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
“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.
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
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.
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