Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist who barely survived the Holocaust and Nazi death camps, described existential emptiness as one of the unique experiences of the modern world. If anyone has the right to define existential suffering, it’s probably him. This April marks the 81st anniversary of Frankl’s release concentration camp is a useful reminder that ideas in the field of existential psychology are not merely theoretical or merely armchair. philosophy.
Experiencing an existential vacuum is best described as a pervasive, all-encompassing inner void that results from a lack of meaning.
A picture of someone going through the motions of an active life and feeling personally that something important is missing. The career continues, relationships are maintained, routines are maintained, and at the same time, there is a deep void beneath the surface of consciousness, untouched by further advances or mindless distractions. Most people try both, often at the same time, and are surprised to find that they don’t work.
If the outer map does not match the new inner region, then the actual direction is lost: stressfuldisturbing, emotionally disorganized, and accompanied by restlessness that is often difficult to identify or clearly explain. To some it may seem like this tirednessnervousness or raw frustration. For others, it manifests as vague dissatisfaction without a clear reason, which can be a kind of disorder.
Frankl and other famous existential psychotherapists are clear about one important point: existential vacuum is not a symptom of psychopathology; it’s not a character flaw, a productivity problem, or something a better morning routine will fix. Rather, existential emptiness is a signal from the human psyche, and the psyche, as it turns out, is very precise in identifying and pointing to absence: true direction, genuine engagement, and a life that feels more honestly lived than simply fulfilled.
So how do we survive existential emptiness and the despair that comes with it?
Recognize what you are really dealing with
The first step is to clearly admit that it is more difficult than it sounds. The existential vacuum is a masterful imitator, often mixed with burnout, relationship dissatisfaction, career ambivalence, or doubt that others understand what you don’t. Many people spend so much time and effort rearranging the furniture of their lives (ie, new job, new relationship, new city, etc.) that they don’t realize that the building itself needs attention.
Instead of the reflex “What is wrong with me?” bend to a more interesting and compassionate question:
“What is this experience trying to say?”
The difference between these two questions is not great; one is judgment and judgement, and the other is revelation.
Surviving existential pain requires a genuine willingness to stay with the discomfort long enough to hear what he’s talking about, which is really hard, but really worth it. When it comes to existential problems, there are no short-term solutions, and the sooner this is accepted, the less energy is spent searching for them.
Also, you should know that the existential vacuum is not infinite, but it requires us to develop a psychological muscle that resists the reflex action for immediate relief. Again, it’s uncomfortable, but leaning into this existential vacuum is surprisingly psychedelic. Additionally, having a skilled witness, such as an existentially inclined therapist who can sit with uncertainty without rushing to a solution, makes the difference between enduring the void and moving through it.
Grieve for what is lost
We often suffer existentially when the old structures that made up our sense of meaning and purpose quietly and autonomously disappear. Unfortunately, no one sent a note. The scaffolding just collapsed overnight, and one morning a man in the middle of his life looks around and finds that very little of it makes sense anymore.
Canadian philosopher Tom Attig writes about sadnessdescribed what happens when the normal ways of living in the world are disrupted. He called it the need to “relearn the world,” which means actively reorganizing our lives on a deep psychological, philosophical, embodied, and emotional level. In other words, we need to reexamine the basic assumptions that we don’t know and try to lean on life despite severe pain. This means that despite your busy schedule, this isn’t just a weekend project, and passivity won’t be an effective strategy.
Relearning the world happens gradually, through small, honest and proactive actions with our experience of loss. It also requires more than just understanding. Existential voids are resolved by authentically connecting with others, opening ourselves to new experiences or new psychological relationships, a willingness to care about what has grown, and a renewed connection (often for very understandable reasons and often for a long time) with deeper layers of neglected or repressed experience.
The grief here is real and deserves to be experienced with an open heart rather than optimized or medicated. For many, this connection needs to happen in a space that lovingly embraces complexity and actively embraces existential uncertainty without assigning more homework.
Let the existential vacuum reshape you
As depth psychologists and therapists have recognized for more than a century, the human psyche has a constant and somewhat uncomfortable need to truly live. He tolerates a lot of performances, unconscious childhood adaptations and other unique forms of ego deferral, but never infinite. If the harmony between inner and outer life has been lost for a long time, the psyche has a way of expressing its desires. Existential vacuum is one of the more direct methods he uses.
If the gap persists, consider that the suggestion is not to return to the old life, but to reorganize around something more meaningful and intimate. People who truly experience this experience have a clearer sense of what is important to them, develop a greater tolerance for uncertainty, achieve greater psychological flexibility, feel more alive, and develop a life that feels authentic, even if it is not easy.
Unfortunately, this process almost always involves some sort of loss: old identities, outdated beliefs, relationships, old ways of being, and/or roles that once fit and no longer fit. On the other side of this loss, Frankl referred to the will to meaning not as an abstraction, but as direction, chaos, and the experience of actually living one’s life.
A vacuum is not the end of meaning, but often the beginning of an honest relationship with it. Although we rarely have a choice about what life throws at us, such as who lives or dies, what diseases arise, or what situations find us, Frankl (who had reason to know this better than most) argued that there always remains one existential freedom: the freedom to choose our response to the situation at hand.
It is nothing; in fact, it turns out to be a lot more….
The transition from vacuum to real meaning rarely happens in isolation. Finding the right place and the right person accompanying you through it is itself an expression of the will to meaning that Frankl describes.
