Becoming Existential is a podcast about the journey of becoming a therapist and what that process reveals about the human condition. Hosted by Max Karlin, a trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, together with peers and leading figures in existential therapy, the show explores the questions at the heart of every life: freedom, meaning, finitude, relationship and the courage to face what cannot be fixed. The show is not about techniques or quick fixes, but about learning to sit with uncertainty — in therapy and in life.
Becoming Existential
Claim This Podcastby Max Karlin
5.0(1 reviews)
6 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇬🇧
Podcast Overview
Becoming Existential is a podcast about the journey of becoming a therapist and what that process reveals about the human condition. Hosted by Max Karlin, a trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, together with peers and leading figures in existential therapy, the show explores the questions at the heart of every life: freedom, meaning, finitude, relationship and the courage to face what cannot be fixed. The show is not about techniques or quick fixes, but about learning to sit with uncertainty — in therapy and in life.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/23/2025
2 verified contact emails on file for Becoming Existential
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
May 24, 2026
Therapy Is Alchemy - Paulo Ribeiro on Blindness, Embodiment and Presence
<p>Paulo Ribeiro lost his sight after a near-death experience and discovered a new way of seeing. On embodiment, alchemy, and presence.</p><p><br></p><p>What happens when a therapist can't see their client?</p><p><br></p><p>Paulo Ribeiro is an existential psychotherapist and senior clinical supervisor at Headstrong Counselling in London. He holds a BA in Social Communication, an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy, and is completing an Advanced Diploma in Existential Psychotherapy. Before entering therapy, Paulo worked in journalism and PR across Brazil and the UK.</p><p><br></p><p>More than ten years ago, Paulo experienced Stevens-Johnson syndrome — a severe allergic reaction that nearly killed him, destroyed his skin from the inside out, and ultimately took his sight. After two years housebound and 39 eye operations, he made a radical decision: stop chasing what was lost and start building what was possible.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, Paulo shares how blindness reshaped his understanding of presence, embodiment, and what really happens between two people in a therapy room.</p><p><br></p><p>We explore:</p><p>— How a near-death experience led to a new life in psychotherapy</p><p>— What "seeing" means when sight is gone — and what sighted therapists might be missing</p><p>— Merleau-Ponty's idea that "we are vehicles, not machines" and what that means in practice</p><p>— Therapy as alchemy: why the most powerful moments are the ones you can't predict or explain</p><p>— Wittgenstein, language games, and what it's like to do therapy across two languages</p><p>— The existential lens at Headstrong — working with complex presentations without totalizing the other</p><p>— Advice for trainees: "Go prepared to suffer. Go prepared to cry. Go prepared to laugh."</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters:</p><p>00:00 Navigating the Journey of Therapy</p><p>11:01 The Transformative Power of Training</p><p>22:29 Embodied Presence in Therapy</p><p>36:36 The Role of Language in Therapy</p><p>37:55 The Fluidity of Language and Meaning</p><p>42:41 The Art of Togetherness in Therapy</p><p>46:24 Existential Perspectives in Psychotherapy</p><p>51:36 The Role of Philosophy in Therapy Training</p><p>55:22 Navigating Emotional Labor in Therapy</p><p>01:00:04 The Journey of Becoming a Therapist</p><p><br></p><p>Referenced in this episode:</p><p>— Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception</p><p>— Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations</p><p>— Emmanuel Levinas, Totality and Infinity</p><p>— Del Loewenthal, Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling after Postmodernism</p><p>— R.D. Laing on indescribable therapeutic moments</p><p>— Martin Buber on togetherness</p><p>— Headstrong Counselling, London (headstrongcounselling.co.uk)</p><p><br></p><p>About the host</p><p><br></p><p>I’m Max Karlin, a psychologist, counsellor, and UKCP trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, London. On this channel I share existential therapy insights, interviews, and reflections to explore how psychotherapy can help us live more authentically and meaningfully.</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with me linktr.ee/maxkarlin</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Becoming Existential is a podcast about the journey of becoming a therapist and what that process reveals about the human condition. Hosted by Max Karlin, a trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London.</p><p><br></p><p>Other episodes </p><p>https://podfollow.com/becoming-existential/view</p>
