What Is Existential Therapy?

Overview 

Have you ever wondered who you are and why are you going? If yes, keep on reading this may help promote your self-reflection. 

Existential therapy is a talk therapy that explores and understands human existence, responsibilities, and purpose in life. Grounded in the philosophical belief of human uniqueness, self-awareness, and personal responsibility of creating and finding meaning in one’s own life, with emphasis on personal freedom, individual choices, inherent challenges and anxieties. It emerged as a distinct psychotherapeutic approach in the mid-20th century, synthesised by paramount figures, such as Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin Yalom. Existential therapy, unlike other contemporary approaches that deal with our past or present or underlying dynamics, its focus on an individual's current emotional experiences and decision-making, helps guide us towards identification of one’s true beliefs, meaning, and responsibility of life, in addressing the challenges we face as a human-being.^1,2,3

Core concepts and principles 

View of human nature 

Grounded upon the belief that life has no intrinsic meaning, which we must search for on our own. The existentialists view individuals as unique beings with free will, while humans possess freedom of choice during decision-making, we bear the responsibility for that simultaneously. With an emphasis on subjective experiences and personal meaning-making, we are continuously emerging, evolving in response to tensions, contradictions, and conflicts in our lives, yet recreating, and making sense of our existence. We are capable of understanding one another only if we are aware of this subjective, selective filtering nature among individuals.⁴

Propositions

Freedom and responsibility

Freedom and responsibility are fundamental concepts in existential therapy. Highlighting individuals’ freedom to make choices and shape one’s own lives, these however come with corresponding responsibilities to the consequences of decisions. Existential therapy encourages individuals to embrace freedom of choice, align personal decisions with core values, recognise the power of change for authentic and responsible actions, to create meaning and purpose in life.⁴

Capacity for self-awareness

The capacity of self–awareness is the core of existential therapy. As awareness towards limited time, choices of actions, loneliness, plus discovery and defining the world expands, individuals examine their beliefs, values, and existential concerns more consciously, to gain deeper insights towards their authentic selves. Among existential therapy, self-awareness is nurtured through open exploration and dialogue, empowering individuals to make conscious choices and live in alignment with their true selves, towards destiny creation.^4,5

Striving for identity and relationship with others

Among existential therapy, striving for identity and relationship with others is significant. Concerning the human inherent pursuit of self-identity and meaningful interpersonal connections, existential therapy explores tension navigation between unique individuality and the need for social belonging. It encourages reflections upon values, beliefs, and authentic self-expression while fostering healthy and fulfilling relationships that honour one’s individuality and interconnectedness with others.⁴

Search of meaning

Having a sense of significance and purpose is a strong emphasis of existential therapy. While examining personal values, beliefs, and narratives by open exploration and reflection, can help to uncover deeper meaning. Confrontation of existential questions, such as the meaning of life, personal ideals, and significance can also be encouraged, thus promoting the search for meaning, towards a sense of fulfilment and life direction discovery.⁴

Anxiety as a condition of living

From the existential perspective, anxiety is essentially a broad term describing a threat to our identified values or existence, for survival and preservation of our being. Despite helping to confront and understand the underlying anxieties, to reduce fear, thereby fostering acceptance and resilience when facing existential concerns. By exploring the underlying fears and existential dilemmas, individuals can develop coping mechanisms, rediscover inner strength, and live more authentically, despite anxieties.⁴

Awareness of death and nonbeing 

Death and nonbeing awareness acknowledges the inevitability of death and explores how this awareness shapes our lives. By confronting the reality and fear of mortality, existential therapy facilitates reflection upon the fleeting nature of existence. It also motivates us to take advantage of appreciating the present moment and live fully with authenticity to create meaning and purpose, when facing the fear of non-being, even during impermanence.⁵

Procedures and techniques 

Based on the philosophical nature of human existence, instead of technique-oriented. Existential therapy prefers description, understanding, and exploration of one’s subjective reality. When employed, the following procedures and strategies flow from a respectful client understanding.^5,6

Initial phase: presence 

Existential relationship building with presence is the foremost therapeutic intervention. Initiated with presence, respect and compassion, therapists assist one in identifying and clarifying their world assumptions. Meanwhile, with open-mindedness and respect towards client exploration, therapists will educate clients to reflect upon their perception, values, beliefs, and goals for existence, while emphatically helping to examine their role in life problems’ creation.^5,6

