Applying Existential Philosophy Articles

What is Good Therapy

My journey to becoming a therapist began with a desire to develop greater significance in my life and improve the quality of my relationships. Having worked as an organisational psychologist for many years, my work increasingly involved coaching senior managers in the art of managing their organisations. These sessions revealed that, contrary to my expectations, the help they required was related to more personal aspects of their lives outside of work... read more

To Be or Not To Be

Anyone who has grappled with the concepts of existential philosophy will appreciate the difficulty of applying it to their own life. The writings of Nietzsche, Sartre or Heidegger for example, whilst original and innovative, are complex and difficult to grasp. Their ideas also challenge the premise on which much of Western thinking is based. Nietzsche stated that ‘God is Dead’ leaving us to find meaning beyond some supernatural power. Sartre suggested that ‘Existence precedes Essence’ and that we are free to create ourselves in any way we wish... read more

Continuing The Myths

The New Year is often a time of reflection and questioning for many of us. As we look back over the past year and towards the new one, we are reminded that our lives are short and should be savoured enjoyed. However, at the same time it is easy to continue on a welltrodden path that we have known for some time. Many of us reading this article, of course, will already have made enormous changes to our lives, particularly our work, in order to choose a lifestyle that offers development and enjoyment rather than duty and obligation. However, it is important not to become complacent, believing that the new path we have chosen can’t be changed since the price we paid for it was so high... read more

Tea or Coffee

This forum offers an opportunity to discuss ways in which we can reach the nonpsychotherapeutic community without diluting our professionalism. But how exactly do we reach the non-psychotherapeutic community without diluting our professionalism?’ Is there not a danger that if we try to capture the interest of layperson in creative or novel ways, we might be accused of being gimmicky or cheap? If we tried to raise the layman’s interest through catchy PR phrases, might this not be seen as cheap salesmanship? However, not to make our message attractive and appropriate to different markets, might mean that the message does not reach them at all... read more

Dare to be true