March 25, 2026
Presence Over Technique: An Existential Dialogue with Paola Pomponi
<p>In this conversation with Paola Pomponi, we explore what existential therapy really means — not just as a theory, but as a way of being with others.</p><p><br></p><p>We talk about therapist training, authenticity, absurdity, everyday existential encounters, and why humor may be one of the deepest forms of connection.</p><p><br></p><p>Paola reflects on what first drew her into existential therapy, including the impact of reading Irvin Yalom and the call she felt to change direction and train in the field. From there, the conversation moves into the core of existential practice: what it means not simply to think about life, but to encounter it directly and relationally.</p><p><br></p><p>Together, they explore existential therapy as something embodied before it is intellectual; something lived before it is explained. Paola describes therapy not as a technical act of fixing, but as one human being sitting beside another, “breathing the same air,” discovering what it means to be with someone rather than act upon them.</p><p><br></p><p>The dialogue then opens onto wider questions: is existential therapy only for a small, intellectual niche, or can it become part of everyday life? Paola argues for the latter, suggesting that existential dialogue can happen anywhere — with a coffee maker, a postman, a child, a stranger — if we meet others with curiosity and depth.</p><p><br></p><p>They also talk about how existential training changes the therapist, the courage required to enter that process, the absurdity of life, and the little freedom we still have in choosing how to respond. The episode closes with one of Paola’s most memorable themes: humor, not as avoidance, but as another way of meeting reality and deepening connection.</p><p><br></p><p>This is an episode for therapists, trainees, students, and anyone asking deeper questions about how to live, how to relate, and what to do with the life they have.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About Paola Pomponi</strong></p><p><br></p><p>UKCP-accredited Existential Psychotherapist</p><p>Certified EMDR Practitioner</p><p>Existential Coach (EMCC Practitioner Level)</p><p>Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA)</p><p>Practices in London and Rome, bilingually (English/Italian)</p><p><br></p><p>Author of Bach in the Park - a story about living, loving and dying, temporality, rationality and emotionality.</p><p>Available on Audible and Amazon </p><p>https://amzn.eu/d/j9dFBSK</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with Paola </strong></p><p>https://ppomponi.com</p><p>https://www.instagram.com/paola_pomponi_ukit/?hl=en</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About the host</strong></p><p>I’m Max Karlin, a psychologist, counsellor, and UKCP trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, London. On this channel I share existential therapy insights, interviews, and reflections to explore how psychotherapy can help us live more authentically and meaningfully.</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with me linktr.ee/maxkarlin</p><p><br></p><p><strong>chapters:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>00:50 Meet Paola </p><p>03:00 From Business to Therapy </p><p>05:25 Yalom’s Influence </p><p>10:20 Training and Being With the Client </p><p>15:00 Practising Existential therapy </p><p>18:00 Children, Curiosity, and Meaning </p><p>20:00 How Therapy Changes the Therapist </p><p>22:00 Advice for Trainees </p><p>27:00 Existential Therapy Beyond the Room </p><p>28:00 Is Existential Therapy for Everyone? </p><p>34:00 The Power of Humor </p><p>36:40 Final Reflections & Closing Thoughts </p>
January 25, 2026
Ernesto Spinelli: What Is Therapy Really For?
