A famous Christian psychologist urged people to rediscover the culture of awe as people are not created to be tools.
On April 28, 2022, the lecture entitled "Facing Life Under the Pandemic (From Existential Psychology Perspective)” was held through WeChat live streaming on the “Group Psychotherapist Development Themes Online Forum”.
Xuefu Wang, the sharing guest, is the director of Nanjing Zhimian Institute of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Doctor of Literature at Nanjing University, Master of Psychology and Counseling at Andover Newton Theological School, and Ph.D. student in Existential-Humanistic Psychology at Saybrook University. He is also the author of the books The Road to Growth, The Wounded, and The Healing Heart".
Mr. Wang introduced Western existential psychotherapy to the Chinese public and devoted himself to professional practice and theoretical research of existential psychotherapy in the the context of Chinese culture, being honored as "the first person of existential psychotherapy in China" by the psychotherapy industry. For more than ten years, Wang has been immersed in professional practice and theoretical and cultural research of psychotherapy in Chinese society and has accumulated rich experience in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. He is also engaged in marriage and family counseling. With his practical experience, he has created a Chinese indigenous psychological method called "Zhi Mian Approach".
Professor Wang answered questions about “whether matter determines consciousness or consciousness determines matter”, “the difference between materialism and idealism”, “how to distinguish interpersonal loneliness, existential loneliness, and inner loneliness”, etc.
In the sharing session, Professor Wang said, "Nanjing, the city I live, is a traumatized city. When we talk about existentialism, we think of trauma. Trauma itself reflects the human existence."
On the topic of materialism and idealism, he shared how we should see Albert Einstein — is he a materialist or an idealist? Professor Wang answered that in the scientific field, Einstein is a materialist, but his views on the spiritual nature of the universe have the elements of philosophy and theology which are no longer a materialistic perspective but psychological and spiritual elaboration. The same for Newton. He was known as a scientist, and many of us have learned about his science. Newton extended his study into theology, and many people feel it’s a waste which may not be the case. We need to break the duality idea of either materialism or idealism because it’s possible for one person to hold both views.
Answering which the priority regarding essence and existence is, the psychologist said, "What is the essence of existence? When we say that existence precedes essence, we often find it a bit puzzling, but we are actually talking about human subjectivity, human freedom, human choice, and the difference between people and things. For a table, its essence precedes existence. Before we make a table, we first define the essence of the table and then make it. But when Sartre talked about existence, he referred to the existence of human beings. Only existence can reflect on its own existence and only then it can explain its existence. We can ask ourselves the ultimate questions of who I am, why I live, and where I am going.”
He added, "Existential theology emphasizes the freedom of both objectivity and subjectivity. Cafe tables are defined, but cafe waiters are not. Human beings will ask about the meaning of existence, and they will reflect on their finitude, death, education, freedom, and other topics. Existence is the premise for human beings to ask questions about existence."
An audience asked, "What do you think about loneliness? How to distinguish interpersonal loneliness, existential loneliness, and psychological loneliness?"
Professor Wang replied: "Loneliness, emotion, meaning and suffering are all very core topics in existential psychology. Existing in this world as a human being, We are inherently lonely. Even someone who is very close to you still cannot go to the place where you feel the most lonely and painful. Understanding between human beings cannot reach their deepest loneliness.”
"Even the most famous therapist can't feel the other people’s trauma. For interpersonal loneliness, we need love, care, companionship, and support. Loneliness within the heart is related to the satisfaction of people's sense of value. Existential loneliness is a kind of vacancy inside, not the lack of value, emotion, and material. When people can't feel the meaning of life, they fall into the existential emptiness."
Ugring to rediscover the culture of awe, Professor Wang said, "We live in the lacking awe era. When people do not have the feeling of awe, they think the disappearance of a city or the extinction of species has nothing to do with them. But in the end, these issues are relevant to everyone. The consequence of our deeds will come back to us. For example, the pandemic has brought profound changes to our world and our lives.”
"The psychology of awe is psychology based on awe. Humans are losing true awe in the process of cultural development. Nowadays, people worship technology and success excessively and lose the heart of awe. People themselves are not tools but divine beings worth reverence. A person is good when he respects human nature and is not good when he tramples on human nature and treats people as tools. Are children tools for parents? Are our children study machines? When parents demand good grades only from their children, they ignore children’s humanity. When people emphasize things they do only, they cannot feel their existence.”
