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How do we view and interaction with our own emotions?

At our monthly existential support and discussion group, we talk about all sorts of issues which are related to life. We discussed about “Self” the other day. I was surprise to learn that a lot of people are so judgemental towards themselves and their emotions. Here is Susan David’s “The gift and power of emotional courage” She […]

What is Existential Phenomenological Psychotherapy?

Existential Phenomenological Psychotherapy may not be a familiar term for most people, but you have probably heard of Sartre, Husserl, Heidegger. In the 1960’s, some psychologists and psychotherapists, i.e. Ludwig Binswanger, Rollo May,  R.D Laing,  Irvin D. Yalom, were inspired by their thinking, and they integrated existential phenomenological thinking into psychotherapeutic practice as a way […]

http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2014/06/03/hoe-moet-het-straks-verder-met-kees/

“What will happen to Kees?”
This is a fascinating Dutch documentary about the 46-year-old Kees, who is autistic and lives with his 80 year-old parents. Kees is anxious about the future when his parents would not be around anymore, because they are the only people he trusts dearly. He is now looking for a place where he can live with the support and setting that is similar to what his parents offer. If it is not possible, he would rather die.
When I listen to Kees, I hear all the existential aspects of life as categorised by Yalom: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. He also talks about his choices in relation to how he deals with those aspects. Maybe Kees could benefit from the existential phenomenological psychotherapy. What do you think?