The Existential Crisis, Beyond Suffering
There are times in life when we feel downcast. Times when we tend to ask ourselves important questions, like: Why am I here? What is my goal? Am I a good person? What is there after death? Each individual wonders about different points. We can all go through an existential crisis.
It can appear at any time in our life and affect anyone. It doesn’t matter whether these people have a lot of money or not; it does not seem to be linked to the material conditions we enjoy.
The existential crisis occurs when our sense of control wanes. It’s as if everything we were sure of was starting to falter. Like any other crisis, it can cause pain. However, we can look at it in another way. A way that goes beyond suffering.
The existential crisis: what is it?
We are talking about those times when we become the judges of our existence. Existential crisis often arises unexpectedly and affects our outlook on life. We can then begin to ask ourselves questions that challenge our strongest convictions.
Existential crises usually bring a tidal wave of feelings and thoughts. In other words, they act intensely on our cognitive and emotional world. It is for this reason that many people see them as something negative: they can feel suffocated by so many unrecognized sensations and perceptions.
Also, be aware that existential crises can be linked to identity crises. When we doubt who we are, we can expand that doubt by questioning everything.
How to detect an existential crisis?
The main characteristic to take into account is the feeling of emptiness that can accompany the crisis. This feeling is not exclusive to the existential crisis, but it can take place. Other characteristics can tell us if we are going through such a moment:
- Lack of meaning: when we no longer find north and see no meaning in our life or the world
- Sensation of uncertainty: a feeling of insecurity invades us and prompts us to ask ourselves questions about life and death, good and evil, etc.
- Emotional instability: various emotions and thoughts come to us and worry us
- Difficulty making decisions: Since we don’t know what to do, who we are, can’t find meaning in life and don’t know where our path is, we find it difficult to take responsibility and make decisions. choice
- Dissatisfaction
- Insomnia
These characteristics may vary depending on the person. We must not forget that each human being is unique. On the other hand, it is important to note that a crisis of this type can lead to mental disorders such as depression. But beware! This does not mean that if we do have one, we will end up falling into depression.
Profiting from the existential crisis
While it is true that this situation can be stressful, it is still possible to profit from it. How? ‘Or’ What? Just look at it from another angle. To give value to all our potential and to use it to get better.
Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, focused on this approach to the existential crisis. For him, man is capable of going beyond the situation he is going through: he can overcome adversities. For this, he must find meaning in this concrete situation and in existence.
Frankl created logotherapy, a type of psychotherapy which claims that the main engine in humans is the search for meaning. He also sees the human being as unique and inimitable: each process will therefore be different.
Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy
Through this type of therapy, we can discover what our purpose is and thus give meaning to life. It’s about going beyond suffering, seeing the existential crisis as an opportunity to explore ourselves and move forward.
Logotherapy requires several years of practice. An example of its current value is the article entitled Existential Analysis and Logotherapy: Theoretical Bases for Clinical Practice, written by José Genger. It details the diagnostic and psychotherapeutic treatment systems currently in use.
We can stop seeing ourselves as people who are suffering and are frustrated by this tidal wave of emotions and look at this crisis as an opportunity to test our capacity for resilience. It is the ability to react to adverse situations.
By changing our point of view, we can succeed in seeing concepts, ideas, resources that we had not noticed. On the other hand, when we accept the idea that crises are an integral part of us, anxiety often tends to give way to serenity.
Getting out of an existential crisis without immersing ourselves in it is almost impossible. We have the opportunity to explore it, to recognize it and to look for what motivated it. We can find out where it will take us.
Existential crises are a part of life. Each person must find their own way of dealing with them. If we do this with a positive approach, leaving room for learning, we will take a healthier path. The main thing is to go beyond suffering or doubt and come out stronger.
Our thoughts Logotherapy is also known as “the third psychological school in Vienna”. The first psychological school was that of Sigmund Freud …
