216: Dr. Kirk Schneider on Finding Meaning and Awe in Everyday Life

Welcome back to The Mind Mate Podcast! Today, I have the absolute honour of sitting down with Dr. Kirk Schneider—one of the leading voices in contemporary existential-humanistic psychology and a true pioneer in the field of depth-oriented healing. Dr. Schneider has an impressive career that spans decades. He’s a licensed psychologist, the past editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, and president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute. He teaches at Saybrook University and Columbia University’s Teachers College and is a Fellow of five divisions of the American Psychological Association. Beyond that, he’s a prolific author, having written or coauthored 12 books, including The Paradoxical Self, Horror and the Holy, Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy, and Awakening to Awe. Today, we’ll touch on his latest contribution, Life-Enhancing Anxiety: Key to a Sane World, which offers a global perspective on existential approaches to healing and transformation. What’s striking about Dr. Schneider’s work is how deeply it calls us to engage with life’s mysteries—the awe, the terror, and the paradoxes that shape the human experience. He’s also the founder of the Corps of Depth Healers, a movement designed to bring depth-oriented, existential practices to communities in need. It’s a radical and necessary initiative in our increasingly fragmented world, and I’m excited to explore it with him today. If you’re as fascinated as I am, I highly recommend diving into Dr. Schneider’s world. Visit his website at www.kirkjschneider.com for more about his work and writings. You can also learn about the Corps of Depth Healers at / @corpsofdepthhealers-ws9nq where you’ll find resources for cultivating healing and awe in your own communities. So, without further ado, let’s dive into an unforgettable conversation with Dr. Kirk Schneider. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!