- Translated by Katherine Guo
一基督徒心理学家举办“直面抗击疫情下的生活（存在主义心理学视角）”讲座。
2022年4月28日，一团体心理咨询执业发展专题云论坛之“直面抗击疫情下的生活（存在主义心理学视角）”在微信直播间如期举行。
本次分享嘉宾是王学富，他是南京直面心理咨询研究所所长（Zhimian Institute of Counseling and Psychotherapy）、南京大学文学博士、美国安多弗·牛顿学院心理学与辅导硕士、美国赛布鲁克大学存在—人本主义心理学博士研究生。著有《成长的路》《受伤的人》《医治的心》。
王学富引进西方存在主义心理治疗，并在中国文化背景里致力于存在主义心理治疗的专业实践和理论研究，被心理咨询业界誉为“中国存在心理治疗第一人”。十多年来，王在中国社会沉潜于心理咨询专业实践与理论文化研究，在强迫症、焦虑症、抑郁症等方面积累了丰富的治疗经验，并从事婚姻家庭辅导，并在实践经验中探索和创导了中国本土心理学方法：“直面疗法”。
王学富教授先后回答了有关如何看待“物质决定意志，还是意志决定了物质”、“ 唯物和唯心的区别？”“以及如何区别人际孤独 、存在孤独 、心里孤独。”等问题。
以下是他回答提问的一些摘录：
在分享交流会中，王学富教授说到“我所在的南京市，她是一个受创伤的城市，当我们谈到存在主义的时候，我们就会想到创伤。有创伤的这个结果本身就反映了人的存在性。”
关于唯物和唯心的话题，我们怎么看爱因斯坦这个人呢？他的科学领域是唯物的，但他的思想里面反应出对宇宙精神本质的思考，又有哲学和神学的部分。他的看法恐怕就不再是唯物的视角了，有很多涉及到心理和精神的阐述。同样我们看牛顿，他是一个科学家，许多我们过去，了解他的科学，后来他拓展到了神学，很多人觉得可惜，但是事实也许不一定是这样。唯物和唯心或者二合一都有，我们需要突破这种思想的单一的标准。
关于存在和本质哪个是优先的？存在先于本质还是本质先于存在？
王学富教授回答说：“存在的本质是什么。存在先于本质 我们常常觉得有些费解，但其实是在谈人类的主观性、人类的自由、人类的选择 ，谈到人和物的区别。一个桌子。本质先于存在，我们做一个桌子前，先定一个本质 然后造桌子，但是沙特讲存在的时候，是指人的存在。只有存在可以反思自己的存在，才能够说明他的存在。当我们追问自己的时候，我们可以问我是谁 我为什么而活，我将要去哪里的终极问题。 ”
存在主义神学同时强调客观性和主观的自由。咖啡馆的桌子是被限定的 ，咖啡馆的服务员就不是被规定的。人作为一个人，自己在追问，人存在意义是什么？人会问自己的有限性，死亡和教育，自由等人类的话题。当你从后面追问人类存在的问题，我们走到存在层面，我们是在反思人类的层面。”
关于孤独，怎么看？
关于“如何区别人际孤独 、存在孤独、 心理孤独”，王学富教授回答，他指出：“孤独、情感 、意义和受苦都是存在主义心理学非常核心的话题，当我们作为一个人类存在这个世界上，我们本质上是孤独的，即使跟你非常亲密的人，他依然走不到你感到最孤独最痛苦的地方，人类给人的理解是无法走到最深处的孤独。"
"有的时候，当你了解到别人的创伤，即使你是再有名的咨询师也是无法触及到对方的伤痛的。说到人际孤独， 我们需要爱、关心 、陪伴和支持。心里的孤独涉及到人价值感的满足 。存在的孤独，是人内在的一种空缺，不是缺少价值 、情感和物质，仍旧孤独，当人活着感受不到意义 ，就陷入存在性的虚空了里面。”
我们需重拾敬畏的文化
王学富教授说：“我们生活在一个缺乏敬畏的时代。当人不敬畏的时候 ，一个城市的消失，一个物种的灭绝，觉得看似与我无关，但最后它与每一个人都是相关的。我们的为所欲为都会回到我们这里。比如现在疫情，给我们的世界和生活带来了深刻的变化。
“敬畏心理学是以敬畏为根基的心理学，我们人类在历史上的发展走到今天，我们正在失掉存在文化的敬畏。现在的人太崇拜科技和成功，从而失去了真正的敬畏的部分。人本身不是工具，而是神圣值得敬畏的存在。一个人当他尊重人性的时候就是好的，践踏人性并把人当工具的时候，就是不好的。作为家长，我们的孩子是我们的工具吗？ 我们的孩子是读书的机器的吗 ？当你从他身上榨取成绩的时候，你就把他的人性忽略掉了。当人只是强调所做事的事情，就感受不到他的存在了。”
“直面抗击疫情下的生活” 论坛在线举行 心理学家王学富呼吁重拾敬畏的文化 ：人不是工具
A famous Christian psychologist urged people to rediscover the culture of awe as people are not created to be tools.
