In existential therapy, we listen with openness and sensitivity to how you are feeling with respect to “ultimate” concerns. These can include things such as:

• A preoccupation with the fear of death
• Chronic avoidance or difficulty in making important life decisions and commitments
• A profound sense of isolation, even in the midst of caring family and friends
• Painful doubts about long-standing religious, spiritual, or ethical beliefs
• The sense that your life has no meaning or purpose

Even though these concerns speak to the core of what’s most important in our lives, they are rarely discussed. They’re considered too personal or embarrassing to talk about — belying the universal anxiety they arouse.

Even mental health professionals may shy away from these areas. First of all, being human, therapists are vulnerable to the very same anxieties. Also, existential concerns make a poor fit with the currently dominant medical model of mental health, and most therapists lack the training and experience to assist people with these problems. As a result, many therapists will try to steer you away from these topics.

So if you’re troubled by existential concerns, you’ll want to work with someone who is experienced and comfortable assisting people in these areas, who recognizes their universal nature, and who won’t try to tell you a pill will make it all go away.

If you’d like to learn more, or make an appointment, contact me.