Experiential family therapy is an approach to family therapy that addresses hidden and subconscious issues in the family through the use of activities, role-playing, guided imagery, props and expressive arts, and other active engagement. Experiential family therapy uses the family members’ expression of emotion within a genuine, supportive, yet challenging environment. Experiential family therapy attempts to make the covert assumptions overt, unlock defenses to enhance self-esteem and individualism, and promote creativity and playfulness. The purpose is to help eliminate a climate of emotional deadness that can occur in families that are not flexible in roles and in the expression of primary emotions. Engaging family members in the expanding experience opens them up to new ways of being in the family and improves the family’s functioning. ...