What Is Experiential Therapy?

Unlike talk therapy, experiential therapy involves using immersive actions and tools to express your emotions.

January 17, 2025 · 4 min · 824 words · Thomas Gomez

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Experiential Therapy?Types of Experiential TherapyPsychodramaWhat Experiential Therapy Can Help WithBenefits of Experiential TherapyEffectivenessThings to ConsiderHow to Get Started

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Experiential Therapy?

Types of Experiential Therapy

Psychodrama

What Experiential Therapy Can Help With

Benefits of Experiential Therapy

Effectiveness

Things to Consider

How to Get Started

Close

When we think of therapy,talk therapygenerally comes to mind.Experientialtherapy, on the other hand, as the name suggests, is a form of therapy that involves immersing yourself in a certain experience.

This form of therapy uses tools like role-playing,psychodrama, music, poetry, arts and crafts, props, animal interactions, and outdoor excursions.

There are several types of experiential therapy, according to Romanoff. These include:

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“Psychodrama is perhaps the approach that people most associate with experiential therapy," says Romanoff. “It involves re-creating crucial situations from past and present relationships with the goal of working on specified therapeutic outcomes in the form of a drama.”

In psychodrama, the person develops a situation that occurred in their life into a play. The situation may be one that occurred many years ago, but the psychodrama brings it into the here and now, where it can be actively dealt with.

Psychodrama gives the person the opportunity to play a role and re-enact the situation in a safe space. It creates a space between fantasy and reality, which allows the person to develop new ways of responding to the situation. With each re-enactment, the person moves toward a more adaptive and helpful response.

This method also allows the person to pause in the middle of a situation in order to process what just occurred. Participants are typically provided with clear boundaries between their reenactment and what actually occurred. For instance, an area or a rug may be used to mark the “stage.”

These are some of the mental health conditions experiential therapy can help treat:

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These are some of the benefits of experiential therapy:

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“This form of therapy, while not for everyone, has been found to be quite effective,” says Romanoff.

Romanoff lists some factors that contribute to its effectiveness:

This form of therapy may not be appropriate for people who are cognitively impaired, physically unable to participate in the therapy, or experiencing symptoms of psychosis, explains Romanoff.

“Experiential therapy can involve a great deal of intensity. Before you undertake it, it is recommended that you watch videos of typical sessions so you can form accurate expectations of what this therapy involves and make informed decisions about your participation,” Romanoff advises.

If you have a preference for a certain type of experiential therapy, such as art therapy or animal-assisted therapy, look for a licensed therapist who has training and experience in that form of therapy.

You can use an online therapy directory to look for therapists who practice experiential therapy, or you could ask your current therapist, doctor, or even friends and family for recommendations.

Since experiential therapy can be immersive and intense, it is important to work with someone you can trust and develop a strongtherapeutic rapportwith.In addition to verifying the therapist’s credentials, you should ensure that you feel safe and comfortable working with them.

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We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.

A Word From Verywell

Experiential therapy is an immersive, hands-on form of therapy that uses expressive tools and modalities. It can help you explore difficult situations, process your emotions, and see things from a different perspective. It can also promote creative expression.

1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Berdondini L, Elliott R, Shearer J.Collaboration in experiential therapy.J Clin Psychol.2012;68(2):159-167. doi:10.1002/jclp.21830

1 Source

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Berdondini L, Elliott R, Shearer J.Collaboration in experiential therapy.J Clin Psychol.2012;68(2):159-167. doi:10.1002/jclp.21830

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Berdondini L, Elliott R, Shearer J.Collaboration in experiential therapy.J Clin Psychol.2012;68(2):159-167. doi:10.1002/jclp.21830

Hannah Owens, LMSW

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