and effectiveness of existential treatment. For many existential psychotherapists such experimental research methods are best replaced with the process of participation. The primary methods of participation research described in this article are: Case Story Research, Case Transcript Research, Single-Subject Case Research, Before-After Field Study Research, and Grounded Theory Research.

EXISTENTIAL FAMILY TRAUMA THERAPY

In this article the process of existential family trauma therapy is outlined and described. This process includes the treatment elements of holding, telling, mastering and honoring the familys trauma experiences and trauma pain. Case illustrations are provided and previous research is reviewed.

Existential psychotherapy with vietnam veteran couples : A twenty-five year report

Existential psychotherapy with Vietnam combat veteran couples should include the treatment elements of holding, telling, mastering, and honoring the combat trauma pain. The authors describe these four treatment elements and provide a descriptive clinical study of this treatment approach with 53 Vietnam veteran couples treated by the first author between 1974 and 1999. All 53 couples made good progress during treatment, as indicated by self-report and two clinical measures of marital adjustment.