<p>Professor Ernesto Spinelli - one of the founders of the existential psychotherapy in the UK, author of foundational texts including The Interpreted World and Practising Existential Therapy, and one of the most influential voices in the field globally.</p><p><br></p><p>WE DISCUSS:</p><p>[02:00] "An old man with a young mind" — Ernesto on aging and unfinished projects</p><p>[05:00] How he "fell into" existential therapy</p><p>[08:00] Reading Husserl for the first time: "What is this?"</p><p>[10:00] The birth of existential therapy in the UK</p><p>[14:00] Curiosity as the heart of good therapy</p><p>[16:00] "Psychotherapy is seen as treatment rather than engagement — that's been a terrible error"</p><p>[18:00] Explanatory vs. understanding-focused psychology</p><p>[25:00] "We have honest conversations" — Ernesto's simplified approach</p><p>[28:00] What your symptoms might be giving you</p><p>[29:00] The question that changes everything: "Would you miss it?"</p><p>[34:00] AI therapy: why people find it empathic</p><p>[37:00] "Like a super person-centered therapist"</p><p>[38:00] "I find that terrifying" — but also revealing</p><p>[40:00] Sartre on conflict and the possibility of constructive engagement</p><p>[45:00] The "dictatorship of I" and why relatedness matters</p><p>[50:00] Advice for therapists-in-training: "Stay with what drew you here"</p><p>[52:00] "It's like a poem that finally says what you always felt"</p><p>[54:00] Writing novels, cinema, and the road not taken</p><p><br></p><p>KEY QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE:</p><p><br></p><p>"If you're not genuinely curious about your client, you won't be a good therapist." </p><p><br></p><p>"Psychotherapy is seen as a form of treatment rather than a form of engagement and relation. That's been a terrible error."</p><p><br></p><p>"What mostly happens in my engagements with my clients is that we have honest conversations."</p><p><br></p><p>"Is your problem giving you anything worthwhile? And if you were to lose it — would you miss it?"</p><p><br></p><p>"People are turning to AI therapy because they're getting something from it that they're not getting from day-to-day human relations."</p><p><br></p><p>"The world is increasingly dominated by a kind of dictatorship of I."</p><p><br></p><p>GUEST:</p><p>Ernesto Spinelli, PhD is an existential psychotherapist, psychologist, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, former Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis, and author whose work has consistently challenged psychotherapy’s reliance on diagnosis, technique, and cure. A former Academic Dean at Regent’s University London, he is known for advancing existential-phenomenological psychotherapy through his emphasis on relatedness, uncertainty, and therapy as an act of understanding rather than intervention. </p><p><br></p><p>ABOUT THE HOST:</p><p><br></p><p>I'm Max — a psychologist, counsellor, and trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling (NSPC) / Middlesex University in London.</p><p><br></p><p>After 25 years in business, I'm now exploring what it means to become a therapist — and what that journey reveals about being human.</p><p><br></p><p>This podcast documents that unfolding.</p><p><br></p><p>📚 Books:</p><p>The Interpreted World: An Introduction to Phenomenological Psychology</p><p>https://a.co/d/eMQmy3y</p><p>Practising Existential Psychotherapy: The Relational World</p><p>https://a.co/d/hljWmsb</p><p>Tales of Un-Knowing: Therapeutic Encounters from an Existential Perspective</p><p>https://a.co/d/43q1StD</p><p>The Mirror and the Hammer: Challenging Orthodoxies in Psychotherapeutic Thought</p><p>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014FVQY72?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_3F1YW0TCAYD8NP57XDYF</p><p><br></p><p>🔗 Links:</p><p>Ernesto Spinelli & Associates</p><p>http://www.plexworld.com</p><p>Society for Existential Analysis: </p><p>https://existentialanalysis.org.uk</p><p><br></p><p>CONNECT:</p><p><br></p><p>🎥 Watch the full video interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4u39LZ_M3Uk</p><p>📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxkarlintherapy/</p><p>🌐 Website: maxkarlin.com</p><p>📧 Contact: https://linktr.ee/maxkarlin</p><p><br></p><p>SUPPORT :</p><p><br></p><p>If this episode resonated with you:</p><p>- Subscribe https://podfollow.com/becoming-existential/view</p><p>- Leave a rating and review — it helps others find the show</p><p>- Share with a colleague or friend who might benefit</p>
6 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for Becoming Existential
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Becoming Existential?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.