Existential psychotherapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on helping individuals understand and address the fundamental questions and issues of existence, such as meaning, purpose, death, freedom, and responsibility. This approach emphasises the individual's personal experiences, feelings, and choices in the context of a broader philosophical framework.

 

Existential therapy views personal problems as rooted in the individual's struggle with existential questions and issues, rather than just as symptoms of a mental health issue or mental illness. As a therapist that integrates the existential approach, I aim to help people to explore, understand and integrate types of existential questions into their life, leading to increased meaning and purpose. Existential therapy can successfully be used as the main psychotherapeutic approach and can also be integrated effectively with other approachers such as Person-Centred therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

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Working together, we would aim to meet regularly to engage in an open and honest conversation about your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. As your therapist, I would encourage you to explore your subjective experiences and to examine the choices in which you have made in response to these existential issues. The overarching aim of existential therapy is to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your place in the world.

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Existential therapy has been found to be particularly effective in working through depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, as well as existential crises such as loss of meaning, boredom, and feelings of emptiness. The therapy can also help individuals who are struggling with self identity issues, as it encourages them to reflect on their beliefs, values, and goals, leading to a clearer sense of themselves.

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In summary, existential psychotherapy is an approach to therapy that helps people to understand and address the existential questions that are inherent to life itself. It is useful for a wide range of issues and aims to establish increased sense of self, purpose and meaning. Existential therapy therefore also emphasises the individual's personal experiences and choices, encouraging us to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place within the world.