Welcome to the Home of the Existential Movement

Autumnal trees along a leaf covered road

 

“Bringing Wisdom to the World”

If you have been wondering where you might be able to find a group of people who want to bring their knowledge and experience to a worldwide movement for a better way of life, you have just found it. 

Existential ideas are a powerfully alternative way of looking at human existence.  These ideas have been around for many millennia, in the Athenian philosophies, the Eastern philosophical traditions and even, in a sense in pagan philosophies.  

They became much more prominent in the 19th century with the writings of Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche and came to fruition with the work of Husserl, when he provided the method of phenomenology. 

Most people have heard about existentialism, a mainly French 20th century philosophical movement, that broke the mould of philosophy and made it about human existence, rather than about human knowledge. 

Since then existential ideas have been applied vigorously to the practice of psychology and psychotherapy and a movement of existential therapy was generated over the past century, that is now extremely popular. All around the world existential therapists work in this way and every four years they come together for the World Congress of Existential Therapy. 

However it has now become vital to broaden the scope of the movement.  As the world is in turmoil and going through extremely dangerous times, humanity seems to have lost track of the things that really matter.  People have placed consumerism, profitability and competition at the foreground of human existence and have stopped noticing how they are ruining the eco system of the planet as well as the emotional climate in which we all live. 

News and Events

Anxiety in a troubled world

21st Mar '24

Thursday 9th May 2024, 6pm-8pm BST with Alfried Längle, Emmy van Deurzen, and Kirk Schneider

What is Existential Anxiety?

19th Mar '24

Wednesday 19th June 2024 2pm - 4pm with Dr Nancy Hakim-Dowek

The Existential Movement

8th Sep '23

In a world often entangled in chaos, the existential movement emerges as a beacon of hope and wisdom, guiding us towards understanding, purpose, and ultimately, a brighter future.

Join Our Movement

As well as joining our community of like-minded thinkers, activists and practitioners, members of the movement gain multiple benefits.

You can complete our application form online. 

Existential Therapy - A History

Existential therapy has a long pedigree, going back to ancient Greek philosophers who helped people to live better lives by interrogating their difficulties and misconceptions (Deurzen, 2009). When Socrates dialogued with the young men of Athens, calling himself a philosopher or lover of wisdom, he helped them distinguish between the illusions and errors of judgement that made them go astray and the realities and clarity of understanding that could point them in the right way. Later philosophers such as Aristotle, the Epicureans and the Stoics developed entire schools of philosophical therapy, which evolved and refined talking interventions.