Life is full of questions. Sometimes you wonder what the meaning of life is and why you are here in the first place. Existential therapy helps put a lot of focus on the human condition as a whole.
It relies on a positive approach that applauds human aspirations and capabilities. It also acknowledges that human beings have limitations. This therapy approach has several similarities to humanistic therapy, emphasizing the good in human beings.
The Theory Behind Existential Therapy
The theory behind existential therapy helps you explore life’s difficulties from a philosophical perspective.
The bottom line of this therapy approach is to encourage you to take responsibility for your success. It suggests that your source of inner conflict is the confrontation you have with the issues of life. Instead of looking back into your past, you should look at the here and now. Try to get meaning out of any given situation as a whole. In doing so, you can end the fear of the unknown that grips you way too often.
The Principles of Existential Therapy
This form of therapy is founded on the belief that you face certain givens in life. Unfortunately, these experiences cause internal conflict within you as they seem to work against your inherent human existence. Existential therapy recognizes four major existential givens.
Freedom and responsibility. According to this approach, you are free to choose among many alternatives. This leaves you with enough room to take responsibility for your actions, life, and any failure to take action.
If you're always in the habit of blaming other people for your problems, a therapist using this approach will help you see things from a different perspective. They'll make you recognize how your actions led you to the situation you're in and how you let others decide for you. You'll also be able to see the price you pay for doing so.
The solution is to help you look at the various options you have in every situation. Trust yourself to search within and find the answers you need. You will discover how you have lost touch with your identity and instead let others design your life.
Awareness of death. Existential therapy proposes that the thought of death motivates you to live your life fully. It pushes you to take advantage of every opportunity you have to create something meaningful.
Isolation is part of life. This theory suggests that you live in a state of social isolation — your life is devoid of social relationships with other people, and you live alone. You should always strive to give a sense of meaning to life by creating a relationship with yourself. Learn to listen to yourself and to respect your decisions. Decide how to live with yourself and be firm about it.
During an existential therapy session, your therapist might also encourage you to identify the challenges you face from relationships. They will help you pick out what you get from relationships and understand why you avoid close ones.
The search for meaning. Therapists who use this approach encourage you to ask yourself what you want from life. You also must identify where you get meaning from in your life. This teaches you to trust your capacity to find your way of being.
When you're committed to creating, loving, building, and working, meaning in life will come as a by-product of this engagement. Leading a meaningless life can lead to emptiness and hollowness, also known as an existential vacuum.
How Does Existential Therapy Work?
The concept of existential therapy aims to help you have a wide perspective on life. This will increase your self-awareness and increase the potential choices you have in life. It also aims to teach you to take responsibility for your actions and options and to experience authentic existence.
This therapy is not technique-oriented. Instead, the interventions are based on philosophical views about human existence. The approach applies best when you are bereaved or trying to cope with failures in work or marriage. It also applies when you’re dealing with developmental crises or physical limitations due to age.
Existential therapy is an approach that targets the underlying factors that cause internal conflict within you. It targets both mental and behavioral concerns, although it may not directly address the problem at hand. This approach is quite adaptable in creating meaning and can easily be blended with other treatment options.
Combining different approaches maximizes efficiency and promotes quicker recovery. However, existential therapy may not help people who don't wish to explore their internal mental and emotional processes.