Existential Anxiety continued…

Existentialism is my therapy of choice and I am drawn to it because I have always asked “why”. The construct of existentialism refers to a person’s sense of meaning and purpose in life (Baureiss, Obermeier et al. 2018) answering questions like, ” Why am I here?”

            It is believed that people currently live in a world that is so rushed and full of ephemeral pleasures and consumerism, that their personal values have diminished and the resulting existential void has given rise to psychopathologies such as anxiety and depression (Milagros, Arraez et al.. 2018). It is this anxiety and depression that many counselors are seeing present itself in their clients today.

            I enjoy exploring the “why” questions with my clients: “Why do I feel so empty?” “Why can’t I find a meaningful relationship?, etc. etc. Taking a memory and following it back in time to extract an emotion attached to that memory, discovering a core belief and realizing its influence on the client today is like a treasure hunt. It also helps to answer the ‘why’ question.