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

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.

For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org

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 process
• The myth of a “true” fixed self
• Existential anxiety and the freedom to change
• Multiplicity and the many selves we carry
• How relationships shape who we become
• Moments that reveal the mystery of being
• The role of existential-humanistic therapy in identity formation

If 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.

For more reflections on therapy, existence, and the human experience, visit https://evankaufman.org