Existential Therapy

Existential therapy is a philosophical and psychological approach that explores the fundamental questions of human existence such as meaning, freedom, responsibility, anxiety, and the inevitability of death. This therapeutic approach emerged in the mid-twentieth century from the ideas of existential philosophers such as Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. Their philosophical work on human existence later influenced psychologists and psychiatrists, including Viktor Frankl, who developed these concepts into a therapeutic approach that emphasizes self-awareness, personal responsibility, and the search for meaning in addressing emotional and psychological struggles. Existential therapy doesn't provide formulaic approaches or ready-made solutions. Rather, it encourages individuals to confront the anxieties and dilemmas that arise from the human condition from the stance of being the subject of their own existence, promoting a more authentic and meaningful way of living. It is an introspective and reflective approach that helps people grapple with the complexities of their existence and make choices that align with their values and aspirations.

Existential therapy is a deeply humanistic approach to understanding our world of feelings and senses, and our relationships with ourselves, with others, with our fears, and with life itself. I studied this approach at the basic and advanced levels for 4 years through the GLE (Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis) International, and often employ the insights of existential therapy when other models don’t do justice to the suffering, complexity and wonderment of existence. As humans we are meaning-making creatures. In this way, and in a culture bombarded with noise, distractions and superficial answers, we are all philosophers making sense of our place in the universe.