Resist the Existential Vacuum

How to Cultivate Meaning in an Unjust World

We live in a world with disparities in housing, education, healthcare, and food security, where some people have more access to resources than others. These disparities are often borne of discriminatory policies that advantage people with certain identities over others. People who struggle to have their basic needs met and/or experience discrimination (e.g., members of tribal populations, LGBTQIA2S+ people, people with disabilities) are at greater risk for suicide.

As clinicians, we can all do our part to advocate for marginalized groups and create a better world for those who struggle. When we meet with our suffering patients individually, however, we may feel stuck about how to ease suicidal thoughts in an unjust world. One approach that I have found helpful in my clinical practice is derived from Dr. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1959/2006).

Frankl was a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist who wrote about being confined in concentration camps, having his loved ones murdered by Nazis, and his reflections on these horrifying experiences. Frankl proposed that some people become suicidal due to an existential vacuum, where their lives lacks meaning. After being liberated, he dedicated his life to sharing strategies for cultivating meaning with the public. Frankl proposed that meaning can be created through 1) actions and experiences, 2) relationships, or 3) attitudes taken toward unavoidable suffering.

Illustration by Icon & Ink

“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day, and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.” - Dr. Viktor Frankl

Find Meaning in Actions and Experiences

One way to guide patients to meaning through actions is to ask them to identify what values are most important to them (e.g., kindness, education, originality). Next, you can ask them to share what actions they are currently engaged in that align with their values. You can also explore how they might increase actions aligned with their values. These value-aligned actions can help to strengthen their sense of meaning.

Frankl also wrote that people can experience meaning through “goodness, truth, and beauty,” including by connecting with nature, culture, or the love of another person. Patients may benefit from setting goals to increase these types of experiences throughout the week. For example, they may plan to travel, visit a spiritual service, observe flowers, stars, or a body of water, or connect with others with similar passions and interests (e.g., activism, a book club, music).

Find Meaning In Relationships

A particularly painful part of suicidality is that people often end up unintentionally isolating themselves. To spark meaning, you can collaboratively explore opportunities for your patients to reconnect with people or foster new relationships. A common stumbling block is that patients only “count” major interpersonal activities as meaningful. You can help them by starting with small steps (e.g., texting or emailing a friend, dedicated time to reflecting on relationships as a first step) and encouraging them to take credit for those efforts.

Find Meaning in Suffering

Frankl said that the most meaningful act people can take with regard to suffering is to remove or reduce it. However, when suffering is unavoidable, people can still potentially gain meaning from that experience. Some possible pathways to meaning through unavoidable suffering may include new insights, increased appreciation for other areas of life, clarity in life priorities, more living in the moment, and connecting with people who have suffered in similar ways. While I never try to push a patient to find meaning in their suffering, sometimes the exploration of possibilities leads them to identify their own sources of meaning.