As the world lurches from one crisis to the next, an invisible epidemic spreads — disillusionment, despair, and a quiet surrender to meaninglessness. Modern psychiatry often seeks to medicate away this dread, but what if the real cure lies not in avoidance but in confrontation? Existential therapy uses philosophical thinking to ask the hard questions — about life, death, purpose, and courage — guiding us through the abyss to find a path worth taking.

The dying of the light

In a world that is confronting one major crisis after another, it has become critical to address the despair and despondency that are more and more widespread. Many people are confronted with serious doubts about the meaning of their lives. Many young people have become skeptical and cynical about human existence in general. This kind of nihilism can easily lead to an experience of existential crisis, during which you feel uncontainable anxiety, depression or despair, as it seems as if your world and safety are crumbling or imploding. Such symptoms are usually rapidly medicalized, and the person’s concerns are frequently treated as a mental health problem, which is attributed to malfunctioning of the brain. But medical or psychological approaches often fail to get to the core of the discontent and desolation. Is it any wonder that so many people feel confused, lose their bearings or give up all together on seeking meaning, preferring mindless distractions and hedonism? Is it strange that suicide figures around the world are alarmingly high?

___

Religious beliefs are also much less able to provide solace in what is now a predominantly secular society.

___