Existential psychotherapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the entire human experience. The philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Soren Kierkegaard developed this therapy to take a positive approach, praising people’s abilities and ambitions while also admitting their limits. It first appeared in the 1800s, when Soren Kierkegaard proposed that the only way to address people’s problems was for them to develop internal insight. Humanistic psychology, experiential psychotherapy, depth psychotherapy, and relational psychotherapy all have a lot in common with existential psychotherapy.
How Does It Work?
Existential psychotherapy urges people to address their emotional difficulties head-on and accept full responsibility for whatever choices led to them. Patients get taught to embrace their anxieties and acquire techniques to help them overcome these anxieties. Mainly, this type of treatment is all about self-awareness and taking charge of one’s life. Patients feel freed once they recognize this, which is a helpful tool in letting go of whatever is holding them back. An existential psychotherapy book may provide you in-depth information about the process of existential therapy.
Existential Psychotherapy ‘Givens’
Existential psychotherapy is founded on the fundamental idea that all individuals experience internal or in trapsychic conflict due to external interactions, and conditions that are essential to human life. These conditions are called ‘givens’. The following are the four major existential givens are recognized by the theories:
• Freedom and the responsibilities
• Death
• Isolation
• Meaninglessness
When confronted with any of the above circumstances, or givens, an individual experiences existential anxiety. This leads to a reduction in a person’s bodily, psychological, social, and spiritual awareness, which might have serious long-term implications.
How Can It Help?
Existential psychotherapy is known to efficiently address a wide range of issues and concerns and is beneficial to those who are ready to confront their problems and accept responsibility for their actions. Depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, drug use disorders, and post traumatic stress disorder are just a few of the mental health issues that existential psychology may solve.
If you want to engage in these kinds of treatments, you can discover a stronger sense of purpose in life as well as build an improved self-awareness, self-respect, and self-motivation. The treatment helps achieve a greater knowledge of inner serenity, and how to connect with your destiny, without outside control. To know more about this therapy, refer to the best existential psychology book online.
