Purpose | ANU Counseling

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ...

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”

Existential therapy focuses on free will, self-determination, and the search for meaning

Irvin Yalom

Four existential concerns we all face throughout our lives

Isolation
Freedom
Meaninglessness
Death

Yalom claims that his four existential worries are inherent in the lives of us all. However, sometimes, these issues become disguised within other distractions in your life. They’re always there though, even if you don’t notice. them.

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Yalom teaches that your values give you relief from these four existential concerns. They provide you with the answer to what life’s all about. Furthermore, they give meaning and significance to your other concerns. In fact, they give you your personal action and belief system..

Victor Frankl

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
-Viktor Frankl-

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The meaning of life according to Viktor Frankl lies in finding a purpose and taking responsibility for ourselves and other human beings. By having a clear “why” we can face all the “how” questions of life.

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Viktor Frankl (founder of Logotherapy) had a conviction that what makes us unique is the human spirit. Reducing life and human nature to “nothingness”, as many philosophers and psychiatrists of the time did, was not the most appropriate way of looking at life.

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EXISTENTIAL THERAPY

To me, every person I help is what was bought at so high a cost. That is the meaning of what I suffered.

What is the meaning of yours?

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Three Scripture Verses dominated my journey to reconcile my devasting experience with my deep faith:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name" Psalms 103:1

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

See A Victory - Elevation Music
What someone meant for evil, can instead be used for good Genesis 50:20

For me, what I experienced was a journey of reconciling my challenging childhood with my Christian faith. Growing up in a severely abusive religious cult, my siblings and I, along with two other adults, ultimately sought justice, leading to the cult leader's 180-year prison sentence, where he died in 2020. This tumultuous experience raised profound questions about my faith, transforming something I once saw as positive into a source of deep internal conflict.

In my quest for understanding, I dedicated years to studying various religions alongside my Christian beliefs, striving to distinguish my genuine faith from the cult's distortions. Through a deeper exploration of scripture, spiritual growth, and nurturing my personal relationship with God through Jesus, I found a way to reconcile these aspects of my life.

The poem I crafted during my journey reflects my acceptance of the uncertainty that often accompanies such experiences, illustrating my trust that clarity would eventually unfold. In navigating this path, I discovered a truth that many others have also come to recognize: that when we examine and appreciate our suffering, it can yield profound wisdom and growth, benefiting not only ourselves but those around us as well.

Everyone suffers. It is what you do with it that matters most!

(see also my page on Post-Traumatic Growth)