Title

Co-experiencing psychotherapy explained in a dialogue

Abstract

Co-experiencing psychotherapy was developed in Russia by Fyodor Vasilyuk and his colleagues after an impactful encounter with Carl Rogers. Through an interview with Jeffrey Cornelius-White, with Fedor Shankov serving as translator and later contributor after Vasilyuk’s death, the ideology and methodology of co-experiencing psychotherapy is explored. Fyodor Vasilyuk addresses the phenomenology of co-experiencing therapy as well as its relationship to both cultural-historical psychology and person-centered psychotherapy. He describes the concepts of his approach as well as the importance of the synchronous relationship between the client and therapist in overcoming crises along with a comparison of other anthropological practices’ conceptualizations of human experiences. The interview closes with Shankov’s accounts of personal experiences with Vasilyuk, honoring his legacy of creativity as a person, bravery to live daringly, and for developing a humanistic approach founded on Russian psychological traditions.

Department(s)

Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2019.1618369

Keywords

Co-experiencing, experiential therapy, Fyodor Vasilyuk, interview, person-centered approach, Rogers, Vygotsky

Publication Date

4-3-2019

Journal Title

Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies

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