Struggling with meaninglessness: a case study from an experiential–existential perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACTMeaninglessness is one of the biggest threats of our era. Meaninglessness is not only one of the possible symptoms of depression. Meaninglessness as such is a complex experience which can be identified at a micro-dimensional felt sense level, as a meaning gap at a meso-dimensional narrative level, and as groundlessness at a macro-dimensional existential level. Person-centered therapies have explicitly focused on the micro- and meso-dimension of meaning. Existential therapies have emphasized the macro-dimensions by helping their clients to face the existential givens such as meaninglessness and meaning. In this article, the author explores how experiential–existential psychotherapy could help clients in dealing with meaninglessness by addressing this experience with micro-, meso-, and macro-dimensional interventions. A case study reveals how all meaning dimensions are important, but not at any moment. The client concludes the therapy with discovering what is most essential to him in life. From this experience, he finds the courage to engage with life at the fullest, whether it is ultimately meaningful or not.