Paulo Ribeiro lost his sight after a near-death experience and discovered a new way of seeing. On embodiment, alchemy, and presence.

What happens when a therapist can't see their client?

Paulo Ribeiro is an existential psychotherapist and senior clinical supervisor at Headstrong Counselling in London. He holds a BA in Social Communication, an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy, and is completing an Advanced Diploma in Existential Psychotherapy. Before entering therapy, Paulo worked in journalism and PR across Brazil and the UK.

More than ten years ago, Paulo experienced Stevens-Johnson syndrome — a severe allergic reaction that nearly killed him, destroyed his skin from the inside out, and ultimately took his sight. After two years housebound and 39 eye operations, he made a radical decision: stop chasing what was lost and start building what was possible.

In this episode, Paulo shares how blindness reshaped his understanding of presence, embodiment, and what really happens between two people in a therapy room.

We explore:

— How a near-death experience led to a new life in psychotherapy

— What "seeing" means when sight is gone — and what sighted therapists might be missing

— Merleau-Ponty's idea that "we are vehicles, not machines" and what that means in practice

— Therapy as alchemy: why the most powerful moments are the ones you can't predict or explain

— Wittgenstein, language games, and what it's like to do therapy across two languages

— The existential lens at Headstrong — working with complex presentations without totalizing the other

— Advice for trainees: "Go prepared to suffer. Go prepared to cry. Go prepared to laugh."

Chapters:

00:00 Navigating the Journey of Therapy

11:01 The Transformative Power of Training

22:29 Embodied Presence in Therapy

36:36 The Role of Language in Therapy

37:55 The Fluidity of Language and Meaning

42:41 The Art of Togetherness in Therapy

46:24 Existential Perspectives in Psychotherapy

51:36 The Role of Philosophy in Therapy Training

55:22 Navigating Emotional Labor in Therapy

01:00:04 The Journey of Becoming a Therapist

Referenced in this episode:

— Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception

— Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations

— Emmanuel Levinas, Totality and Infinity

— Del Loewenthal, Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling after Postmodernism

— R.D. Laing on indescribable therapeutic moments

— Martin Buber on togetherness

— Headstrong Counselling, London (headstrongcounselling.co.uk)

About the host

I’m Max Karlin, a psychologist, counsellor, and UKCP trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, London. On this channel I share existential therapy insights, interviews, and reflections to explore how psychotherapy can help us live more authentically and meaningfully.

Connect with me linktr.ee/maxkarlin

Becoming Existential is a podcast about the journey of becoming a therapist and what that process reveals about the human condition. Hosted by Max Karlin, a trainee existential therapist at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London.

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