Existentialism is a post-modern philosophy that is based on the study of existence and deals with the way people in this world live and exist. The concept of this philosophy denotes that human existence comes first and in order to sustain it, humans spend their lifetime to achieve meaningfulness to their existence. Existentialism is an explorative voyage in search of genuine self, and actual and full meaning in life.

This theory revolves around uncovering self and the significance of life through the process of free resolve, preference, and individual conscientiousness. People look for the meaning of their existence during their lifetime, and freely opt for convenient lifestyle based on their convictions, perceptions, and occurrences. The preferences become individualistic without the need for objective assessment. This theory enjoins that a person should be induced to make choices and be accountable, without bothering about rules, regulations, or conventional rigidities.

Existentialism is against arbitrary commands and demands for strict abeyance of age-old beliefs and customs prevalent in societies. The theory believes that such situations destroy individual freedom of decision and action. A person’s free-will will be decimated. The people will become just objects. This theory makes a strong point that personal judgment should be the deciding factor for personal choices.

There are four aspects of freedom we enjoy that are formed by methodical descriptions of human feelings. Various philosophers have theorized that human knowledge is multi-faceted and intricate in nature, and is felt at several different levels. Firstly, it is the physical environment that we live in. We involve in physical world of objects, and we wrestle between life and death. We struggle to maintain our own place in the milieu.

The second sphere of our activity is our social world. It consists of various people, with diverse aspirations and outlook. We constantly grapple to retain proximity to the social arena for fear of isolation.

The personal activity is the third area where we strive to maintain our individual independence and positions for fear of personal breakdown.

And finally, there is a spiritual and philosophical aspect wherein we try to find a meaning in emptiness and worthlessness.

The Existential Therapy

Existential therapy concentrates on the evolvement of self-realization in a patient, by taking into consideration issues like solitude, insignificance, and transience. The therapy stresses the aptitude of the patient to consider opportunities with freedom, without recourse to earlier mental inflexibilities and dogma. The therapy is not meant for living purpose, but is meant to facilitate one’s existence.

This therapy is predicated on enhancing a patient’s introspection and self-assessment, and delves on issues of existence such as preference, significance, conscientiousness, and death. This therapeutic methodology highlights “free will,” the aptitude for preferences which are not influenced by family traits or rigidities. This therapy tries to re-invigorate life experience, and induces a person to get a rewarding and fruitful existence through making free choices and preferences.

The therapy advocates a ‘here and now’ methodology that makes a person capable of taking decisions at the current situations, without depending on past behavioral tendencies. It tries to understand issues of a patient on philosophical basis, rather than on any fixed technique. Existential therapy endeavors at augmenting the self-awareness in patients and lets them to be the architects of their own lives through free will and choices.

Work of an Existential Therapist

An existential therapist will help in facilitating patients to contest their own beliefs and behavior in order to make them realize their true worth and capabilities. The therapist will fine tune the needs of the patient with the therapeutic needs and desists from enforcing own assessments. It will help the patients to come out with their own perspective of things and situations which will assist them to lead a meaningful life of their choice.

Therapists will have their own biases. They deal with and treat many patients and they form certain fixed methodologies to deal with specific types of personalities. So, the emphasis is on therapists not to impose their opinions or ideas on patients. They should be aware of their own biases while engaging patients in therapy sessions. The sessions with patients should look to be educative to therapist from the viewpoint of patients. Then only, the patient will be able to come out freely with his or her inner feelings to help a therapist to assess the condition correctly. A certain display of naiveté on the part of therapist is necessary to encourage a patient to talk freely.