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

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. 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