Lesson 6: Existential Therapy

Existential therapy

• is a philosophical approach rooted in existentialist thought.

• It does not focus on curing symptoms but on helping clients confront the fundamental challenges - the givens - of human existence and find authentic meaning in their lives.

Viktor Frankl

• Developed Logotherapy

• coined 'existential vacuum' and 'will to meaning

• survived Nazi concentration camps

• wrote Man's Search for Meaning

Rollo May

• Key American existential psychologist

• explored anxiety, freedom, and the daimonic

Irvin Yalom

• Identified four 'ultimate concerns' (death, freedom, isolation, meaninglessness)

• wrote Existential Psychotherapy

Emmy van Deurzen

• Founded the New School of Psychotherapy and Counseling

• translated existential philosophy into therapeutic practice

Martin Buber

Philosopher who articulated the I/Thou vs. I/It distinction — essential for authentic human connection

Soren Kierkegaard

Philosophical forefather; explored anxiety and the authentic self

The Four Givens of Existence (Yalom)

These are the inescapable truths of human existence that every person must face:

• Death — awareness of our mortality; confronting non-being

• Freedom — we are radically free to choose; this carries total responsibility

• Existential Isolation — no matter how close we are to others, each person faces existence alone

• Meaninglessness — life has no inherent meaning; we must create it

Happiness

is NOT a 'given of existence.'

Existential Vacuum

A pervasive sense of emptiness and hollowness resulting from meaninglessness in life (Frankl)

Logotherapy

Frankl's therapy focused on helping clients find meaning ('logos') even in suffering

Existential Anxiety

• Not a disorder — an unavoidable result of confronting the givens of existence

• a stimulus for growth

Authenticity

Living by your own values and honest self-evaluation, not by others' expectations or social conformity

I/Thou Relationship

Buber's concept of a genuine, mutual, person-to-person connection that transcends the transactional

I/It Relationship

A functional or objectifying relationship with another (treating people as means, not ends)

Existential Guilt

• Guilt arising from failing to actualize one's potential or from choices not made

• not neurotic guilt

Will to Meaning

Frankl's concept that the primary human motivation is to find meaning in life

Capacity for Self-awareness, Freedom and responsibility, Creating one’s identity, Search for meaning, Anxiety as a condition of living, Awareness of death and non-being

The Six Key Existential Propositions

Capacity for self-awareness

we can reflect on our existence

Freedom and responsibility

• we have the potential to act or not act

• inaction is still a choice

Creating one’s identity

• we are always 'becoming'

• shaped by choices, not fixed nature

Search for meaning

• we strive to create significance

• engagement and commitment create meaning

Anxiety as a condition of living

confronting the givens creates unavoidable anxiety

Awareness of death and non-being

mortality awareness motivates authentic living

Creative, Experiential, Attitudinal Values

Creating Meaning (Frankl's Three Paths)

Creative values

through work, creating something

Experiential values

through love, beauty, and connection

Attitudinal values

through the stance we take toward unavoidable suffering

Therapeutic Goals

• Remove roadblocks to meaningful living

• Help clients assume responsibility for their own choices and actions

• Expand self-awareness and confront the givens of existence

• Help clients live more authentically

Fellow travelers

Existential therapists do NOT see themselves as medical doctors, technique-appliers, or instructors.

They see themselves as philosophical companions or '______' — a person who walks alongside the client in confronting life's deepest questions.

Initial Phase

Client examines and challenges their own assumptions about the world and their existence

Middle Phase

Client more fully examines the source and authority of their present value system; scrutinizing beliefs

Final Phase

Client takes new learning and puts it into action; applying insights to create change

Key Criticisms of Existential Therapy

• Lacks a systematic statement of principles and techniques — uses vague and abstract language

• Difficult to research due to the abstract nature of concepts

• May not be accessible to clients seeking concrete problem-solving

Social conformity

Emmy van Deurzen focuses on DEATH, MEANINGLESSNESS, and EXISTENTIAL ISOLATION — not '_____’

Existential vacuum; meaninglessness; will to meaning

Client statement: 'I feel empty despite having everything'

Existential Response/Framework: Identify as the _____; explore _____ and the _____.

Freedom and responsibility

Client statement: 'I have no choice about my situation'

Existential Response/Framework: Challenge _____ and ____; Inaction is a decision

Authenticity

Client statement: 'I'm only doing this because my family wants me to'

Existential Response/Framework: Explore _____; is the client living their own values?

Death awareness

Client statement: 'I'm terrified of dying'

Existential Response/Framework: Use _____ as a stimulus to evaluate how one is truly living

Existential isolation

Client statement: 'I feel utterly alone'

Existential Response/Framework: Normalize ____; help find courage to connect authentically

Engagement, love, work, suffering

Client statement: 'Life has no point anymore'

Existential Response/Framework: Explore meaning through ____, ___, ___, ___ (Frank)