How Do We Cope in Such a Troubled Time? Existential Angst in the Age of Global Trauma

Over the course of the past 18 months, I have come to learn a lot about a phenomenon known as “existential angst.” It is a term which denotes dread and anxiety about the future. The existential angst we are experiencing in this moment in time has been brought into sharp relief by the pandemic, climate change and social upheaval. This is what I call “globalized trauma.”

Existential angst is of course a part of the human condition. What makes the current era so viscerally intense is that we are all exposed to the same threats as a collective whole. Furthermore, regardless of one’s views on vaccinations for COVID 19, the fact is that we are all potential threats to our fellow human beings. The very nature of the pandemic is random, with no one completely safe from potentially getting or transmitting the virus. How could we not have existential angst as a collective body?

In my private practice, I have noticed a definite shift in the direction many of my clients are taking in their lives as a direct result of the COVID 19 pandemic. They are seeking guidance on how to find meaning in their lives during a tumultuous and unprecedented time in history. 

Their questions are frequently philosophical and do not necessarily have a mental illness component. Yes, clients may be anxious and depressed, but aren’t these normal feelings in the collective pain we are all suffering? I have found that normalizing feelings of sadness, or even despair, is much more effective than trying to re-frame negative thoughts. There are times in therapy that having negative thoughts and emotions are valid and need to be normalized. Who would not have negative thoughts and feel anxious in the age in which we live? Not to have these emotions would be more indicative of pathology than having them.

 I know of no one who has not been directly impacted by the pandemic. Once the history books are written, the COVID 19 pandemic will be remembered as the most devastating catastrophe in our nation’s history, at least in terms of lives lost (over 700,000 and counting). The cost is not only in lives lost. The pandemic has also caused a severe increase in existential angst. The question is: how do we cope in such a troubled time?

Many of my clients are asking philosophical questions about their purpose in life. They are not necessarily seeking help with a specific mental disorder or phobia. Rather, they have questions about the meaning of their existence and if meaning is lacking in their lives, they want suggestions on how to instill meaning so that they do not fall into depression and despair. I had a client recently ask: “Do you think that this life is just a brief interval between two voids?” She went on to say, “Sometimes I wonder if anything that we do really matters.” 

People are questioning the quality of their relationships, are doubting the value of their professions, and are struggling with feelings of anxiety. They have difficulty in defining the source of their anxiety, but nonetheless feel existential angst with great intensity. 

What I have noticed since the pandemic began in the United States circa March 2020, is that many clients come to therapy with issues they have never previously faced. Many of them are struggling with childcare, working from home, have financial insecurity, experience inter-personal problems with family members due to tensions which are inevitable when there is too much togetherness. The pandemic has caused people to re-evaluate their lives. Often, the assessment of the lives they are living is startling. They may conclude that they have been living a hollow life with little or no substance. They are just going through the motions.

Contemporary issues are unique to what we are experiencing as a collective whole, with no guidebooks or therapeutic remedies which have been created to deal with the extraordinary challenges presented by the pandemic, climate change and social unrest. We are living in what I call an age of “global trauma.”

The answer on how to cope in these deeply troubled times is as much philosophical as it is psychological. To address the eternal questions of life requires a broader scope than psychology alone can provide, or that philosophy by itself can offer. However, a synthesis of the two, which I call “hybrid therapy,” has led me to a more creative form of treatment. I always prefer a multi-disciplinary approach in therapy. Hybrid therapy offers exactly that.

We need to find answers (or at least coping skills) on how to deal with a collective sense of existential angst. Traditional interventions such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Client Centered Therapy, EMDR, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and many more modalities, are useful and effective interventions. I rely heavily on these interventions in treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD. But are they the most effective for the unique challenge of existential angst, or are they more effective when coupled with a modified form of therapy? I have found that adding philosophical questions to psychological interventions is working very well with most clients struggling with existential angst.

While developing a treatment modality to meet the moment, I have observed that people who tend to have a nihilistic outlook are difficult to treat because they are already entrenched in a dark place. Efforts to shed light in treatment is challenging because the predicate for nihilism is hopelessness.

Nihilism is dark, pessimistic and tends to solidify negative thoughts and feelings, which is the exact opposite of what therapists would like to see in their clients. It is feelings of nihilism that in my clinical experience leads to existential angst and depression. It is a causal relationship. 

How could one not be depressed when he or she concludes that life is meaningless and the experience we are having on this earth in nothing more than an “interval between voids.” Can anything be more depressing? Yet, it is the conclusion some people have reached. It is a sad outcome, to say the least.

I have observed that some of my clients are feeling defeated, demoralized, anxious, depressed and are desperately searching for meaning. The ones who develop a mental disorder tend to be the ones who have nihilistic tendencies.

Existentialism, on the other hand, does not abide despair and defeat. It requires command and control over one’s life. Existentialism places focus on personal responsibility for making good choices and giving meaning to life. Happiness can be a matter of choice. The same is true for despair. The pandemic has forced an examination of our lives on a deeply personal level. Like it or not, we are all confronted with existential angst. Eventually, all of us must come to terms with our collective suffering and learn how to cope with our fears and anxieties. 

Existentialism, by definition, requires questioning our priorities. It allows for installing positive core beliefs and shedding negativity, whether it be negative thoughts or toxic people who detract from our happiness. I have observed that my clients have a sense of urgency. Time is running out and they have a keen awareness that change is necessary. My clients often do not want to return to their pre-pandemic lives. They are asking profound questions of themselves. Yes, it is a difficult and painful process, but searching for meaning is a catalyst for change. And isn’t this what therapy is about—the quest for change regardless how painful or arduous the process?

Using the hybrid of existential philosophy with psychological interventions is not necessarily a new form of treatment, but its relevance has never been greater.  This hybrid modality encourages clients to ask difficult, even impossible questions to answer, in their quest for meaning. Paradoxically, it is the search for meaning that gives meaning to life. It is more about the journey than the destination.

What precisely makes you unhappy? What makes you happy? Who do you consider intolerable or not worth the trouble? Why do you feel angry? Why do you continue down a path that is not working for you when you have the power to change direction? What do you want to accomplish before you die? Is this the way you want to live the rest of your life? Is there a better way? What is your self-worth? How do you make the world a better place? How do you make the world a worse place? Existentialism demands answers to these types of questions. That is what makes it so powerful. It requires an honest self-inventory, blemishes included.

Many of my clients have found an entirely new and meaningful direction in their lives. It is through soul searching and questioning every aspect of their lives that clients have come to new insights and even epiphanies on how to live a meaningful life. The most satisfying experience I have had as a therapist is when my clients make what I call “structural change.” They have identified root causes for their presenting problems and can move forward with confidence. Nothing can be more gratifying for a therapist, and I hope that nothing could be more rewarding for a client.

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