What is Existential Therapy: How to Find Meaning, Purpose, and Authenticity in Your Life
- Elizabeth Hackney
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 21
Are you asking deeper questions like “What’s the point?” or “Who am I, really?” Maybe you’re feeling disconnected, stuck, overwhelmed by uncertainty, or simply unsure of what comes next. If that resonates, existential therapy might be exactly what you need.
This therapeutic approach welcomes those big, existential questions. It’s not about fixing you or avoiding discomfort. It’s about exploring what it means to be fully human in a world that is often uncertain, complex, and beautiful.
What Is Existential Therapy?
Existential therapy is a holistic, human-centered approach to mental health that combines philosophy, psychology, and lived experience. Rather than pathologizing your struggles, it helps you reflect on your values, choices, and beliefs—so you can create a more authentic, intentional life.
This approach explores universal themes we all face at some point:
Freedom and responsibility – You have the freedom to choose how you live, and that power comes with responsibility.
Uncertainty and the unknown – Life doesn’t come with a roadmap. Part of healing involves learning to live with uncertainty.
Isolation and connection – While we each experience life alone, our need for connection and belonging is deeply human.
Meaning and meaninglessness – There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to life’s purpose. You get to define what matters to you.
Rather than avoid these truths, existential psychotherapy helps you face them—with curiosity, honesty, and compassion.
Who Is Existential Therapy For?
You don’t need a specific diagnosis to benefit from existential therapy. This approach is especially helpful if you:
Feel stuck, unmotivated, or unsure of your direction in life
Struggle with identity, self-worth, or your sense of purpose
Are navigating grief, loss, or major life transitions
Experience anxiety rooted in deeper, existential questions
Want to explore your values and live more authentically
Crave more meaning and fulfillment in your day-to-day life
Whether you’re in crisis or simply longing for deeper clarity and alignment, existential therapy can support your journey.
What Happens in Existential Therapy Sessions?
In existential therapy, we’ll explore not just what’s happening in your life—but why it matters to you. Together, we create a space for reflection, choice, and transformation.
You might reflect on questions like:
What does freedom mean in your life?
Where do you feel most alive? Where do you feel numb or stuck?
What expectations or roles are shaping your choices?
What stories are you telling yourself about who you are—and are they still true?
Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, existential therapy helps uncover the deeper layers beneath your pain or confusion. It’s a collaborative process that invites you to live with more awareness, intention, and courage.
The Goal: Living More Authentically
Existential therapy doesn’t offer easy answers—but it does offer something just as valuable: a safe space to be fully human. To bring your contradictions, longings, regrets, and desires into the light.
It’s about:
Reclaiming your freedom to choose
Making peace with uncertainty
Deepening your connection to self and others
Defining what meaningful living looks like for you
If you’re ready to stop going through the motions and start living on purpose, existential therapy can help you come home to yourself—not as someone with all the answers, but as someone willing to ask the right questions.
Ready to explore what really matters to you?If you’re seeking therapy that honors your complexity and values your search for meaning, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If this post spoke to you, I'd love to support you in therapy. I'm Elizabeth Hackney, a licensed professional counselor at Cadenza Counseling Colorado offering online telehealth therapy to individuals and couples in the state of Colorado. Reach out today:
