Utilizing Flow State Therapeutically With Survivors and Refuges of War: An Existential-Humanistic Approach

Abstract

Survivors and refugees of war often have mental, behavioral, emotional, and spiritual consequences from undergoing civil unrest. In many cases, counselors utilize cognitively-based therapies as the recommended treatment to alleviate these issues. While these methods do have relevance, other, more contemporary humanistic approaches also indicate tremendous promise. Flow state, which has connections to existential-humanism, is one such method. Flow state is an internal process in which a person becomes completely immersed in an activity or goal where all else is inconsequential/irrelevant. The ability to consciously tap into flow allows individuals to attain a peak state, which allows for optimal experience and life enjoyment. This process is autotelic, which, operationally defined, means done simply for the sake of the activity or goal itself. The purpose of this article is to provide counselors with information on how to utilize flow with survivors and refugees of war in an existential-humanistic approach.