How Do Existential Therapy Techniques Work?

Every therapeutic technique involves a particular set of tools that guide the treatment process. These techniques can help clients accomplish many goals, including drawing out essential information, developing rapport, and identifying underlying patterns of thought and behavior. Often, psychotherapy techniques are designed to help clients achieve a specific goal, whether that's reducing symptoms, learning more about oneself, or processing adverse events. 

Existential therapy is one type of psychotherapy out of over 400. Unlike an approach like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), the techniques in existential therapy are conceptual and often highly customized. This therapy's near-universal goal is to clearly define the sources of anxiety that humanity struggles with. Once those concerns surface, the therapy focuses on understanding how they play out specifically for each person and how to manage the outcomes.

Understanding how existential therapy works, who it's best designed for, and what you can expect and look for when exploring it as a treatment option can be beneficial as you explore your treatment options.

What is existentialism?

The specific shape of these aspects and their outcomes vary from person to person, but the core challenges are:

• Accepting our own mortality
• Understanding that we have freedom, but that freedom can come with responsibility for your actions 
• Finding the meaning of life
• Overcoming fear of isolation

Over the years, there have been many philosophical theories on how people "should" respond to these challenges, with many focusing on the above challenges. 

Because these ideas may feel scary or saddening, existentialism is often associated with unwanted mental states. For example, you may have heard of someone having an existential crisis or struggling with anxiety based on existential challenges. Existential therapy may seem to involve feeling down or anxious about these areas. However, the opposite is true. 

Existential therapy focuses on addressing these challenges head-on. Unlike other disciplines that may focus on your past or reshaping your self-perception, existential therapy is focused on your choices and the future. More specifically, this therapy analyzes your current situation, the choices you are making that create that reality for you, and finding alternatives to create a healthier condition.

Existential therapy is designed to highlight your free will, help you find opportunities for self-determination, and create meaning in your life. When you do this, you may achieve a new level of stability and empowerment. Acknowledging the difficult truths of existence could lead to a positive attitude based on the power of personal choice.

Who can benefit from existential therapy? 

If you believe in the core premise of existentialism, you might also act out behavior patterns and experience thoughts and emotions based on responding to those challenges. Maybe you indulge in behaviors to avoid thinking about death. Perhaps you throw yourself into your work in response to the pressure of finding meaning in life. Or maybe you continue unhealthy relationships to connect with others. 

These are a few examples of how existential pressures may take shape. While the outcomes are not necessarily harmful, stressful and painful emotions may be associated with them. Through analysis, conversation, and self-awareness, existential therapy can help you use your past and present decisions as tools to understand your choices and free will. Anyone who believes in existentialism and struggles with these challenges can benefit, and you do not have to have a mental illness to see a therapist. 

What can existential therapy treat? 

Existential pressures may arise in people's lives when they are experiencing significant upheavals or feel trapped in perpetual systems of unwanted behavior. In addition to the potential for treating dependency and compulsive behavior, existential therapy can help those going through life transitions, such as moving to college, divorcing, or experiencing a midlife crisis. The treatment can also benefit those living with depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Existential therapy may not function for everyone at every stage of life, and multiple forms of therapy may work better for specific challenges. Distinguishing between clinical anxiety, neurotic anxiety, and existential anxiety is not necessarily straightforward, and all three types can require different treatments. If you're unsure whether existential therapy would benefit you, consider contacting a licensed therapist for guidance. 

What are the goals of existential therapy?

A common goal in many therapy techniques is finding and solving problems. In existential therapy, clients learn to live with these challenges and thrive despite them or because of them. Humans may shy away from scary concepts, and existential ideas are often considered the most frightening. 

This type of therapy can help you define these fears, properly place them, and navigate around them. For example, suppose you fear death and use compulsive behaviors like avoidance, reassurance-seeking, or substance use to cope. In that case, the fear of mortality can be targeted to help you reduce unwanted behaviors. 

If you have a counselor who helps you face that fear head-on and helps you understand how that fear is shaping how you move through the world, you can come to understand yourself and your actions. The avoidance may stop feeling like a part of you and start being a behavior you used to grapple with human existence. Your counselor can offer examples of healthier behaviors to cope with these areas. For example, a fear of dying might cause someone to decide to make the most out of their life instead of avoiding experiences out of fear. 

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources.

How do these therapy techniques work?

Because existential therapy differs from many other therapy types, it can be difficult to define its techniques. At times, it may seem like there are no techniques. However, the methods a therapist uses can depend on the following factors: 

• How an individual's existential challenges manifest
• The client's personality
• The client's response to handling difficult questions with honest introspection
• The nature and quality of the relationship with the professional 

The fundamental concepts of existential therapy are often the same for each client, but the solutions and processes are customized. How you and your therapist choose to approach your existential issues depends on your needs, and there might not be a simple answer to what works best for everyone. Every problem can require careful identification, analysis, and response. 

Existential therapy is often a one-on-one therapy. Other techniques may include family, a partner, or a group of strangers. However, this therapy is often independent, focused on you and your therapist parsing your perception of your life together. 

Is this therapy right for you?

If any questions or issues that fall under existentialism sound like issues you are struggling with, this type of therapy may benefit you. Searching for meaning, coping with death, overcoming isolation, and making responsible choices can be challenging to address alone. If you are willing to face hard truths, reflect with honesty and vulnerability, and be patient, these therapy techniques may be effective. 

However, if you are facing more immediate or extreme issues, such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or another mental illness with severe symptoms, discussing these topics with a therapist may be beneficial after receiving treatment for your mental health conditions first. Existential therapy is focused on patterns of thought and philosophy and may not offer the same options as other forms of treating severe mental illness. 

Counseling options 

If you are experiencing challenges related to existential thoughts, you might benefit from existential therapy. You can find a professional trained in this method by searching online or requesting a referral from your doctor. As existential therapy is a niche specialty, finding a provider in your area may be challenging. If this is the case for you, an online therapy platform like BetterHelp for individuals or Regain for couples may benefit you. 

Through online therapy, you can find cost-effective providers offering support to clients from any location with an internet connection. When you sign up, you can choose between phone, video, or live chat sessions and specify if you have any preferences for your therapy goals and the type of therapy you'd like to try. A matching system to look for a therapist educated in existentialism can benefit those who don't know where to look. 

In addition, studies have noted that online therapy can be more effective than in-person options for addressing symptoms like loneliness, depression, or difficulty with isolation. If your existentialism comes from a place of loneliness or social challenges, an online existential therapist may benefit you.