The second fundamental motivation is responsible for the experience that life is valuable and joyful. "Grundwert" (basic value) is the deep sense of the value of life as such, arising through close relationships and the touch with what moves us. A deficit of FM2 shows itself as depression, emptiness, the loss of joy. The work is aimed at restoring contact with what makes life valuable — not through "positive thinking", but through the phenomenological "reviving" of real experience.
Step-by-step guide
- Inquire: "Is there something in your life that truly moves you, gladdens you, makes life valuable?"
- Help the client recall concrete experiences of joy, beauty, closeness — not abstractly, but concretely
- Phenomenologically "revive" these experiences in session — give them place and time
- Inquire what blocks access to joy now — fear, guilt, exhaustion
- Find a small step toward what brings value — even in current difficult conditions
When to use
- In depression, emotional emptiness, anhedonia
- With the sense "life is grey", "nothing brings joy", "I do not understand what for"
- When working with losses and the loss of meaning of life
- When the client "exists" but does not "live"
Key phrases
Tell me about a moment — not necessarily a long-ago one — when you felt that life was good. When you were alive. What was it?
Follow-up questions
What in your life moves you — even if it does not make you happy?
Is there something for the sake of which it is worth waking up tomorrow?
What exactly blocks access to joy now?
Alternative phrasings
Are you living now — or just existing? How do you feel the difference?
If something small appeared in your life that made it a little more valuable — what could it be?
Warnings
- ⚠️ Working with FM2 requires care — questions about joy can trigger sharp pain in a person in depression
- ⚠️ First accept the pain and the emptiness, then inquire into value — do not rush toward the "positive"
- ⚠️ With suicidal ideation, work with FM2 requires special care and a safety assessment
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.