On April 28, 2022, the lecture entitled "Facing Life Under the Pandemic (From Existential Psychology Perspective)” was held through WeChat live streaming on the “Group Psychotherapist Development Themes Online Forum”.
Xuefu Wang, the sharing guest, is the director of Nanjing Zhimian Institute of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Doctor of Literature at Nanjing University, Master of Psychology and Counseling at Andover Newton Theological School, and Ph.D. student in Existential-Humanistic Psychology at Saybrook University. He is also the author of the books The Road to Growth, The Wounded, and The Healing Heart".
Mr. Wang introduced Western existential psychotherapy to the Chinese public and devoted himself to professional practice and theoretical research of existential psychotherapy in the the context of Chinese culture, being honored as "the first person of existential psychotherapy in China" by the psychotherapy industry. For more than ten years, Wang has been immersed in professional practice and theoretical and cultural research of psychotherapy in Chinese society and has accumulated rich experience in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. He is also engaged in marriage and family counseling. With his practical experience, he has created a Chinese indigenous psychological method called "Zhi Mian Approach".
Professor Wang answered questions about “whether matter determines consciousness or consciousness determines matter”, “the difference between materialism and idealism”, “how to distinguish interpersonal loneliness, existential loneliness, and inner loneliness”, etc.
In the sharing session, Professor Wang said, "Nanjing, the city I live, is a traumatized city. When we talk about existentialism, we think of trauma. Trauma itself reflects the human existence."
On the topic of materialism and idealism, he shared how we should see Albert Einstein — is he a materialist or an idealist? Professor Wang answered that in the scientific field, Einstein is a materialist, but his views on the spiritual nature of the universe have the elements of philosophy and theology which are no longer a materialistic perspective but psychological and spiritual elaboration. The same for Newton. He was known as a scientist, and many of us have learned about his science. Newton extended his study into theology, and many people feel it’s a waste which may not be the case. We need to break the duality idea of either materialism or idealism because it’s possible for one person to hold both views.
Answering which the priority regarding essence and existence is, the psychologist said, "What is the essence of existence? When we say that existence precedes essence, we often find it a bit puzzling, but we are actually talking about human subjectivity, human freedom, human choice, and the difference between people and things. For a table, its essence precedes existence. Before we make a table, we first define the essence of the table and then make it. But when Sartre talked about existence, he referred to the existence of human beings. Only existence can reflect on its own existence and only then it can explain its existence. We can ask ourselves the ultimate questions of who I am, why I live, and where I am going.”
He added, "Existential theology emphasizes the freedom of both objectivity and subjectivity. Cafe tables are defined, but cafe waiters are not. Human beings will ask about the meaning of existence, and they will reflect on their finitude, death, education, freedom, and other topics. Existence is the premise for human beings to ask questions about existence."
An audience asked, "What do you think about loneliness? How to distinguish interpersonal loneliness, existential loneliness, and psychological loneliness?"
Professor Wang replied: "Loneliness, emotion, meaning and suffering are all very core topics in existential psychology. Existing in this world as a human being, We are inherently lonely. Even someone who is very close to you still cannot go to the place where you feel the most lonely and painful. Understanding between human beings cannot reach their deepest loneliness.”
"Even the most famous therapist can't feel the other people’s trauma. For interpersonal loneliness, we need love, care, companionship, and support. Loneliness within the heart is related to the satisfaction of people's sense of value. Existential loneliness is a kind of vacancy inside, not the lack of value, emotion, and material. When people can't feel the meaning of life, they fall into the existential emptiness."
Ugring to rediscover the culture of awe, Professor Wang said, "We live in the lacking awe era. When people do not have the feeling of awe, they think the disappearance of a city or the extinction of species has nothing to do with them. But in the end, these issues are relevant to everyone. The consequence of our deeds will come back to us. For example, the pandemic has brought profound changes to our world and our lives.”
"The psychology of awe is psychology based on awe. Humans are losing true awe in the process of cultural development. Nowadays, people worship technology and success excessively and lose the heart of awe. People themselves are not tools but divine beings worth reverence. A person is good when he respects human nature and is not good when he tramples on human nature and treats people as tools. Are children tools for parents? Are our children study machines? When parents demand good grades only from their children, they ignore children’s humanity. When people emphasize things they do only, they cannot feel their existence.”
- Translated by Katherine Guo
Christian Psychologist Urges to Rediscover the Culture of Awe: 'People Are Not Tools'
