Life doesn’t always come with a clear map. Even when things are “fine,” we can still find ourselves wondering: What’s the point? Why do I feel so lost? What am I even working toward?
Existential Therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that helps people explore these deeper questions — not to find all the answers, but to live more intentionally and authentically in the face of life’s uncertainty.
Rather than focusing only on symptoms or behaviours, existential therapy looks at the human experience as a whole — your choices, your values, your freedom, your relationships, and your sense of meaning. It invites you to examine how you relate to yourself and the world, and what it means to live a life that feels truly yours.
Understanding the Existential Approach
Existential therapy is rooted in the ideas of philosophers and psychologists like Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Viktor Frankl, and Rollo May. While their philosophies differ, they share a central theme: human beings are meaning-making creatures, and our mental health is deeply tied to how we engage with life’s “givens” — things like death, freedom, isolation, and meaning.
Rather than seeing anxiety or despair as purely pathological, existential therapists view these emotions as natural responses to being human. Feeling lost, uncertain, or disconnected doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with you — it often means something inside you is longing for more authenticity, purpose, or alignment.
Existential therapy provides a space to explore those longings safely and with curiosity.
The Core Themes of Existential Therapy
While each person’s journey is unique, existential therapy often revolves around four universal themes, or what existential theorist Irvin Yalom called the “ultimate concerns of existence.”
- Freedom and Responsibility: We have the freedom to shape our lives, but that also means we carry the responsibility for our choices — including how we respond to circumstances outside our control.
- Isolation and Connection: We’re both deeply connected to others and ultimately separate as individuals. Therapy explores how we navigate intimacy, loneliness, and belonging.
- Meaning and Purpose: When life feels empty or directionless, existential therapy helps you rediscover or create meaning, rather than waiting for it to appear.
- Mortality and Impermanence: Awareness of death can provoke anxiety, but it can also deepen our appreciation for life and motivate us to live fully.
These ideas aren’t meant to be heavy or philosophical for the sake of it — they’re explored in a grounded, emotionally attuned way that connects directly to your lived experience.
How Does Existential Therapy Work?
In existential therapy, the relationship between therapist and client is central. The therapist doesn’t act as an expert who “fixes” you, but rather as a fellow human companion walking alongside you through some of life’s hardest questions.
Sessions often involve reflection and dialogue — slowing down to explore how you experience freedom, meaning, anxiety, or choice in different parts of your life. You might look at patterns of avoidance, disconnection, or conformity that keep you from living authentically, and begin to make choices that feel more aligned with your values.
Existential therapists often integrate other approaches — such as mindfulness, person-centered techniques, or emotion-focused work — to help you connect these insights to real, felt experience. The process is less about finding quick fixes and more about deepening self-awareness, acceptance, and personal agency.
Over time, this can lead to a more grounded sense of identity, inner peace, and resilience in facing life’s inevitable uncertainties.
Who Can Benefit from Existential Therapy?
Existential therapy can be particularly helpful for people going through transitions, loss, or identity shifts — times when familiar roles or beliefs no longer fit, and you’re left asking, “Who am I now?”
It’s also a strong fit for those struggling with:
- A loss of direction or purpose
- Anxiety or depression rooted in meaninglessness
- Grief, bereavement, or mortality awareness
- Existential or spiritual questioning
- Life stage transitions (career change, retirement, parenthood, etc.)
- Feeling emotionally “numb,” disconnected, or unfulfilled despite success
Because existential therapy is so deeply individualized, it can be adapted for nearly anyone seeking more authentic living, rather than symptom relief alone.
The Role of Anxiety in Existential Therapy
Many people come to therapy hoping to “get rid of” anxiety. But existential therapy takes a different view: it sees anxiety as inevitable and even necessary for growth.
When we confront life’s uncertainties — like freedom, death, or change — anxiety naturally arises. Instead of trying to suppress it, existential therapy helps you learn to sit with that discomfort, understand what it’s pointing to, and use it as a signal to live more consciously.
For example, anxiety about career direction might not just be fear of failure — it might be signaling a deeper desire for meaning or autonomy. By listening to the emotion instead of fighting it, you can uncover insight and direction.
The Therapist’s Role: Presence, Authenticity, and Partnership
Existential therapists focus heavily on authentic presence — being real, honest, and open with their clients. This isn’t a detached or clinical relationship; it’s a deeply human one.
Therapists practicing existential therapy strive to model what it means to live authentically: acknowledging uncertainty, showing empathy without pretense, and helping clients connect to their own courage and wisdom.
It’s a collaborative process — more of a partnership than a prescription.
Existential Therapy in Practice
An existential therapy session might include questions like:
“What gives your life meaning right now?”
“How do you define success — and does that definition feel like your own?”
“What would it look like to live in alignment with your values?”
“What fears arise when you imagine making those changes?”
Rather than focusing on symptom management, the therapist helps you understand how you relate to those symptoms — what they might be expressing about your deeper values or unmet needs.
Through this exploration, clients often report a renewed sense of clarity and peace — not because they’ve solved life’s mysteries, but because they’ve learned to live with them more courageously.
The Benefits of Existential Therapy
The benefits of existential therapy often go beyond symptom relief. Many people notice:
- Increased self-awareness and acceptance
- A stronger sense of purpose or meaning
- Greater emotional resilience
- More authentic relationships
- A deeper ability to tolerate uncertainty and make aligned choices
Ultimately, the goal of existential therapy isn’t to eliminate struggle, but to help you engage with life’s challenges in a way that feels purposeful and true to who you are.
Limitations and Considerations
Because existential therapy deals with abstract and philosophical ideas, it may feel less structured than other approaches like CBT or DBT. Some people prefer more concrete coping tools before diving into deeper existential work.
However, many therapists integrate existential principles into other frameworks — helping clients explore meaning, purpose, and choice alongside skill-building and emotional regulation.
As always, the most important factor is finding a therapist you feel safe with and a pace that fits your needs.
Final Thoughts: Choosing to Live Authentically
Existential therapy reminds us that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond — and in that choice lies our freedom.
It’s not about finding the “right” answers to life’s biggest questions, but learning to live with those questions in a way that brings peace, connection, and meaning.
If you’re at a point in life where you’re searching for clarity, direction, or authenticity, existential therapy offers a compassionate space to rediscover what matters most — and to begin living from that truth.
