Life is not provided with an instruction manual. One day everything is so clear. The next, you are commenting on your choices, your purpose and why your coffee tastes sad. There is something called existential therapy for times like these. It helps people grapple with the biggest questions of life with honesty, courage and sane insight – not pretending that these questions don’t have easy answers.
At Orlando Treatment Solutions, existential therapy is a fundamental part of the process of helping people discover meaning, responsibility, and personal freedom while dealing with mental health and substance use disorders.
Using trusted clinical references and with clear and human language, this guide explains what existential therapy is, how it works, what existential therapy helps with and for whom.
What is Existential Therapy?
Existential therapy is a type of talk therapy that is based on existential philosophy. It emphasizes how people make meaning in their lives and how they react to such fundamental human issues as freedom, responsibility, isolation, and mortality.
Rather than “What diagnosis fits?” is the question asked in existential therapy.
How are you living, and is that life real to you?
According to Orlando Treatment Solutions, existential therapy encourages people to grasp their experiences, values, and choices while embracing life’s uncertainties without avoiding them. The goal is not to eliminate the discomfort but to help individuals live in more intentional ways despite the discomfort.
The Core Ideas Behind Existential Therapy
Existential therapy is based on several core beliefs that inform every session.
Freedom and Responsibility
You have the freedom to choose your way, although sometimes choices can feel limited. With freedom comes responsibility. Existential therapy assists people in stopping blaming circumstances and begin to realize that they have power in selecting meaningful responses.
Meaning and Purpose
Life does not necessarily come with meaning. Existential therapy will help clients develop meaning through values, relationships, and actions rather than waiting for meaning to unfold.
Isolation and Connection
Every human being has a degree of existential isolation. Therapy helps clients to accept this reality and still build authentic and honest relationships.
Mortality and Awareness conversations
Awareness of death may seem heavy, but in fact this is used as motivation in existential therapy. Knowing that life is limited can help people spend more time in the present, living more fuller life.
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How to Existential Therapy Work
Existential therapy never follows a stringent formula. Instead, it changes to suit the person.
Sessions typically consist of conversations open about life experiences, as well as various beliefs, fears, and goals. The therapist is a good listener and asks thoughtful questions challenging avoidance and self-deception.
At Orlando Treatment Solutions, therapists attempt to aid clients with existential therapy to:
- Identify personal values
- Notice unhealthy thought patterns
- Accept responsibility for choices without guilt
- Build emotional resilience
There are no worksheets at the end requiring being happy by Tuesday. Progress comes about through reflection, conversation, and honest self-inspection.
What Conditions Can Existential Therapy Help With?
Existential therapy does not tend to target one diagnosis. Instead, it is an approach that helps people with emotional discomfort related to their meaning, identity or life transitions.
It often helps people who are experiencing:
- Depression associated with hopelessness or loss of purpose
- Anxiety Linked to the Uncertainty or Fear of the Future
- Substance Use Disorders Contributed by Emptiness or Disconnection
- Thought questions associated with trauma
- Major life changes or grief, or the problem of identity
The Orlando Treatment Solutions explains that existential therapy works particularly well when emotional pain relates to other, deeper life questions not just specific symptoms alone.
Existential Therapy and Addiction Recovery
Addiction also often starts like that, as an attempt to escape from discomfort, numb out emptiness or distance yourself from painful truths. Existential therapy gets to what things are trying to cover up.
In Orlando Treatment Solutions, existential therapy is helpful to individuals in recovery:
- Check out what substances were used as substitutes for emotionally
- Understand the judgment-free role of choices
- Rebuilding Purpose – other Than Addiction
- Develop accountability, shove None.
When people find the meaning, substances do not have such a grip on them. Recovery is more about not standing high away or life and more about joining in life.
What Is It That Makes Existential Therapy Different?
Existential therapy does not try to “fix” you quickly. It respects your capacity to think, decide, and develop.
It focuses on the present
While it is important to consider your past, existential therapy focuses on how you are living in the present and what decisions you are making in your future.
It avoids labels as identity.
A diagnosis may be used to describe symptoms, but it does not define you as an individual. Existential therapy treats you as a person first of all.
It values discomfort
Growth is often an uncomfortable experience. Existential therapy focuses on teaching the client how to tolerate uncertainty, rather than how to run away from it.
Think of it like emotional strength training, without the disappointment of slack because it’s impossible to just get a great body with no effort or a poor diet.
What to Expect in an Existential Therapy Session
Sessions feel more like meaningful conversations rather than clinical interviews.
You might discuss:
- Regrettable or Avoidable Decisions
- Fear of failure, dying, and loneliness
- Conflicts between Values and Behavior
- What does a fulfilling life mean to you
Your therapist will not provide you with the answers to life. Rather, they enable you to discover your own.
And yes, humor appears too. Existential therapy accepts the stupidity of being human. Sometimes laughter at life’s contradictions is a good way to deal with life, rather than overanalyzing it.
Is Existential Therapy Evidence-Based?
Existential therapy borrows from tried and true psychological and philosophical frameworks. While it is not based on standardized techniques, as CBT is, studies show it enhances emotional awareness, resiliency, and life satisfaction when provided by trained professionals.
The Orlando Treatment Solutions stresses that existential therapy is good for mental health by helping people to deal with the challenges of uncertainty, stress, and emotional pain in realistic and grounded ways.
Who is a Good Fit for Existential Therapy?.
Existential therapists work best for individuals of people who:
- Feel stuck or disconnected
- Want to have more understanding of themselves
- Have a purpose or be without identity
- Are open to reflecting and open dialogue
It may not be appropriate for those who are looking for quick solutions to treat their symptoms only. It suits those people who are ready for meaningful personal work.
Care at Orlando Treatment Solutions
At Orlando Treatment Solutions, existential therapy is a part of individualized treatment plans when it comes to recovery from mental health and addiction. The approach caters to individuality but also makes professional advice based on clinical experience available.
Clients get support that is balanced between philosophy, psychology, and real-world application – but devoid of cliches and without pressure.
Final Thoughts
There is no easy answer when it comes to existential therapy. It presents the alternative, clarity, responsibility, and something meaningful created based on truth and not avoiding.
When your life is hard, bewildered, or oddly empty though you are doing everything right, existential therapy can assist you in re-establishing your connection to what it is that actually matters.
Orlando Treatment Solutions is an institution that offers caring and professional existential therapy tailored to assist people to live purposefully, honestly and resiliently one quality choice at a time.
Take the First Step Toward Recovery! At Orlando Treatment Solutions, we specialize in comprehensive, evidence-based patient-centered care for individuals facing both mental health and substance use challenges.Call (321) 415-3213 to talk with our team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the main goal of existential therapy?
The main goal of existential therapy is to help individuals live authentically by understanding their values, choices, and responsibilities while accepting life’s uncertainties.
How long does existential therapy take?
The duration varies. Some people benefit from short-term therapy during life transitions, while others engage in long-term therapy for deeper self-exploration.
Is existential therapy good for anxiety?
Yes. Existential therapy helps people face uncertainty, fear, and lack of control rather than avoiding them, which can reduce anxiety over time.
Does existential therapy involve philosophy?
Yes, but in practical ways. Sessions focus on real-life decisions and experiences, not abstract debates.
Can existential therapy help with addiction?
Yes. It addresses the underlying loss of meaning and identity that often fuels addictive behaviors, supporting long-term recovery.
