Terror, Numbness, Panic, and Awe: Experiential Personal Constructivismn and Panic

Abstract

SUMMARY Experiential personal constructivism is based upon the fundamental premise that human intimacy (termed “ROLE relationships”) is both absolutely essential for meaning in life yet is filled with terror. As such, persons both approach and retreat from these relationships. While retreating from these relationships allows us to feel safe, we also numb ourselves to the full experience of our interpersonal world. “Symptoms” of “psychopathology” (including symptoms of panic) are ways in which we tell ourselves that we are not engaging in ROLE relationships as extensively as we could. By courageously exploring our ways of limiting intimacy, due mostly to horrendous disr confirmations, we can use our experience of “symptomatology” to grow in ways that allow us to experience self, other, and world more richly. This type of growth, toward reverence or awe, is the true end of therapy.