The talking cureThe talking cure
All In The Mind
We talk with a practitioner of what's called Existential Therapy—one of the tenets of which is that all human beings have an innate fear of death, and that coming to terms with this fear through therapy can lead to a more authentic life. We discuss the various styles of psychotherapy being practised today.
28:50•24 May 2015
Facing Death, Finding Meaning: Psychotherapy, CBT and the Talking Cure
Episode Overview
- Facing fear of death in therapy can help people live more authentically and meaningfully.
- A therapist’s genuine presence and close relationship with clients is central to change, beyond interpretations alone.
- Existential therapy with terminally ill patients can reduce isolation by openly addressing illness, fear and mortality.
- Psychoanalysis relies heavily on transference and intensive long-term work, while newer dynamic methods aim for shorter yet still deep treatments.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy can help with symptoms, but may fall short if underlying emotional and personality issues are ignored.
“"Anticipating endings may encourage us to grasp the present with greater vitality."”
Gain insights from experts and survivors on how talking therapies shape our inner lives, from fear of death to everyday anxiety. This conversation on All In The Mind centres on the "talking cure" and why sitting on a couch and speaking frankly can still matter in an age of quick fixes and medication.
Psychotherapist and author Irvin Yalom shares stories from decades of existential therapy, grounded in the belief that "all human beings have an innate fear of death" and that facing this fear can lead to a more authentic and happier life. He talks about taking a careful history of death in a person’s life, and explains how even at the end, people "still have something they can offer" by modelling grace and courage for those around them.
His line that "anticipating endings may encourage us to grasp the present with greater vitality" brings a surprisingly hopeful tone to tough conversations about mortality. Yalom also reflects on his own ageing, finding his 70s and 80s "maybe one of my very best decades", and stresses that what truly changes people in therapy is the genuine, close relationship: an "intense, shared moment with the therapist" rather than clever interpretations.
Professor of psychology Diana Kenny joins to compare classic psychoanalysis, psychodynamic therapies and cognitive behavioural therapy. She explains why transference and the therapist–client relationship are central to psychoanalysis, why long-term intensive treatment can be hard to afford, and how shorter psychodynamic approaches and CBT fit into modern practice. Her scepticism about overly clean clinical trials for CBT, and the story of a client ripping up his homework sheet, shows what can happen when someone’s emotional distress isn’t fully heard.
With a dash of Woody Allen’s wry reflections on years of analysis, the episode mixes serious ideas with human stories, making complex therapy concepts feel accessible. If you’ve ever wondered whether talking about fear, love and death could actually change your life, this one is worth your time.
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