Contemporary protests movements, which are distinguished from historic movements by relying on decentralized leadership and utilizing social media and technology, have a central role in addressing social justice issues. Black Lives Matter represents one of the most influential and controversial of the contemporary protests movements. Much of the controversy is connected to misunderstanding, distorted portrayals, and attempts to discredit the movement. Through an examination of the history of Black Lives Matter, and consideration of issues such as privilege and polarization, it can be recognized that the Black Lives Matter movement is providing a healthy cultural critique and creative use of pain, anger, and suffering to advocate for human dignity and positive cultural change. Furthermore, the principles of existential–humanistic psychology can be used to deepen the understanding of Black Lives Matter and other protest movements, while also offering important guidance on how to avoid various potential risks to the movement’s success.

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The self has come under considerable attack in postmodern times. Amidst many deconstructions and reformulations of the self, various myths of self have lost their sustainability. This article reviews various theoretical perspectives on the self along with many postmodern challenges to the self. It is proposed that the self is a socially constructed entity which can be conceptualized from a variety of perspectives; however, not all myths of self are equal. In particular, premodern and modern myths of self are inadequate for postmodern times. Building from an existential-integrative perspective, we propose Schneider's paradoxical self as a promising myth of self for postmodern times.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the mental health field. The unique distress caused by the pandemic along with the need for many to transition their therapy practices to TeleHealth/Telepsychology modalities caught many therapists, including existential–humanistic therapists, unprepared to make the necessary adjustments to treat clients in a manner that is safe and effective. Existential–humanistic therapy often is neglected with trauma and disaster relief work, despite its relevancy and important contributions. All therapies must adjust in crisis situations, particularly when adjustments to how services are offered are disrupted; however, the impact of these changes varies by therapeutic orientation. As an approach that values genuineness, empathy, and presence, existential–humanistic therapy faces unique challenges when employed with disaster response. However, when these challenges are faced, existential–humanistic therapy has much to offer disaster response, including consideration of existential guilt, existential shattering, existential anxiety, and existential perspectives on self-care.

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