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What It's Like to Visit an Existential Therapist
It's not meant to be comforting, but somehow it is.
TL;DR
- Existential therapy is based on the philosophical ideas that all human problems stem from four core issues: death, meaninglessness, isolation, and freedom.
- Key figures in existential therapy include Jean-Paul Sartre, Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin Yalom.
- The author describes their experience in an existential therapy session, finding comfort in the validation of their anxieties about life's uncertainties and mortality.
- Existential therapy emphasizes 'presence' and the responsibility to engage with life, acknowledging difficult realities rather than avoiding them.
- The article notes a rise in existential distress in society, potentially linked to factors like declining religion, social isolation, and global uncertainties.
- While on the fringe of mainstream psychotherapy, existential therapy is gaining recognition and has shown effectiveness for various patient groups.