Anxiety Psychotherapy

Treating Existential Anxiety through Psychotherapy

The majority of people suffering from anxiety worry about concrete problems; they constantly think about their jobs, health problems, and families. Others suffer from existential anxiety, also referred to as angst. Angst is a German word that was first adapted by German psychotherapists to describe this new class of anxiety. Those who spend their time worrying about things we would consider abstract, such as the meaning of life or their own mortality, are suffering from existential anxiety. Let’s take a closer look at a few different types of existential anxiety disorders and how they are treated.

Existential Anxiety Psychotherapy #1: Multi-Modal Therapy

Arnold Lazarus, a psychologist from South Africa, developed the psychotherapy treatment referred to as multi-modal therapy. He noticed a disturbing trend relating to the number of patients who had undergone Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies and those who suffered from anxiety disorder relapses. Multi-modal therapy focuses on a simple acronym: BASIC ID. The acronym stands for Behavior, Affect, Sensation, Imagery, Cognition, Interpersonal (relationships), and Drugs. The D for Drugs encompasses any treatment relating to the chemistry of the brain itself.

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The entire process stresses the importance of being elective and choosing from a variety of different modalities and treatments to find a combination best suited for each patient. Multi-modal therapy would not, then, be appropriate for use in group anxiety therapy sessions. Treatments may include exercise, diet, and a series of other therapies not usually included as part of anxiety psychotherapy - all geared at reversing unhealthy lifestyle choices that may be contribution to the patient’s anxiety disorder.

Existential Anxiety Psychotherapy #2: Logotherapy

Victor Frankl, a Viennese neurologist, is responsible for developing logotherapy. His research followed the “Viennese schools” of Alfred Adler, who focused on “the will to power,” and Sigmund Freud, who focused on “the will to pleasure.” Frankl’s research, however, focused on the idea that human beings are constantly searching for meaning and order in the universe. His studies, based on the “will to meaning,” maintain that patients perceiving disorder in the universe might develop psychological symptoms.

Frank spent time in a Nazi concentration camp earlier in life and, as a Holocaust survivor, firmly believes that all life has meaning. He discusses this theory in the prologue of his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” and used that theory to lay the foundation for his work.

Frankl’s Logotherapy sessions revolve around self-observation and plenty of dialogue. Patients aren’t necessarily seeking a life free of pain, but instead attempt to find a way to find meaning from their pain. Sufferers are encouraged to find meaning though their experiences in love, by completing a quest of some sort, or simply accepting pain as a part of life.

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Existential Anxiety Psychotherapy #3: Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy

Albert Ellis developed the anxiety treatment known as Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Ellis spent a great deal of time studying both classical and Asian philosophers and based his theories on the idea that ever individual has both irrational and rational components. In many cases, those components conflict with each other, often leading to irrational thoughts and self-destructive patterns. REBT aims to help patients learn to replace their irrational thoughts with those that will empower them, thus leading to a life of happiness.