The Existential Lens

Evan Kaufman
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

https://evankaufman.org Hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman, located in Eugene Oregon. The Existential Lens explores the deeper questions that shape our inner lives—meaning, identity, freedom, anxiety, and the ongoing work of living authentically. Grounded in an existential-humanistic therapy perspective and supported by contemplative practice, each episode offers a quiet space for reflection. It’s an invitation to slow down, think more deeply, and engage your life with greater awareness, presence, and intention.

Episodes

  1. 6D AGO

    The Third Actor: AI, Therapy, and the Loss of Presence

    In this episode, Evan explores“the third actor”, the subtle way artificial intelligence enters our inner lives both in and outside of therapy. Beginning with a reflection on impermanence, the episode moves into clinical observations about AI, electronic stimulation, substance use, and the ways we outsource meaning, understanding, and contact with ourselves. This episode is not an argument against technology, but rather an inquiry into what AI fails to provide: embodied presence, authentic relationship, and lived encounter with existence itself. This episode is part of The Existential Lens, hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman. Evan is a therapist in Eugene, Oregon, offering depth-oriented therapy to adults and couples. For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org

    25 min

  2. JAN 12

    Understanding Anxiety: Fear, Choice, and the Unknown

    Anxiety is often treated as something to eliminate, overcome or master. But what if it is pointing toward something deeper within us? In this episode, I explore the relationship between anxiety and freedom through an existential lens. We look at anxiety as an encounter with the unknown, one that arises not only from fear or conflict, but from choice, responsibility, and the realities of being human. Rather than framing anxiety as pathology, this conversation considers how it can function as a guide, revealing where growth, meaning, and agency are being asked of us within our lives.  This episode is especially relevant for those navigating transitions, difficult choices, or a persistent sense of inner tension that doesn’t seem to resolve through insight alone. This episode is part of The Existential Lens, hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman. Evan is a therapist in Eugene, Oregon, offering depth-oriented therapy to adults and couples. For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org

    34 min

  3. 12/16/2025

    When Meaning Has No Map

    This episode sits with the lived experience of loneliness, loss of meaning, and the sense that there is no clear way to navigate life—a feeling of living without a map. While the reflection looks closely at the inner lives of men and how these struggles often show up, the conversation is intentionally offered for all identities. Many of the themes explored speak to deeply human experiences that everyone can identify with. Beginning with a contemplative reflection on time, space, and becoming, the episode widens the frame beyond individual symptoms and looks toward the broader cultural and existential conditions shaping how many of us live today. Drawing from existential philosophy and lived clinical experience, the conversation explores freedom, responsibility, and the creative work of self-authorship—how a way forward can begin to emerge not from external answers, but from sustained contact with one’s inner life. This episode is part of The Existential Lens, hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman. Evan is a therapist in Eugene, Oregon, offering depth-oriented therapy to adults and couples. For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org

    30 min

  4. 12/02/2025

    Identity as a Living Process

    What does it mean to be a self? In this episode of The Existential Lens, psychotherapist Evan Kaufman explores the evolving nature of identity—how who we are is not a fixed object to uncover, but an ongoing process we enact moment by moment. Drawing on existential therapy, phenomenology, and enactivist psychology, Evan examines why our sense of self shifts across contexts, why we contain multiple “selves,” and how our identities take shape through relationships, meaning, and lived experience. Listeners are invited to consider the subtle moments in everyday life that open into the deeper mystery of being: a glance at an old photograph, a quiet morning routine, or a surprising feeling of misalignment with the life we’ve built. This episode is for anyone curious about identity, authenticity, and the inner complexity that brings people into therapy. It speaks to clients, clinicians, and anyone drawn to existential-humanistic perspectives on what it means to live a more honest, grounded, and meaningful life. Topics explored: Identity as a dynamic, living processThe myth of a “true” fixed selfExistential anxiety and the freedom to changeMultiplicity and the many selves we carryHow relationships shape who we becomeMoments that reveal the mystery of beingThe role of existential-humanistic therapy in identity formationIf you’re interested in existential psychology, depth-oriented therapy, or the inner work of becoming more fully yourself, this episode offers a grounding, reflective space to explore these questions more deeply. This episode is part of The Existential Lens, hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman. Evan is a therapist in Eugene, Oregon, offering depth-oriented therapy to adults and couples. For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org

    22 min

  5. 11/20/2025

    The Paradox of Free Will in Therapy

    In this episode, Evan examines the paradox of free will in therapy—why all psychotherapy assumes that human beings can choose differently, and how that assumption becomes tangled in a culture marked by technological overwhelm, economic constraint, and a growing sense of powerlessness. Drawing on existential-humanistic therapy, Viktor Frankl’s insights, and critiques of hard determinism such as those raised by Sam Harris, Evan explores how consciousness, context, and capacity shape our ability to change. Even when freedom feels limited, a fragment of agency remains—and therapy works by widening the inner space where meaningful choice becomes possible. This episode is part of The Existential Lens, hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman. Evan is a therapist in Eugene, Oregon, offering depth-oriented therapy to adults and couples. For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org

    23 min
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

https://evankaufman.org Hosted by psychotherapist Evan Kaufman, located in Eugene Oregon. The Existential Lens explores the deeper questions that shape our inner lives—meaning, identity, freedom, anxiety, and the ongoing work of living authentically. Grounded in an existential-humanistic therapy perspective and supported by contemplative practice, each episode offers a quiet space for reflection. It’s an invitation to slow down, think more deeply, and engage your life with greater awareness, presence, and intention.

Information

  • Creator
    Evan Kaufman
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Evan Kaufman LLC
  • Show Website
    The Existential Lens