Beginning to Live
The Art of Existential Freedom
Published on 14. May 2026
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-0-241-52610-1 (ISBN)
Description
'One of the most profound and potentially life-altering encounters I've had' Sophie McBain, Guardian
A user's guide to the everyday challenges of living, which looks to philosophy to reframe the way we understand ourselves and our relationships
How can we find our own direction and purpose? When life feels too much, is it possible to free ourselves from the concerns that weigh us down? Whether you're in therapy or prefer to find your own way through life's struggles, pioneering therapist Emmy van Deurzen offers a lifeline for rebuilding trust in the world.
Beginning to Live is a practical invitation to step back and discover what really matters by considering each of the four key aspects of our experience in turn: physical, social, personal and spiritual.
Harnessing over fifty years' experience, this book is filled with wisdom and moving stories that show how to deal with dilemmas and difficulties of every kind, so that even when survival takes all you have, you can rekindle confidence in your own abilities and revitalize your capacity to relate to others. It is not about a quality of personality or character, which you either have or don't have, van Deurzen shows. It is about a way of being, which is available to each of us - enabling us all to find a more engaged way of living that is purposeful, deliberate and buoyant.
Your future is a work of art in progress. And it starts here.
A user's guide to the everyday challenges of living, which looks to philosophy to reframe the way we understand ourselves and our relationships
How can we find our own direction and purpose? When life feels too much, is it possible to free ourselves from the concerns that weigh us down? Whether you're in therapy or prefer to find your own way through life's struggles, pioneering therapist Emmy van Deurzen offers a lifeline for rebuilding trust in the world.
Beginning to Live is a practical invitation to step back and discover what really matters by considering each of the four key aspects of our experience in turn: physical, social, personal and spiritual.
Harnessing over fifty years' experience, this book is filled with wisdom and moving stories that show how to deal with dilemmas and difficulties of every kind, so that even when survival takes all you have, you can rekindle confidence in your own abilities and revitalize your capacity to relate to others. It is not about a quality of personality or character, which you either have or don't have, van Deurzen shows. It is about a way of being, which is available to each of us - enabling us all to find a more engaged way of living that is purposeful, deliberate and buoyant.
Your future is a work of art in progress. And it starts here.
Reviews / Votes
One of the most profound and potentially life-altering encounters I've had . . . van Deurzen writes about helping people rediscover their existential courage in the face of life's struggles and uncertainty . . . demonstrates a knack for distilling complex ideas into something easy to grasp and practical . . . She is interested in how we can cultivate meaning, courage and freedom despite or because of the suffering life throws at us, a process that begins with how we approach life, how we cultivate our inner worlds -- Sophie McBain * Guardian * Speaks powerfully to the lived experience of being in a body - its freedom, fragility, and change - offering profound insight into ageing, identity, and transformation -- Kriss AkabusiMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
656 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-52610-1 (9780241526101)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2026
Penguin Books Ltd
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Emmy van Deurzen is a world-renowned existential psychotherapist and counselling psychologist who directs her private practice, Dilemma Consultancy, in London. She was the inaugural Chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and the founding director of the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, as well as the Existential Academy in London. She is a Visiting Professor with Middlesex University. She has published twenty books on existential therapy and the challenges of the human condition and she has lectured in more than thirty-five countries around the world.