ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces some of the core ideas and thinkers in existential and phenomenological philosophy and practice. It gives a brief historical overview of the development of existential and phenomenological philosophy, introducing the main themes in the works of important existential thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Sartre, and how these ideas have been applied practically in fields such as mental health by Rank, Binswanger, May, Boss, Frankl and more recently by Laing, Cooper, van Deurzen, Spinelli and others. It expands on the existential themes of relatedness, uncertainty, anxiety, emotions, values and beliefs, freedom and responsibility, time and temporality, and authenticity. The reader is introduced to the idea of us each existing in four dimensions – the physical/Umwelt, the social/Mitwelt, the personal/Eigenwelt and the spiritual/Uberwelt and introduces how reflecting on these can create better balance in our personal and professional lives.
