Existential Dialogue 2026: "Phenomenology" with Prof. Ernesto Spinelli

Existential Dialogues 2026: "A Chorus of Voices"

Topic: "Phenomenology" between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Bárbara Godoy

“Edmund Husserl, the founder of what became known as Transcendental Phenomenology, provided key ideas that would form the basis of existentialism, or, more accurately, existential phenomenology. many of the most significant existential philosophers — Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty among them — acknowledged their deep indebtedness to Husserl and saw themselves as his “students”. Phenomenology, as an investigative approach, focuses its attention upon issues centred upon “understanding” rather than “explanation”. In doing so, it relies upon predominantly descriptive forms of exploration. In doing so, it has directly influenced existential therapy’s emphasis upon the “opening up”, or disclosing, of the client’s world as it is being lived. Such an approach deeply challenges current, dominant assumptions as to what therapy is meant to be about and how it is to be practiced. Going against “common sense” assumptions, phenomenology retains its revolutionary underpinnings and continues to challenge therapists with its proposal to attune themselves to “who and how their clients are being” rather than seek to shift them to other ways of being.”

Professor Ernesto Spinelli was Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis between 1993 and 1999 and is a Life Member of the Society. His writings, lectures and seminars focus on the application of existential phenomenology to the arenas of therapy, psychology, and executive coaching. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as an APECS accredited executive coach and coaching supervisor. In 1999, Ernesto was awarded a Personal Chair as Professor of Psychotherapy, Counselling and Counselling Psychology. In 2000, he was the Recipient of the BPS Division of Counselling Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. And in 2019, Ernesto received the BPS Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice. His most recent therapy book, Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World 2nd edition (Sage, 2015) has been widely praised as a major contribution to the advancement of existential theory and practice. His previous books include: The Interpreted World: an introduction to phenomenological psychology, 2nd ed (Sage, 2005); Demystifying Therapy (PCCS, 2006); Tales of Un-Knowing (PCCS, 2006); and The Mirror and The Hammer: Challenging therapeutic orthodoxies (Sage, 2001). Living up to the existential dictum that life is absurd, Ernesto is also the author of an on-going series of Private Eye novels. His most recent standalone novel, Moments – A Greek Island Tale, will be published in 2025.

Recommended readings for “Phenomenology”:

Ihde, D. (1986). Experimental Phenomenology: an Introduction.
Albany: State University of New York.

Spinelli, E. (2005). The Interpreted World: an introduction to phenomenological psychology.
2nd Edition. London: Sage.

Spinelli, E.(2015). Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World, 2nd ed. London: Sage.

Valle, R.S. & King, M. (1978). Existential-Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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