Existential Humanistic Therapy: Asking the Deeper Questions

Therapy is often thought of as a place to manage symptoms, reduce anxiety, or untangle complicated emotions. Those goals are important—but sometimes, what people are seeking goes beyond symptom relief. They are looking for meaning. They are asking: Why am I here? What gives my life purpose? How can I live in alignment with who I truly am?

This is where existential humanistic therapy enters the picture. Rooted in philosophy as much as psychology, this approach invites clients to sit with life’s biggest questions—not in a purely abstract way, but in ways that open up choice, purpose, and authenticity in everyday living.

The Philosophical Roots: Why We Are Here

Existential thought has long been concerned with the human condition: our mortality, freedom, isolation, and search for meaning. Humanistic psychology, on the other hand, emphasizes growth, creativity, and the innate drive toward self-actualization. Together, existential humanistic therapy brings these traditions into the therapy room.

Rather than avoiding the “big questions,” this modality encourages exploration of them. What does it mean to live authentically? What values truly guide you? What do you want your life to stand for? These questions are not asked to provoke anxiety, but to create clarity—because the deeper our understanding of ourselves, the more intentional our choices can become.

Misalignment and Distress: A Shared Insight with ACT

Interestingly, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—though more behaviorally oriented—touches on a similar theme. ACT emphasizes values finding: identifying what matters most to you, then taking committed action in that direction. When our lives are misaligned with our values—whether consciously or subconsciously—psychological distress often follows. We may feel restless, disconnected, or “off,” even if we can’t articulate why.

Existential humanistic therapy complements this idea by encouraging us to reflect on values not just as a set of preferences, but as a framework for meaning-making. It isn’t enough to reduce symptoms; the deeper question becomes: Am I living a life that feels truly mine?

Self-Actualization and the Larger Narrative

Psychologist Abraham Maslow described self-actualization as the process of realizing one’s full potential—becoming more and more of who we are meant to be. Existential humanistic therapy shares this spirit, but broadens it to consider the stories we tell ourselves about our lives.

Too often, we move through life reacting to the immediate moment: the next crisis, the next demand, the next distraction. This can leave us feeling fragmented, as though life is happening to us rather than being shaped by us. Therapy offers the space to step back and ask:

• What is the larger narrative of my life?

• What purpose threads through the chapters of my story?

• How do I want to respond to both the joys and the inevitable suffering of being human?

  
  

When clients begin to answer these questions, even tentatively, they often experience a shift. Life becomes less about avoidance of pain and more about movement toward meaning.

How Existential Humanistic Therapy Helps

Existential humanistic therapy does not provide quick fixes or rigid prescriptions. Instead, it cultivates:

• Clarity about what matters most, even amidst uncertainty.

• Freedom to make choices aligned with values rather than fears.

• Purpose in crafting a narrative larger than day-to-day reactivity.

• Resilience in facing life’s inherent challenges without losing sight of meaning.

  
  

In this sense, therapy is less about erasing anxiety and more about learning how to carry it with courage. It is about choosing a life that feels authentic, rather than one lived according to others’ expectations.

Living the Questions

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke once advised: “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” Existential humanistic therapy invites exactly that kind of patience and openness. By engaging with philosophy, values, and purpose, therapy becomes not just about feeling better—but about living more fully.

Content on this blog is developed using a mix of original writing and AI-generated assistance. All content is reviewed and edited by Laura G Bermudez before publication.