Existential isolation dawns when the awareness hits that you are fundamentally alone, truly and ultimately.

You get this when everything stops being distracting, though not everyone feels it because there are many distractions nowadays.  It’s understanding that you’re stuck in your own body, and even with people around, you started life alone and will end it alone.

मानवीय अस्तित्व संबंधी चिंताएँ

Irvin Yalom (1980) propelled existential psychotherapy to the forefront of modern approaches in addressing human existential concerns.

He elucidated the four fundamental human existential concerns, often termed “the ultimate concerns of human existence.” These include: 

मौत

Acknowledging the inevitability of death as the ultimate limitation.

स्वतंत्रता 

Embracing the responsibility and freedom to shape our lives, making us the sole authors and leaving us accountable for our destiny.

अस्तित्वगत अलगाव 

Recognizing our inherent aloneness, from birth to death.

अर्थहीनता 

अंतर्निहित अर्थ के बिना जीवन जीने के डर से जूझना, हमारे जीवन में अर्थ बनाने और अनुभव करने की हमारी एकमात्र जिम्मेदारी पर जोर देना।

Related: अस्तित्वगत निराशा और अस्तित्वगत शून्यता

पारस्परिक और अंतर्वैयक्तिक अलगाव

In his classic book “Existential Psychotherapy” (1980), Irvin Yalom explored the concept of existential isolation, breaking it down into interpersonal and intrapersonal isolation. 

Interpersonal Isolation

Interpersonal Isolation relates to being alone physically or feeling excluded, lacking meaningful relationships, positive interactions, or enduring connections.

For instance, even a person working as a barista, surrounded by many customers, might feel lonely without genuine social connections. Interpersonal isolation can be objective, like a long period of solitary confinement in prison, or subjective, as experienced by the barista.

Related: Emotional Loneliness

Intrapersonal Isolation

Intrapersonal isolation occurs when individuals feel disconnected from parts of themselves, struggling with decision-making, and identifying preferences, attitudes, or opinions. It can also manifest when individuals face surprises in their preferences or habits they find hard to control.

Yalom explained existential isolation as an “unbridgeable gulf” between oneself and others, emphasizing the separation between an individual and the world.

No one else can fully grasp your subjective experiences, whether it’s gazing at the sky, embracing your children, or navigating the complexities of daily life. Each person’s subjective experiences are unique, making everyone existentially isolated, whether they feel it subjectively or not.

अस्तित्वगत विशिष्टता

विलियम ब्रेइटबार्ट ने अस्तित्वगत अलगाव पर अपने पेपर में इस शब्द पर सवाल उठाया और एक विपरीत शब्द "अस्तित्वगत विशिष्टता" का इस्तेमाल किया। यह शब्द अलगाव की निराशा के विपरीत हमारे प्रत्येक जीवन की विशिष्टता की सुंदरता का वर्णन करता है।

रिश्ते और अस्तित्वगत अलगाव

Ignoring, avoiding, or distracting yourself from existential isolation is harmful to you and your relationships.

To love in the best way, you must acknowledge and understand your isolation. Connect with others not just for what they offer, but for who they are.

Facing existential isolation involves moving beyond the “need” for another person and instead, mutually enhancing each other’s lives by truly “being” with one another.

To sum it up, a quote from Bruber in Yalom’s book captures the essence of facing your isolation: “A great relationship breaks through the walls of loneliness, overcomes its rules, and builds a bridge from oneself to another across the fear of the universe.”

सारांश

अस्तित्वगत अलगाव स्वयं और दूसरों के बीच अंतर्निहित अंतर की गहरी जागरूकता है। इसमें रिश्तों में अकेलापन महसूस करना (पारस्परिक अलगाव) या स्वयं के कुछ हिस्सों से अलग होना (इंट्रापर्सनल अलगाव) शामिल है। इरविन यालोम द्वारा जोर दिया गया, यह वास्तविक संबंधों को बढ़ावा देने के लिए व्यक्तिगत अनुभवों की विशिष्टता को स्वीकार करने और सराहना करने के महत्व पर प्रकाश डालता है।

संदर्भ

1. (रा)। https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-third-noble-truth/202102/existential-isolation-is-key-healthy-relationships से लिया गया 
2. ब्रेइटबार्ट, डब्ल्यू. (2017)। अस्तित्वगत अलगाव. प्रशामक और सहायक देखभाल, 15(4), 403-404। doi:10.1017/s1478951517000621 
3. हेल्म, पीजे, चाऊ, आरएफ, और ग्रीनबर्ग, जे. (2022)। अस्तित्वगत अलगाव: सिद्धांत, अनुभवजन्य निष्कर्ष और नैदानिक विचार। अस्तित्व संबंधी चिंताएं और संज्ञानात्मक-व्यवहार प्रक्रियाएं, 95-113। doi:10.1007/978-3-031-06932-1_6 
4. वेल, के. (2022)। https://www.issep.org/article/alone-in-a-crowd से लिया गया