Introduction to the Special Issue: Tributes to Ilene Ava Serlin

Dr. Ilene Serlin tragically passed away on November 26, 2024, and this special issue features tributes to her life and work. She was 76 years old.

Ilene, or “Leni” as her close friends and family called her, was a central figure in contemporary humanistic psychology and the holistic health movement. She was also a “larger than life” presence whose passion for an embodied, kinesthetically informed, and spiritually inspired humanistic psychology seemed inexhaustible. Beginning with her remarkable doctoral dissertation on the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty, Ilene made copious contributions to kinesthetically informed psychotherapy, “whole person healthcare,” and existential-humanistic dimensions of dance and movement. She was also an existential-humanistic ambassador of sorts, inspiring bridge-building interchange across diverse academic and professional communities.

In this special issue, I have worked closely with JHP’s Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kamens to gather some of Ilene’s closest colleagues to explore her existential-humanistic and spiritual legacy over the 50 plus years of her professional life. For me this commemoration has been a labor of love for a person I have cherished, accompanied, and intimately collaborated with for 38 years. There is so much more that can be said about Ilene, but I hope readers will feel richly informed by the loving, deeply moving tributes to follow. Ilene was and is a genuine trailblazer in our field—as well as sometime provocateur and rebel. However, at her core, Ilene was a profoundly dedicated humanist. She felt deeply for her family, her friends, and her many students, clients, and colleagues with whom she came into contact. She also shared many wise and innovative practices with them, which, as you will see on the pages to follow, have had marked and lasting effects.