One must be happy with oneself before one can have a solid relationship with others. It is necessary for one to be significant in another's world, and one wants to feel that another's presence is important in our world. It is imperative that one examines ways in which they have lost touch with their own identity by relying on another's way of life they had designed for them. It is vital that new guidelines and values be implemented by the client, hence, replacing an old value system that is outdated or no longer meaningful to oneself. Existential guilt arises out of the realization that one has a sense of incompleteness and meaninglessness in life.
Existential therapists see anxiety as a potential source of growth.
Normal anxiety can be used as a motivation to change, such as a decision that involves reconstruction of one's life. The normal anxiety is a clue or signal that one is ready for personal change. Neurotic anxiety on the other hand is out of proportion and tends to immobilize a person. Freedom and anxiety are inter-related in that anxiety is associated with the excitement accompanying the birth of a new idea stemming from freedom to move out of the known into the realm of the unknown. Facing existential anxiety involves viewing life as an adventure, rather than hiding behind securities that offer protection.