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The Rise of Existentialism in Culture & Existential-Humanistic Therapy

 It's interesting to me that the concept of existentialism has caught on on a very wide scale on social media and in culture because when I was 15 or 16 seeing my first therapist since early childhood, I was told that I "think existentially." It was also suggested that I read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl to get acquainted with the concept, but I forgot the name of the book and author until I entered psychology at university. Instead, I started studying primarily Albert Camus and Franz Kafka, although I have read a large variety of other existentialist thinkers, such as Dostoyevsky. 

I also put absurdism and nihilism under the umbrella of existentialism, although there are slight differences in approaches, but they all seek to better one's understanding of the nature of existence.

Existentialism is what got me initially interested in philosophy, and I took an intro to philosophy course when I was 18, and philosophical ethics more recently. Existential philosophy is likely what got me interested in Leftist political philosophy, and I have also had a strong connection to Eastern philosophy and other types of spiritual and religious thinking as a form of study for decades as well. 

Furthermore, I highly recommend Viktor Frankl and I think existential psychotherapy has a lot to offer. In my opinion, logotherapy is still relevant and should be utilized as an integrative approach to psychotherapy when deemed necessary. In my opinion, it can particularly help in cases of grief or loss. When I was taking Personality Psychology and Clinical Psychology, I was drawn to the existentialist and humanistic approaches to psychotherapy, and I think that if we want to take into consideration Neurodivergence, we should look towards more humanistic approaches if the person is even seeking treatment for anything. For example, it has been proven by studies that cognitive-behavioral therapy does not work well for Autistic people in most circumstances. I tend to stray away from behaviorism because many Neurodivergent people are "treated" with behavior modification as a child, and it leaves a traumatic impact. 

I do not use the term Neurodivergence to just mean Autism, which is how it was intended, but for the full range of neurological difference from a neurotypical. That includes a majority of the DSM-5, along with many other neurological differences, such as epilepsy, for example.

For those who are seeking psychotherapy, I can only hope that with the rise of integrative therapists, there will start to be more humanistic and existential approaches to psychotherapy as well. 

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