Louis Hoffman
Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association, Existential Therapy, Executive Director
Louis Hoffman, PhD, is an independent scholar at the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association, where he serves as executive director, and the International Institute for Existential-Humanistic Psychology. He has been recognized as a fellow of the American Psychological Association as five divisions of the APA (1, 10, 32, 36, 48, & 52). He is a past president of the Society for Humanistic Psychology and the 2021 recipient of the Rollo May Award. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (Senior International Editor), The Humanistic Psychologist, the Journal of Constructivist Psychology, and Janus Head. He is also a licensed psychologist in practice in Colorado Springs, CO.
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Books by Louis Hoffman
Volume 1 of Eros and Psyche focuses on philosophical and theoretical perspectives with chapters by Heidi Levitt, Zenobia Morrill, Brent Dean Robbins, Stanley Krippner, Sara K. Bridges, Digby Tantum, and more.
Volume 2 focuses on clinical and spiritual perspectives with chapters by Tom Pyszczynski, Peggy Kleinplatz, Susi Ferrarello, Nisha Gupta, Steve Simpson, Louis Hoffman, Melissa Racho, and others.
Alongside these stories, HeeSun Park reviews two important research studies on becoming an existential-humanistic therapist while Falk and Hoffman highlight the central themes emerging from the narratives. Park, Falk, and Hoffman also share their own stories of becoming. The book concludes with reflective exercises for individuals considering pursing a career as an existential-humanistic counselor or therapist, as well as exercises for current therapists to reflect upon their own journey. Whether already an existential-humanistic therapist wanting to reflect upon your journey or a student considering pursuing becoming an existential-humanistic therapist, this volume is essential reading to clarify and deepen one’s journey.
The authors examine the unique contributions of humanistic psychology to multicultural psychology on topics often ignored, such as cultural empathy and indigenous psychology and diversity. The book critiques and rectifies previous failures to adequately engage multicultural issues by providing methods for integrating multicultural psychology and humanistic therapy. Readers will find that each chapter advances scholarship through a dialogue with multicultural perspectives and builds a foundation for future scholarship and clinical practice.
This book will be of great interest to mental health professionals interested in humanistic and existential psychology.
The contributors to Connoisseurs of Suffering include award-winning poets and authors as well as psychologists and other mental health workers. The poems are powerful, provocative, and often quite raw with pain and meaning. While the poems will not alleviate your suffering, they will help you feel less alone. As Dave Elkins wisely says in the Foreword, "Life is indeed difficult but it's a whole lot better when we listen, really listen, to one another's pain... and care."
Volume I is written is a traditional educational style with additional chapters covering cross cultural psychology, ecopsychology, finding one's voice, the evidence based foundation of transpersonal practice, ritual, and much more. This volume includes chapters by established leaders such as Stanley Krippner, John Davis, Dan Hocoy, Pat Luce and Robert Schmidt as well as fresh voices with new perspectives on transpersonal psychology. The chapters are readable and personal, yet well researched and scholarly. These volumes are destined to become seminal texts in the field.
This collection contains talks and reflection pieces that are enjoyable and fascinating in the immediacy of the authors' voices and their messages for the individual and the collective. A wonderful selection of pieces by established leaders such as Charlie Tart, angel Kyodo williams, Judy Lief, and Roger Walsh as well as influential emergent scholars such as Ian Wickramesekera II, Dan Hocoy, and Louis Hoffman. These volumes are destined to become a classic text in the field.
Volume 1 of Eros and Psyche focuses on philosophical and theoretical perspectives with chapters by Heidi Levitt, Zenobia Morrill, Brent Dean Robbins, Stanley Krippner, Sara K. Bridges, Digby Tantum, and more.
Volume 2 focuses on clinical and spiritual perspectives with chapters by Tom Pyszczynski, Peggy Kleinplatz, Susi Ferrarello, Nisha Gupta, Steve Simpson, Louis Hoffman, Melissa Racho, and others.
Alongside these stories, HeeSun Park reviews two important research studies on becoming an existential-humanistic therapist while Falk and Hoffman highlight the central themes emerging from the narratives. Park, Falk, and Hoffman also share their own stories of becoming. The book concludes with reflective exercises for individuals considering pursing a career as an existential-humanistic counselor or therapist, as well as exercises for current therapists to reflect upon their own journey. Whether already an existential-humanistic therapist wanting to reflect upon your journey or a student considering pursuing becoming an existential-humanistic therapist, this volume is essential reading to clarify and deepen one’s journey.
The authors examine the unique contributions of humanistic psychology to multicultural psychology on topics often ignored, such as cultural empathy and indigenous psychology and diversity. The book critiques and rectifies previous failures to adequately engage multicultural issues by providing methods for integrating multicultural psychology and humanistic therapy. Readers will find that each chapter advances scholarship through a dialogue with multicultural perspectives and builds a foundation for future scholarship and clinical practice.
