Authenticity
“Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
Authenticity is being true to yourself, understanding who you are and having beliefs and values because they are true for you and not just because they are what others expect you to believe and value.
Existentialist counselling helps you explore how to be more authentic in your life by looking at the choices that you actually have. Knowing yourself is vital, but being yourself is the key to true authenticity.
Perhaps you feel that an aspect of your life, your job or your relationships, are not allowing you to be the person you feel you are. These are common concerns that counselling can help you resolve. Sometimes people from other cultures can feel alienated in a world that seems difficult to relate to, but anyone can feel alienated if life seems to have no purpose. Finding a meaning to life can help with alienation, depression and feelings of despair.
Existential counselling can address four dimensions of human existence: the physical, the social, the psychological, and the spiritual. Addressing the physical dimension means looking at how you relate to your body, your health and your environment and coming to terms with your limitations. Issues in the social dimension include how you relate to other people and your social background and culture and how you deal with failure and isolation. The psychological dimension is how you view your identity, personality and your past and future possibilities and how you deal with anxiety and confusion. The spiritual dimension is to do with your beliefs and values and how you create meaning in your life. Difficulties can arise in all these areas and addressing them with a supportive counsellor that does not judge can help.
