Out of the Ivory Tower:

Existentialism was always meant for real life.

So if you’ve landed here, you are someone who either 1) is very, very interested in philosophy (but maybe too intimidated to actually jump into the reading), or 2) you’ve read some philosophy and you care deeply about intellectual integrity and deep dives.

That’s cool. But/and therapists (and maybe even some friends/significant others) keep telling you you’re “too intellectual,” or “too in your head.”

So what do we do with that?

After a master’s in existential-phenomenological psychology, followed by years of somatic psychotherapy and holding the intellect at arm’s length, here’s what I’ve decided:

We need both.

We need our intellects, and logic, and critical thinking.

And we need our bodies, our emotions, and our relationships.

The question of what the hell the point of your life is is deeply relevant to your happiness and well-being.

Questions about god or gods, and whether there is such a thing as “neutral” public space we can keep religion-free, are deeply relevant to whether and how we get along with each other in the world.

From my perspective, it’s not philosophy versus embodiment. We’re in a situation where the intellect and the body have been pitted against each other, and philosophy grounded in our humanity is the solution.