Existential data as generating factors of mental arousal

Death – Freedom / Responsibility – Absence of meaning – Isolation

The concept of “fear of death” is inherent in all initial psychic processes and is considered one of the most basic causes of psychic arousal. Fear of decay and the abyss affects defence mechanisms, which over time may become entrenched. As Yalom notes, “Death constantly buzzes under the membrane of life and exerts a tremendous influence on our experience and behavior.” Life, with the events it brings, offers people the opportunity to examine how consciously they are living or how close they are to oblivion, as Heidegger describes. Through the “ontological” approach we become aware of our existence and of our responsibility to ourselves and the communities that surround us.

The Existential Concept and the Freedom

Human existence is placed within the world, as Heidegger argued with the term dasein, which expresses the “here” of human presence, embedded and at the same time separate. Kierkegaard, through Schneider and Krug, states that “only when we confront and oppose ourselves can consciousness expand and search for its limitless possibilities.”

Freedom is often only achieved by freeing ourselves from the shackles we impose on ourselves. Free will is perhaps the most precious human quality. Even in the most extreme circumstances, such as in a concentration camp, a sense of free will can be maintained. Epictetus says: ‘You can tie my leg, but not my will – not even Zeus can subdue it’. Therapy helps the individual to redefine what is essential to them and offers them true freedom, encouraging them to discover concepts stripped of social or external dictates. The goal of psychotherapy is to take personal responsibility for the individual’s choices and actions.

Isolation and the Existential Solitude

Existential isolation, as Yalom describes it, refers to the “unbridgeable gap between the self and every other being”. This loneliness, which surfaces in major life events, forces the individual to confront his individuality and his path to decay and death. Heidegger points out that, “although one may walk towards one’s own death for another, this does not mean that one is exempt from one’s own death.” No one can release us from our personal mortality.