Rising from Existential Crisis

Emmy van Deurzen is an existential psychotherapist, philosopher and counselling psychologist. She is Principal of the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling at the Existential Academy in London and runs her own private therapy practice, Dilemma Consultancy, in London. She is a Visiting Professor with Middlesex University, for whom she directs several doctoral and master’s programmes. She has published 17 books on existential therapy and the challenges of the human condition. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and she has lectured worldwide in more than 35 countries across all continents.

‘With a rare blend of audacity and authenticity, van Deurzen acknowledges the genuine anguish that arises when lives fall apart, whether through extreme personal adversity, system-shattering socio-political events or an ineluctable and impersonal global pandemic. Her book comes as a wake-up call amid the rumble of the mundane to reclaim our lives…’ – Professor Robert A. Neimeyer, Director of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition; ‘A major contribution to thinking and writing about the impact of political phenomena on the bodies, minds and souls of individuals.’ – Professor Andrew Samuels; ‘The stories contain a universal message of hope, resilience and overcoming in the face of adversity. Whatever happens to you, it’s what you do next that matters.’ – Roger Casale, Secretary General of New Europeans.

• Preface, Introduction – What is existential crisis? 1. Experiencing existential crisis, 2. Brexit: shattered lives and identitie, 3. Joan’s breakdown, 4. Lucie’s despair, 5. Making sense of life and loss, 6. Existential explorations, 7. When crisis destroys meaning, 8. Surviving a global pandemic, 9. Living with existential courage, Conclusions