O)+Experiential+Therapy

**Experiential Therapy**  Experiental Therapy utilizes a number of different therapy models. The goal of experiential therapy is to allow the unconscious mind to become more fully aware and to then integrate it with the conscious mind. Therapists who engage in this form of treatment believe that it isn't enough to just talk about problems, but rather talking needs to be paired with experiencing.

For example: Jane believes that if she tells her mother how she feels about her mother calling her five times a day then her mother will feel that Jane is trying to hide something from her and that her mother will worry that Jane is not eating properly and not attending counselling.  Experiential therapy provides opportunity for Jane to examine her beliefs about her mother, her feelings about how her mother may react or has reacted in the past and how Jane herself has responded in those moments, and discuss other ways in which she could respond. Once alternative responses have been identified, then Jane, with her therapist, could role play (drama therapy) a conversation with her mother while exploring a variety of approaches and responses.

Some clients may have difficulty articulating and/or naming their feelings. An alternative to talking about feelings may be:

 The theory behind experiential therapy is that experience can assist the client with developing a deeper and more meaningful level of self-awareness (Ellis-Christensen,   2003 )  . 
 * art therapy like sculpting, painting and collaging
 * hypnosis
 * eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
 * cooking classes
 * eating at a restaurant and ordering "new" foods and avoiding "old" foods.
 * drama therapy