Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Welcome to The Psychology Podcast with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, where we give you insights into the mind, brain, behavior and creativity. Each episode will feature a guest who will stimulate your mind, and give you a greater understanding of yourself, others, and the world we live in. Hopefully, we’ll also provide a glimpse into human possibility! Thanks for listening and enjoy the podcast.

Dec 27, 2017

Adventure and awe are key to the perpetuation of vibrant, evolving lives, and in combination with technological advances may bring marvels to our emerging repertoires.” — Kirk Schneider

Kirk Schneider is a psychotherapist who has taken a leading role in the advancement of existential-humanistic therapy and existential-integrative therapy. He has authored or coauthored ten books, including The Paradoxical SelfHumanity’s Dark SideExistential-Integrative PsychotherapyThe Psychology of Existence (with Rollo May), The Polarized MindThe Handbook of Humanistic Psychology, and Awakening to Awe. Dr. Schneider is the 2004 recipient of the Rollo May award for “outstanding and independent pursuit of new frontiers in humanistic psychology” from the Humanistic Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association.

In this episode, Kirk teaches us how we can connect with the mystery and discovery in our daily lives in a way that allows us to feel, sense, imagine, create, wonder, and to feel the dysphoric feelings as well, the poignancy of sadness of hurt or anger, and in essence, experience a larger sense of life and of creative work. Kirk's seminal work in existential-humanistic therapy has helped many people be more open to new possibilities and sensitivities to oneself as well as other people, other species, and have a more profound appreciation of our fleeting time in space. Among these topics, we also discuss the following:

  • What is existential-humanistic therapy?
  • Kirk’s kinship with Rollo May
  • Kirk's debate with Ken Wilbur about "ultimate consciousness"
  • Kirk's vision of an awe-based era in the age of roboticism
  • Kirk's vision of "depth healers"
  • How to preserve the core of humanity in this brave new world

Links

The Spirituality of Awe

Existential-Humanistic Therapy (2nd edition)

The Deified Self: A "Centaur" Response to Wilber and the Transpersonal Movement by Kirk Schneider

Rollo May: Personal Reflections and Appreciation by James F.T. Bugental