This article reviews the life and work of Rollo May and his influence on the author’s development of applying existential therapy to treating traumatic stress. An examination of May’s worldview, theory, and therapeutic philosophy is presented. Considerable importance is placed on May’s theoretical foundations as they apply to treating combat veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The data presented in this article reveal the significance of utilizing existential therapeutic principles within a group format to help facilitate combat veterans’ recovery from the internal damage inflicted by PTSD.
Just as there are many cultures within the world, so also are there many practices, beliefs, myths, values, and traditions within each culture. These unique ways of being can often present challenging frames of reference that may prevent a whole perspective from being attained. This essay examines the contextual formation of culture and the fundamentals intricate to the search for universal values. An illumination is also provided upon some of the major and extreme forms of cultural practices that may pose difficulty in achieving such a goal.
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