Middle phrase: dream-work

In the middle phase of existential therapy, therapists will assist clients in fully examining their present value system’s source and authority using a variety of dream and unconscious approaches. While self-exploration in existential dream experiences facilitates clients to reflect on their personal inner feelings, hopes and fears, new insights and restructuring of values and attitudes could also be obtained, to facilitate a clear internal value process rebuilding and personal life meaning discovery.^5,6

Final phrase: closure 

Facing the end of existential therapy is the closure and final confrontation with reality. While essential for therapists to process and create satisfying closure. This phrase should also stress transforming takeaways into practical actions, to empower clients in discovering ways to implement their examined and internalised values to discover their strengths and the practical facilitation of purposeful existence.^5,6

Applications 

Existential therapy has a broad application in various settings in addressing a range of psychological and emotional challenges. With its core on exploring fundamental human existence, it is particularly relevant to the following areas:^5,6

Existential crisis and major life transitions 

Existential therapy is well-suited for individuals experiencing existential crises and major life transitions, such as life-changing illnesses, disabilities, career changes, relationship struggles, or loss of loved ones. A profound sense of meaninglessness, loss of purpose, and questioning of self-identity may arise in these situations. Under themes of authenticity, responsibility, and freedom, it helps navigate these crises by value, beliefs, and personal goals explorations, in the lead of an ultimate renewed personal meaning and direction discovery, facilitating the overcoming of associated challenges. 

Anxiety and depression

Existential therapy is beneficial in managing anxiety and depression stemming from existential concerns. While examining underlying existential anxieties, such as fear of death, freedom and isolation, a deeper emotional understanding, thus coping strategies can be cultivated for better management. 

Personal growth and self-exploration

While existential therapy seeks personal growth through self-exploration and discovery, It encourages the examination of core beliefs, values, and assumptions, promoting self-reflection and awareness, ultimately fostering a deeper understanding of oneself, supporting the development of authenticity and fulfilment. 

Limitations

Potential increased distress

Exploring existential themes can bring up individuals’ fears, anxieties, and responsibilities in reality, which may temporarily heighten their unease or distress level before resolution. Therefore, careful therapists’ guidance, navigation and assistance are essential.⁶

Lack of empirical evidence 

Due to existential therapy's exploration of subjective existential concerns, it has been criticised for its limited empirical research and lack of effectiveness supporting scientific evidence, making it challenging to measure outcomes objectively.⁶

Emphasis on individualism 

Existential therapy focusing on personal responsibility and individual choice may overlook the sociocultural factors influencing an individual’s experiences, which may not adequately address systemic issues contributing to psychological distress.⁶

Lack of clear techniques and structure

Existential therapy is often criticised for its less structured approach when compared to other therapeutic modalities. Some individuals may prefer more directive interventions or specific techniques in addressing their struggles.⁶

Integration with other therapeutic approaches

Humanistic experiential therapies

With shared common roots, the overlapping emphasis on personal growth, self-awareness, and the exploration of here-and-now experiences among human experiential therapies, such as person-centred therapy and gestalt therapy, existential therapy can provide a deep-seated philosophical framework for further development and integration.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)

By incorporating existential themes and concerns into the cognitive restructuring process of cognitive behavioural therapy. Existential therapy can help to explore the underlying existential beliefs or anxieties contributing to the cognitive distortions, fostering adaptive thoughts and behavioural development.

Psychodynamic therapy 

By incorporating existential exploration into the analysis of unconscious processes and early life experiences in psychodynamic therapy. Individuals’ insight-gaining and search for meaning in existential conflicts within the psychodynamic framework can be facilitated.

Mindfulness-based approaches

When existential perspectives are integrated into mindfulness-based approaches, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) or acceptance commitment therapy (ACT). Mindfulness can be cultivated among existential concerns such as impermanence and the nature of suffering, to foster acceptance and search for meaning in the present moment. 

FAQ’s 

How is existential therapy different from logotherapy? 

Existential therapy focuses on individual freedom, responsibility exploring, and the search for meaning in life; logotherapy specifically stresses the search for meaning and purpose at its core aiming to enhance psychological well-being and resilience. 

Summary 

Existential therapy is a profound and impactful psychotherapy that explores the fundamental questions and concerns of human existence. Stemmed from existential philosophy, with emphasis on personal responsibility, freedom of choices, and search for meaning and ultimate purpose in life. A collaborative procedure with strategies fused has been provided for the examination of core beliefs, values, and goals, in assisting existential concerns confrontation of and authentic decision-making. By fostering self-awareness, and personal growth, along with its further integration with other therapeutic approaches, existential therapy is gradually empowering us to become more fulfilling and meaningful in our lives, aligning with our true selves.