In this episode, we speak with Emmy van Deurzen about existential therapy, existential philosophy, freedom, responsibility, anxiety, depression, meaning, and what it really means to begin living.

We explore how philosophy can deepen psychotherapy, why freedom can feel terrifying, how confidence is built through action, and why anxiety may sometimes be understood as energy calling us into life rather than simply a symptom to eliminate.

Emmy also explains phenomenology, mental flexibility, the relationship between the past and the future, what makes a good therapist, and how existential psychotherapy helps people move from feeling trapped by what happened to them towards becoming active authors of their own lives.

Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy when it was created in 1993.

Her new book, Beginning to Live: The Art of Existential Freedom, is a guide to existential therapy. Not so much a self-help book, but, as Emmy puts it, a compass for navigating life’s difficulties. In it, she explores how we can face the fundamental questions of existence: uncertainty, meaning, freedom, mortality, and our relationships with others.

In this conversation, we discuss existential therapy, what it means to be truly free, how to face life’s difficulties without turning away from them, and how we might begin to live more courageously.

Emmy's new book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginning-Li...

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Why philosophy matters in therapy
03:16 How philosophy deepens clinical work
07:35 Phenomenology and seeing through a lens
10:49 Why we mistake our perspective for reality
12:17 Is existentialism pessimistic?
15:35 Death, meaning, and the blank canvas of life
17:25 Why freedom can feel terrifying
22:01 Retirement, emptiness, and recommitment
25:05 Existential freedom and becoming the architect of your life
26:19 How existential therapy differs from other therapies
27:21 Starting with the maximum point of pain
29:14 Kierkegaard, action, and subjective truth
30:03 Life as a living laboratory
31:47 Depression, disappointment, and disengagement from life
33:34 How therapy works with the past and future
36:09 Sartre: what you make of what was made of you
37:17 You are where transformation happens
37:44 Mental rigidity and psychological flexibility
40:35 Free will, materialism, and human possibility
42:19 Is modern life uniquely difficult?
47:17 Has life become too easy?
48:05 Victimhood, effort, and finding a path forward
49:17 You are the navigator of your life
50:50 Confidence is built and earned
51:53 Anxiety as energy for action
53:11 How we numb anxiety through consumption
55:32 Self-compassion vs self-challenge
56:54 When anxiety and depression become extreme
59:21 Living in a balanced and satisfying way
01:01:04 What makes a good therapist?
01:03:10 Common mistakes trainee therapists make
01:05:09 Blind spots in modern psychotherapy
01:07:17 Recommended books on existential therapy
01:09:05 Closing thoughts

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

All our audio podcasts here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...
https://open.spotify.com/show/6h2FCOo...
https://thinkingmindpodcast.buzzsprou...

Check out The Thinking Mind  on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpod...

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.


Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast