Existential therapy

Existential therapy is a special kind of help for people called psychotherapy. It focuses on a person's own experiences and how they see the world. The goal is to help people use their freedom to live happy and true lives.

This type of therapy believes that everyone has the power to shape their own life, even when things are hard. It also thinks that feelings about big questions—like life, being alone, making choices, and finding purpose—are normal parts of being human. These feelings can help people live better lives.

Existential therapy does not rely on strict steps or tools. It is more about having honest and open talks between the person and the therapist. This way, they can discover what matters most to the person in a way that feels right for them. It also questions simple ways of explaining tough feelings, encouraging a deeper look into what makes each person unique.

Background

The thinkers who helped create existential therapy wanted to understand what it means to be human. Two main areas, phenomenology and existential philosophy, shaped this type of therapy. The ideas started with the work of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. They asked questions about common beliefs and looked for deeper truths about life.

Kierkegaard believed people should face their own truths with courage, making choices with passion. Nietzsche said that old ideas about God and truth were outdated, and people needed to find their own meaning. Other thinkers like Edmund Husserl, Max Scheler, and Martin Heidegger studied human experience in detail. Jean-Paul Sartre said that people are free but also responsible for their choices. These ideas help therapists guide people to live more meaningful lives.

Existentialism and therapy

In the 1900s, therapists began using ideas from existentialism in their work. Austrian psychoanalyst Otto Rank talked about the importance of choice in life. In the 1930s and 1940s, Swiss psychiatrists Ludwig Binswanger and Medard Boss created Daseinsanalysis, which mixes ideas about how people experience the world.

In America, Rollo May brought existential therapy in the 1950s, working with Paul Tillich, James Bugental, Carl Rogers, and Abraham Maslow. Viktor Frankl wrote Man's Search for Meaning, leading to Logotherapy, which helps people find meaning in life. In the 1980s, Irvin D. Yalom said that everyone thinks about big questions like life, choice, being alone, and purpose.

Schools

Existential therapy has different styles. Daseinsanalysis, started by Binswanger and Boss, looks at how people experience time and space. Logotherapy, from Frankl, helps people find meaning. Existential-humanistic therapy, from May and Bugental, focuses on personal growth and choice. Existential-phenomenological therapy, influenced by R.D. Laing, helps people understand their experiences. All these styles aim to help people live more meaningful lives.

Development

The European School of existential analysis has two main types of therapy: Logotherapy and Daseinsanalysis. Logotherapy was started by psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl. It helps people find meaning in life. This idea came from Frankl’s own difficult times during World War II.

In Britain, thinkers like R. D. Laing and David Cooper used ideas from a famous philosopher to think differently about mental health. They made places where people could live without usual medical rules. Today, groups like the Philadelphia Association keep this work going, studying ideas from many thinkers.

In recent years, new ways to help people have grown in Canada. These include adding ideas from positive psychology to old methods, helping people find happiness and purpose in their lives.

Themes

Existential themes are big ideas about what it means to be human. A famous thinker named Irvin Yalom says there are four main themes:

• Death: Knowing that we will all die someday can be hard. Some people try not to think about it, while others feel sad. Existential therapy helps people accept life by understanding that life is short.
• Freedom and responsibility: People have the freedom to make their own choices and decide what their life means. But with freedom comes responsibility for our choices. Sometimes, people feel guilty about choices they made. Existential therapy helps people understand their freedom and make choices that feel right to them.
• Isolation: Everyone feels alone sometimes. We want to connect with others, but no one can truly feel exactly what another person feels. Existential therapy helps people build real connections based on respect.
• Meaning and meaninglessness: People often wonder what life means. Some believe life has no built-in meaning, and each person must find or create their own. Existential therapy helps people find meaning through their actions, values, and relationships.

Existential therapy also talks about anxiety that comes from thinking about these big questions. By facing these feelings, people can grow and change. A big goal of this therapy is to help people live authentically—which means living in a way that feels true to themselves. Therapists help people think about their values and choices to find a path that feels right for them.

Psychological dysfunction

Existential therapy helps people think about big life questions, like death, freedom, feeling alone, and finding purpose. Some people think problems happen when someone struggles with these feelings. Others believe there is no such thing as mental illness—all ways of living are just choices.

Everyone can choose how they live, but sometimes it feels hard to make decisions. People might not see other choices because of society, but a therapist can help someone accept these feelings instead of thinking they are wrong.

Personal element

Existential counselors think it is important for people to think deeply about their own lives before they can help others. When working with teenagers, a counselor can show how to make good choices, even when things don’t go as planned. This helps young people understand that even when they feel worried, they still have the power to choose how to act.

This type of counseling doesn’t focus much on what happened in the past. Instead, it looks at the choices a person can make right now and in the future. By thinking about how they’ve handled life’s challenges before, people can learn to see life in a new way. They can realize that they are free to make their own path, even if it means facing some worries along the way.

Four worlds

Existential thinkers study what makes us human. They think everyone faces big questions about life, no matter who they are.

People deal with four main parts of life: the physical (our bodies and the world), the social (how we connect with others), the psychological (our thoughts and feelings), and the spiritual (our deeper meaning and purpose). Some people focus only on the first three parts. In each part, we hope for good things and worry about bad things. How we see and act in these parts shapes our own world. These four parts all connect and help create the space where we live our lives.

Research support

Existential therapies can help adults find more meaning in their lives. Some types of these therapies can help people feel better and reduce difficult feelings. Other types have not shown strong results. Even though there isn’t a lot of strong research, therapies that include learning, activities, and talking about life seem to work best. Existential therapists believe it’s important to look at both numbers and personal stories when studying how well therapy works. They also think it’s important to use methods that have been shown to help.