Collaboration is central in both CBT and Existential-Humanistic therapy—whether as co-investigators (CBT) testing ideas or as “fellow travelers” (E-H) exploring lived experience and meanings. Openness and curiosity likewise are central to both. Integration builds on this shared spirit by reframing CBT’s empirical approach through an E-H lens.
EHI’s Kirk Schneider, PhD, EHI President and Nance Reynolds, PhD, EHI’s Clinical Committer Chair with Tyler Gamlen, PhD will be at the 2025 CLE! If you are a Saybrook Student, Alumni, or faculty please consider checking out these 2 events at the Saybrook 2025 Community Learning Experience in Los Angeles in August. This in-person event is an opportunity to build
The Call for Papers for the Fourth World Congress of Existential Therapy is open. In 2026 the World Congress will be held June 3-6 in Boulder, CO. The host for the next biannual is the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychotherapy Association (RMHCPA). The conference committee encourage all those interested in submitting a proposal to begin thinking about what you
Dante finds himself lost in a shadowed wood, fear pressing in on all sides. He cannot will himself forward—he doesn’t yet know where he is, or how he got there. Then, from the darkness, appears Virgil—reason and insight in human form. Not a rescuer, not a savior, but a guide. Virgil doesn’t dictate the path; he helps Dante face it.
The Existential Moment will return on July 1st with another post highlighting Existential-Integrative therapy! Related Blog Posts: Read other Existential Moment posts on Existential-Integrative therapy. Explore the therapeutic relationship in E-H therapy in previous posts. View all the Existential Moment series posts on EHI’s blog. Existential Moment Author: Scott Gibbs, LMFT, EHI Board Member-at-Large | Website: www.mscottgibbs.com | Twitter: @Novum_Organum
“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought.”– The Buddha, Dhammapada, Verse 1 Cognitive restructuring, a core Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) technique, systematically identifies and modifies distorted or maladaptive thoughts. Its goal is to help individuals recognize automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) that cause distress and dysfunction, evaluate their accuracy, and shift them toward more realistic
Holden Caulfield, the main character in the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye, imagines himself standing in a field of rye, catching children before they fall over the edge of a cliff—a protector of innocence, shielding them from the harsh realities of adulthood. Yet, the scene reveals a more profound truth: his fear of falling and of facing life’s
In 19th-century Vienna, Sigmund Freud confronted a mystery that medicine couldn’t explain: patients with symptoms like paralysis and seizures, yet no physical cause. One case, Anna O., became a turning point. Her symptoms eased as she recounted long-buried, painful memories during “talking therapy,” revealing an astonishing insight: the mind held hidden forces influencing the body and behavior. Freud spoke then
Existential-Humanistic Institute, Inc. Presents:The Psychotherapeutic Relationship Salon Facilitated by: Sonja Saltman, MFT – EHI Core Instructor, and Joshua Diliberto, LCHC, NCC, RYT- EHI Teaching Assistant Date/Time: Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 11am-1pm Pacific | 2pm-4pm Eastern & 6pm-8pm UTCLocation: Online Via ZoomHost: Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI)Enrollment: $25 for General tickets. To promote effective discussion we are limiting registration to 30 people.
“Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky…” Tennyson’s words from In Memoriam call us to a reckoning with the old year and the birth of the new. His poem pulses with the longing to discard what weighs us down personally and socially—detachment, pride, regret, etc. — and to embrace a brighter beginning. But the transformation he invokes is not simply a celebration; it is a call to action, a challenge to confront ourselves honestly toward living differently.
What do we leave behind as the bells ring out, and what new commitments do we make as they ring in?
This moment of transition mirrors a deeper, ongoing question central to Existential-Humanistic therapy: “How am I presently living?” and “How am I willing to live?” These questions, like Tennyson’s appeal, invite us to envision change and engage with it courageously.
The Existential Moment, the series found here on EHI’s blog, is currently on a hiatus and will be back in the new year.
Here are some lists of of posts related to some topics in the series from the last couple of years.
Recently the Existential-Humanistic Institute’s Clinical Co Directors, Nance Reynolds, PhD, LCSW and Kirk Schneider, PhD were invited to introduce the Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI) to the Student Ambassadors of The Society for Humanistic Psychology (Div. 32 of the APA). EHI’s Clinical Co Directors Meet with Div 32 Student Ambassadors The Society for Humanistic PsychologyFall, 2024 The Student Ambassador group, founded and
It was a dark, windless night in upstate New York in 1790; the only sound was the pounding of hooves on the narrow path. A schoolteacher, heart racing, galloped through the dense forest as shadows closed in and branches clawed at him. He urged his horse faster, but the sound of another rider continued to grow closer, louder with each
Just as the Pullman workers faced their harsh reality, we are often called to ask ourselves: “How am I presently living?” Often, this question arises from feelings of despair. In existential-humanistic therapy, awareness is the first step toward transformation . Presence means coming into contact with uncomfortable truths and recognizing patterns or conditions that no longer serve us. This awareness reveals what holds us back and opens the door to change. One key role as therapists is helping our clients come into this presence.
In Flanders FieldsBy John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie,In Flanders fields What do you notice? August marks
The Real Problem of Our Civil and Electoral Strife A Personal Perspective: Our main adversary is the polarized mind. Kirk Schneider has just published a new article on political polarization and the “perilous instability in our country that goes well beyond Biden and Trump” on his PsychologyToday blog, Awakening to Awe. KEY POINTS Read the full article on Kirk’s blog
“The road to freedom is a difficult, hard road.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
These words resonate deeply as we reflect on the significance of Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of their emancipation, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. This day, now celebrated as a national holiday, Juneteenth, symbolizes the long and arduous journey toward freedom for African Americans and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.
Juneteenth is more than just a historical milestone; it is a celebration of freedom and a reminder of the resilience and strength of those who fought tirelessly for their liberation. As we observe Juneteenth this month, we are called to recognize the importance of meeting our past and embracing the present in our journey toward freedom.
Join The Existential Movement in partnership with OnlineEvents.co.uk for a transformative workshop led by Dr. Kirk Schneider, a prominent figure in existential-humanistic and existential-integrative psychology. In this session, Dr. Schneider will unveil and demonstrate the Experiential Democracy Dialogue, a pioneering method he has developed to counteract the deep-seated and perilous polarization affecting our societies and the wider world. This polarization is not only widespread but also represents one of the most pressing social and psychological challenges of our time. Dr. Schneider advocates for an urgent, depth, and existentially oriented approach to healing.
On June 25th, EHI Is hosting a 90-minute virtual community space for contacting and cultivating therapeutic presence. Personal, relational, and cosmological aspects are considered in group discussion, practical demonstration, dyad practice, and will be flexible in nature to follow prerogatives emergent from the group.
The “good enough mother” (later “good enough parent”) concept is not just a cute catchphrase but a powerful view into the parent-child relationship. It describes a mother who provides an environment that meets the child’s needs adequately but not perfectly, allowing the child to experience and manage frustration in a safe setting. This approach, often overlooked or assumed, plays a pivotal role in helping children develop resilience and independence as they learn that the world will not always cater to their needs immediately or perfectly. Winnicott argued that being a ‘good enough mother’ is crucial for healthy emotional and psychological development, as it balances care and challenge, enabling children to grow into well-rounded adults.
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