Existential Humanistic NorthWest Blog

How Do We Create Courage in the Face of Distressing Circumstances?

May 14, 2025

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” How can you cultivate and maintain courage in the face of overwhelming circumstances? This is not just a theoretical question for me; it’s something I’ve experienced firsthand. — Viktor Frankl In January 2013, after completing graduate school, I found myself without stable housing. I had exhausted my savings, sold my car, and relied on my bike as my primary mode of transportation, uncertain about where I would live next. Over a four-month period, I lived in five different places. After just finishing graduate school, I expected to enter agency work, but opportunities weren’t materializing. My expectations for my life collided with a reality I hadn’t anticipated. In those moments,

EH Reading Group Open to All

November 20, 2023

EHWN Board Members, Justin Rock and Ryan Brown, are collaborating with community member River Heisler on an informal EH reading group that is open to the public. This Existential/Humanistic (EH) reading group is a space to engage creatively, constructively, and spontaneously with the works of philosophers belonging to a large stream of “existential” and “phenomenological” thought (terms with which we will certainly experiment and contend). The group will be a space to critique, question, and experience the works which influence what it means to call oneself an “existential” therapist, “existentialist”, or an “existentially”-influenced human. Starting with the idea of alterity, and what the experience of the Other can tell us about being human, we will plunge headfirst into Emmanuel Levinas’ Totality and Infinity. Please read as much

Navigating the Depths of Human Experience: A Reflection on Dr. Nathaniel Granger Jr.’s Workshop

October 11, 2023

As the president of Existential-Humanistic Northwest (EHNW), I am continually inspired by the depth and breadth of experiences and knowledge that our community brings to the table. Our recent workshop with Dr. Nathaniel Granger Jr. was no exception. The event, titled “Examining Microaggressions and Building Cultural Empathy through the Historical Lens of the African American Experience,” was a profound journey into the intricacies of human relationships, cultural understanding, and the importance of genuine connection. Dr. Granger’s approach was not just theoretical; it was deeply experiential. Through his guidance, we were invited to immerse ourselves in the lived experiences of others, to truly see and hear them, and to understand the world from their vantage point. This is the essence of phenomenological work. It’s about diving

Somatic Psychotherapy Training Institute – PNW

July 27, 2023

Four-year training program in Contemporary Orgone (Reichian) Therapy Beginning September, 2023 Offered by: Daniel Schiff PhD via Zoom Module 1: Relational and somatically focused character analysis An in-depth training program for psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, and other health professionals who desire to become fully grounded in the theoretical and procedural fundamentals which are used in somatic psychotherapy and contemporary Reichian therapy practice. These fundamentals embody an integration of the character-analytic, biophysical, and bioenergetic (orgonomic) theories and techniques developed by Wilhelm Reich and the ‘here and now’ process-oriented techniques of gestalt and person-centered therapy with that which is current in the fields of emotion and attachment theory, affective neuroscience, and contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy. The program of study is spread over four years (four yearly modules) with twenty 2-hour

New Book: The Well-Lived Life

May 1, 2023

EHNW Affililate & AHP Executive Director, Robert McGarey would like you to know about a book recently published by his mother, Gladys McGarey: The Well-Lived Life: A 102-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every AgeBy Gladys McGarey, MD Gladys McGarey, MD, began her medical practice at a time when women couldn’t even own their own bank accounts. Over the past sixty years, she has pioneered a new way of thinking about disease and health that has transformed the way we imagine health care and self-care around the world. The cofounder of the American Holistic Medical Association, Dr. McGarey has mentored everyone from Dr. Mark Hyman to Dr. Edith Eger and has helped hundreds of patients live happier and healthier lives. In a voice