Facing existential anxiety involves viewing life as an adventure rather than hiding behind securities that seem to offer protection. If an individual can learn to live without props and to tolerate ambiguity they can find their own way without being dependent on others. It can be a source of zest for life and creativity. A healthy awareness of death can help us evaluate how well we are living and what changes we want to make in our lives. The task of existential therapy is to teach clients to listen to what they already know about themselves, even though they may not be attending to what they know.
Therapists have to understand the subjective world of the client.
Focus on the client's current life situation not to recover a past. There is not a concentration on techniques. The person to person relationship is key. This relationship demands that the therapist be in contact with their own phenomenological world. If the client has a restricted existence and are not aware of themselves the therapist helps the client see how they are stuck.