I have a student in China who for a long-time has dreamed of opening a bookstore. She is a bookworm and enjoys sharing her passion for books with others. She is also a therapist. She is very unconventional in the sense that she approaches the finances of the bookstore with a gambling-entertainment mindset. She is… Read more »
Tag: Existential Psychology Abroad
Being-in-time at the airport
It was always going to be a difficult morning. The alarm was set for 3 a.m. in readiness to get to the airport on time for a 5:30 a.m. flight. Security cleared and coffee in hand, the boarding process commenced without a hitch. Strapped in and ready for take off, we began to taxi out… Read more »
The threshold of mystery: Existential psychology, embodied knowing, and spirituality (part 2)
This essay is the second of two, comprising an article that began with my essay posted on May 1, 2015. The prior essay initiated a consideration of the spiritual aspects of existential psychology and psychotherapy, endeavoring to show that what is commonly understood to be transpersonal psychology expands, enhances, and enriches the Existential-Humanistic paradigm for… Read more »
The threshold of mystery: Existential psychology, embodied knowing, and spirituality (part 1)
This essay is the first of two, comprising an article that will be concluded in my next contribution to the New Existentialists. In my Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy courses, upon encountering concepts of existential philosophy and psychology for the first time, some of my more religious students become ensnared in and troubled by their perception that existentialism… Read more »
Existential roundup
Welcome to the Existential Roundup, where we bring you links to some articles currently trending that may be of interest to those in the existential-humanistic psychology community. Anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head in Europe again, and it is reaching levels that parallel to 1930’s Europe. The reasons may be less obvious than one thinks…. Read more »
Stigma continued
Last week, I wrote about how even in death, social stigmas are alive and well. Since writing that piece, I’ve seen how death and dying—one of the two existential givens of human existence—are ripe for stigmatization when something goes wrong, such as psychological distress, or a plague like this current Ebola crisis. Today I attended… Read more »
The cost of activism/self-centered activism
China, 2010. I’m in a hotel room with Mark Yang in Shanghai. I’m sleeping, he’s on the phone. It the international existential humanistic conference, and I’m there as a speaker and listener prior to a few days detached to speak in Wuhan. Mark is my bunkmate to save costs. But he’s not just a speaker,… Read more »
Finding Common Threads in Unfamiliar Places
Parador de Alarcón. There was a time when I was ashamed to be Chinese, when I was defensive yet embarrassed in knowing next to nothing about being “Chinese.” The spell probably snapped when my mentor told me, “Jung loved China,” though I did nothing to hunt for crosslinks in the bifurcated streambeds of my psyche…. Read more »
A Spark of Existential Therapy in Greece
Photo by Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho. In the beginning of October, I was lucky enough to participate in a two-day workshop with Dr. Kirk Schneider, here in Athens, Greece! It was organized by “gignesthai,” the Hellenic association for Existential Psychology. I’ll write to you about this experience, with my own little words and from where I… Read more »
The Magic Jug and the Spirit of the Wok: Part Four of a Four-Part Series
The Alchemical Union. What are the essential elements of brewing a good cup of coffee? Certainly, one needs the proper equipment. Yet, we all know that acquiring all the right equipment does not a barista make. Just as purchasing an expensive camera does not qualify one as a good photographer. It is only the beginning…. Read more »