Emmy van Deurzen, PhD, HonFBPsS, CPsychol, fellow UKCP, Founder Director Existential Academy, President Existential Movement, was born on 13 December 1951 in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Early Years
She began working in the mental health field in the early 1970s. Her clinical experience included work in French psychiatric hospitals, most notably Saint-Alban, a historically important institution associated with institutional psychotherapy. This early experience helped shape her lifelong interest in the meeting point between philosophy, phenomenology, psychology, human suffering, freedom and personal responsibility.
Moving to Britain
Later, she moved to Britain, where she became one of the key pioneers of existential psychotherapy.
In 1988, she founded the Society for Existential Analysis together with its academic journal, helping to create a professional home for existential therapists. She also played a leading role in developing academic training in the field, including her work at Regent’s College, where she became Dean of the School of Psychotherapy and Counselling. In 1996, she founded the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London.
Pioneer of Existential Psychotherapy
Her therapeutic approach is rooted in existential phenomenology. Rather than viewing human distress solely as pathology, she explores it through life’s fundamental questions: meaning, freedom, isolation, uncertainty, love, death, responsibility, conflict and choice.
Emmy is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of existential psychotherapy, both in the United Kingdom and internationally.
She is especially known for her Four Worlds model of human existence: the physical world, the social world, the personal world and the spiritual—or meaning-related—world.
Writer and Educator
Alongside her work as a counselling psychologist and teacher, Emmy has written extensively.
Her books include Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy in Practice, Everyday Mysteries, Paradox and Passion in Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy and the Quest for Happiness, Skills in Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy (co-authored with Martin Adams), and many others. Her work has been translated into numerous languages.
Her latest book, Beginning to Live: The Art of Existential Freedom, was published recently. It brings together more than fifty years of clinical experience in a practical guide for people who wish to understand themselves more deeply, find direction, rebuild trust in life, and live with greater courage, agency and meaning.
Emmy lectures internationally and remains an influential voice in psychotherapy, philosophy, counselling psychology and applied existential thinking.
Activist
Beyond her academic and clinical work, Emmy has also been active in public life. She has supported EU citizens living in Britain after Brexit and has written and spoken extensively about existential crises, social responsibility and the need for greater wisdom in public discourse.
In 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the British Psychological Society in recognition of her outstanding lifetime contribution to psychology and psychotherapy.
In short, Emmy van Deurzen’s life’s work has been to bring philosophy into therapy and to demonstrate that human suffering can be understood not only as illness, but also as an essential part of the deeper human struggle to live with courage, meaning, freedom and responsibility.
Artist
Beyond her work as a philosopher and psychotherapist, Emmy is also an artist at heart. She expresses her creativity through songwriting and painting, embracing art as another way of exploring the richness and complexity of human existence.
Nature is an equally important source of inspiration and renewal in her life. She enjoys spending time outdoors, often accompanied by her beloved dog, Bruno, finding in the natural world a sense of perspective, beauty and quiet reflection.
Emmy is married to Professor Digby Tantam, an English psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist, philosopher and Emeritus Professor. He is a co-founder of the Existential Academy and one of the leading figures in existential psychotherapy and psychotherapy education. Together, Emmy and Digby collaborate closely in teaching, writing, training psychotherapists and advancing existential thinking through their shared work and commitment to the field.
Existential philosophy
Existential philosophy addresses some of the most profound questions of human existence: the meaning of life, mortality, freedom, loneliness, truth, justice, values and purpose.
In our physical world, we are constantly torn between the search for pleasure and the fear of pain.
In our social world, we move between our longing to belong and our need for independence and solitude.
In our personal world, we navigate the tension between our desire for certainty and our longing for freedom.
In our spiritual world, we seek meaning by discovering our values, finding inspiration and pursuing purpose. When these are absent, we often struggle with feelings of triviality, boredom and meaninglessness.
Learning to navigate these opposing forces and developing the courage to hold life’s inevitable tensions may well be one of the greatest arts of living. It is a lifelong journey that allows us to grow, mature and contribute both to our own flourishing and to the common good.
Personal Note
I had the privilege of meeting Emmy in person in both 2017 and 2018, thanks to Ruud Vermeij, who organised two extensive workshops for dancers and dance coaches with Emmy in Amsterdam.
I still keep all my notes and workshop materials and continue to reflect on them to this day.
Emmy opened my eyes in a unique way. Learning from her was not only deeply educational but, above all, profoundly inspirational. I continue to apply many of her ideas in both my personal life and my teaching.
I regularly follow her YouTube channel, recently attended her online lecture, Existential Courage: Antidote to Existential Anxiety, and am currently reading her latest book, Beginning to Live: The Art of Existential Freedom.
Just as Ruud brought Emmy into my life, I hope this blog—and my conversation with Emmy—will bring light, hope and inspiration into yours.
A Message for the Dance Community
As I was preparing for our interview, I came across these words from Emmy, which I believe speak powerfully to our dance community:
“Nothing in nature lives for itself.
As humans we have forgotten that.
We need to give of ourselves to thrive.
We need to build communities together and help each other.
Selfish pursuit of power and profit is the opposite of what we are here for.
Power mongering is everywhere.
We need a new politics of peace, fairness and decency.”
Perhaps these words remind us that dancing is not only about individual achievement. It is also about creating communities where people can grow together, support one another and contribute to something greater than themselves.
Enjoy an insightful podcast with Emmy on Spotify - Barbara's Dance Room
