Counselling & Psychotherapy

Counselling London Psychotherapy – Existential Crisis, Existential Angst, Midlife Crisis, Existential Therapy - Counsellor London
Existential Counselling

Something Missing Despite friends & family, at some point men & women can experience the stark realisation that we are alone. We may be suffering inside from both the limitations & possibilities of life. This experience can trigger existential crisis. Some people call this existential angst or midlife crisis. We can invest our time, energy & passion on external factors, entertainment or material things, yet we may have neglected our very core - our inner being. Most of us have experienced those lonely moments, as if we are an outsider. Yet they can also offer us the opportunity for looking inside ourseIf, reflecting on the world and us in it. Something can be missing for us, that we can't put our finger on. We may be helpless or heartbroken, yet not know fully why. We may be sad that nothing seems to matter anymore. We may be tearful and moved, yet not depressed. We may have a sense that our "old show" is over, struggling with a new phase of life. We may have regrets, wishing we had done more, or for what might have been. It can dawn on us that there is more to Iife than what's happening to us at the moment. We may have less tangible, yet important "meaning of life" concerns, with little relevance to our past, wondering what is this all about, or struggle to reconcile Iife's big questions. We may be at a crossroads, or turning point, in which old ways of responding no longer work, as we experience mid-life crisis or existential angst (sometimes called male midlife crisis or female mid-life crisis).

Being Restless Yet Not Knowing Why Our sense of worth may be based upon what we do & what we have, without valuing who we are and what we really feeI. Rich in terms of wealth, we may feel impoverished. In our pursuit for wealth we may be deeply unhappy, or alienated, as if our soul is restless. We can be successful, creative or rewarding in some aspects (maybe our relationships, work or business, where we may be a high achiever, at the top of our profession), yet unfulfilled at a deeper level. We could be very busy, rushing or chasing things - constantly distracted, yet life appreciation may be missing. We may have lost our focus or purpose. Our relationships may seem hollow. We may be empty or alone in the world, even when surrounded by people, and some of us may turn to unhelpful habits or addictions. We may long to create a new way of being and seeing in the world. Some of our concerns may therefore be of an existential nature, and we may seek existential therapy.

Wherever I go, Whatever I do, Whoever I am with - Here 'I' am.
To know & live this 'I' - this 'me', this is my challenge. Whatever I am 'I' have to be. Glen Gibson

Existential Counselling Some of the emptiness, loneliness, disappointment, disillusionment, frustration, anger or depression we experience may be of an existential nature, as too may our grief, loss, sense of pointlessness or alienation - the very dilemmas of being human. This existential angst, or indeed existential crisis can be explored in the therapy. We may be in touch with our helplessness over others & external events. We may fear death or dying, or come up against our own mortality. The impermanency of our life may seem meaningless, and we may experience a crisis of identity. What's preordained, or our destiny, may be troubling us. The therapy here may also include rumination or deep conversations together about Iife, longing & its meaning, loss (see Existential Grief), love, values & our very existence. Experiencing deep sorrow, or a stirring, some may be in touch with their compassion, longing & yearning, and this too can be explored in the existential therapy. Questioning what our Iife means may nudge us towards spiritual enquiry. Therefore you may also want to explore your spiritual or religious life as a part of existential therapy.