The first fundamental motivation is responsible for the basic feeling "I can be" — the presence of space, support, the acceptance of reality. A deficit of FM1 shows itself in anxiety, escape from reality, the sense of a threat to existence. The work is aimed at restoring basic trust in the world and the sense of support — not through "positive thinking", but through phenomenological search for real resources of support in the client's life.
Step-by-step guide
- Inquire: "Do you have a sense that you stand on solid ground?"
- Find the real resources of support: people, place, body, time, values — what gives the sense "I can be"
- Work with what threatens being: distinguish a real threat from a perceived one (an anxious fantasy)
- Help the client accept the conditions of life — not "good conditions", but the real ones as they are
- Find what helps to "stand" even in hard conditions — inner and outer resources
When to use
- With anxiety disorders and the sense of an unstable world
- In existential crises when "the ground slips from under the feet"
- When working with hard life conditions (illness, loss, changes)
- With basic distrust of the world, hyper-control as a way to create support
Key phrases
What can you lean on right now — in your life, in yourself, in the people nearby? What stays solid even when everything around shakes?
Follow-up questions
What gives you the sense that you can be — despite everything?
Is there something in your life that stays solid?
What helps you stand — right now, in this situation?
Alternative phrasings
The sense of instability — how much of it is about a real threat, and how much about the fear of a threat?
If you knew you had support — what would it be? What in your life is like it?
Warnings
- ⚠️ Do not offer "ready supports" — the task is to help the client discover their own
- ⚠️ In acute anxiety, first stabilization, then phenomenological inquiry
- ⚠️ Accepting the real conditions is not resignation and not passivity; it is a precondition for an authentic answer
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.