This book will be of great interest to mental health professionals interested in humanistic and existential psychology.
The contributors to Connoisseurs of Suffering include award-winning poets and authors as well as psychologists and other mental health workers. The poems are powerful, provocative, and often quite raw with pain and meaning. While the poems will not alleviate your suffering, they will help you feel less alone. As Dave Elkins wisely says in the Foreword, "Life is indeed difficult but it's a whole lot better when we listen, really listen, to one another's pain... and care."
Volume I is written is a traditional educational style with additional chapters covering cross cultural psychology, ecopsychology, finding one's voice, the evidence based foundation of transpersonal practice, ritual, and much more. This volume includes chapters by established leaders such as Stanley Krippner, John Davis, Dan Hocoy, Pat Luce and Robert Schmidt as well as fresh voices with new perspectives on transpersonal psychology. The chapters are readable and personal, yet well researched and scholarly. These volumes are destined to become seminal texts in the field.
This collection contains talks and reflection pieces that are enjoyable and fascinating in the immediacy of the authors' voices and their messages for the individual and the collective. A wonderful selection of pieces by established leaders such as Charlie Tart, angel Kyodo williams, Judy Lief, and Roger Walsh as well as influential emergent scholars such as Ian Wickramesekera II, Dan Hocoy, and Louis Hoffman. These volumes are destined to become a classic text in the field.
https://universityprofessorspress.com/product/into-the-void/
In this chapter, we begin through exploring what mindfulness is, which is a complex question that has different answers in various contexts. Next, we give consideration to how mindfulness is incorporated in therapy, particularly existential therapy.
https://doi.org/10.1037/hum0000294
In this presentation, we begin by introducing existential shattering, including considering the development and evolution of this concept over time. Defining existential shattering includes distinguishing it from similar concepts, such as moral injury. Next, we consider implications for case formulation, including diagnosis and problematic identification. From this foundation, we consider psychotherapy implications, including challenges to working with clients experiencing existential shattering. We maintain that an existential-integrative approach, which utilizes a critical assimilative integrative approach to existential-humanistic therapy, is an ideal approach for working with most individuals who have experienced an existential shattering. This approach combines the development of resources to manage overwhelming emotions with an existential-humanistic approach that focuses on issues of meaning, freedom/responsibility, relationships, and community while emphasizing the importance of the therapeutic relationships and presence.
Reference Information:
Hoffman, L. (2020, August). Existential approaches to dealing with sexual attraction in therapy. In B. D. Robbins (chair), Existential approaches to sexuality. Symposium presented at the 128th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Reference information:
Hoffman, L. (2020, August). Culture and empathy in the age of Trump. In L. Hoffman & H. P. Cleare-Hoffman (co-chairs), Humanistic and existential approaches to multiculturalism and diversity: Advancing the dialogue. Symposium presented at the 128th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
It is common for therapists to focus on helping clients adjust to their situation and decrease individual suffering. Often, this serves to help people adjust to an unhealthy environment, instead of engaging in what Martin Luther King, Jr., calls “creative maladjustment.” Consistent with existential approaches, creative maladjustment helps individuals consider their engagement with their environment with awareness and intentionality. Clients may choose to adapt to their context despite the negative or harmful implications, or they may choose strategies to confront or change their environment. Often, clients find sustaining meaning that can transform their suffering through choosing strategies to confront unhealthy systems.
When existential therapists work with individuals while ignoring the systems impacting the individual, they limit their potential as change agents. As therapists, we have a unique vantage to understand the implications of nationalism, polarization, racism, homophobia/transphobia, and other harmful trends common in the world today. At times, we are called to engage the world beyond the therapy room to promote change. An existential-humanistic foundation can help inform how we engage in social justice advocacy and activism through promoting personal freedom and choice, meaning, and human dignity.
View at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgajWg-WEQY
This presentation begins with a brief history of trauma informed therapy since the ACE study with consideration to social and political issues. Next, I will provide an overview of core aspects of trauma informed care. Building from the overview of the core aspects of trauma informed care, I will next consider how trauma informed care fits with an existential-humanistic approach and offer a critique of some important limitations. Finally, I will present a foundation for a trauma informed existential-humanistic therapy.
1. Participants will be able to identify 3 competencies commonly associated with trauma therapy and their connection with existential-humanistic therapy.
2. Participants will be able to identify 2 existential-humanistic critiques of trauma informed therapy approaches.
3. Participants will be able to identify 2 unique contributions to trauma informed therapy emergent from existential-humanistic therapy.