In his 1879 novel, The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky offered a chilling warning about the pursuit of status and material security. He argued that when we become slaves to our desires, constantly expanding our "needs" to match the rich and mighty, we aren't actually finding freedom. Instead, we are walking into a trap.

When working with clients, I often see how life’s deepest questions sit quietly beneath their everyday struggles, such as questions about death, freedom, isolation, and meaning. These aren’t problems to solve, but realities we all must face.

The writings of Epicurus, when integrated with the principles of existential therapy, offers a useful lens through which to examine and alleviate the profound anxieties of human existence.

Sebastian Junger’s book Freedom explores the tension between autonomy and belonging, survival and meaning. From an existential therapy lens, it reveals how true freedom demands responsibility, courage, and connection.