Sasquatch in the Psyche: Death Anxiety, Deep Memory, and an Enduring Enigma, with David S. B. Mitchell, M.S., Ph.D., Begins January 20
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Tuesdays, January 20 - February 24, 2026
6:30 - 8:30pm ET (NYC Time)
$150 Paid Patreon Members / $170 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
This interdisciplinary course will explore the mystery of the Sasquatch from cultural, psychological, and other scientific perspectives. Together, we’ll investigate why stories of “homins”—hairy, humanlike creatures found in natural history, folklore, and myth—may pose an existential threat to both individual and collective psyches. We’ll look at how these tales reflect deeper fears about mortality, the unknown, and the edges of human experience, and why the idea of mysterious beings lurking just out of sight can trigger both anxiety and fascination. Drawing from various academic and non-academic traditions including Indigenous mythologies, historical and contemporary narratives, and transpersonal psychology, we’ll explore how the homin phenomenon writ large may generate anxiety and fear related to symbolic and/or literal death.
We’ll begin with an overview of the history and science surrounding homins, from early theories to ideas about their origins and nature. We’ll discuss the role of eyewitness memory, anecdotal evidence, and recurring themes in homin stories, such as their reported appearance and behavior. We’ll delve into the emotional territory of awe and fear, focusing on what these encounters suggest about mortality and the survival instinct, as well as how these topics intersect with Western scientific skepticism. In our final sessions, we’ll reflect on ways to thoughtfully integrate the idea of homins into our understanding of the human experience and explore what further study might reveal. Along the way, we’ll touch on related concepts like high strangeness, ontological shock, paradigm shifts, and extraordinary moments that challenge our sense of reality.
By the end of the course, students will leave with a well-rounded sense of the homin phenomenon, see its key elements through the lens of death anxiety, and gain insight into why mainstream science and culture often dismiss or sideline these mysteries—and what that says about us as a society.
Designed for adult learners interested in the Sasquatch mystery and its connection to our understanding of death, this class will also be a good fit for cryptozoology enthusiasts, experiencers, and anyone curious about how such mysteries intersect with psychology and culture. Through a mix of firsthand accounts, video and audio testimony, creative media, and scholarly articles, you’ll get a broad view of the phenomenon from both academic and non-academic sources.
David S. B. Mitchell, M.S., Ph.D., is core faculty and assistant professor of integral transpersonal psychology in the research psychology doctoral program at CIIS. His current scholarship examines transpersonal and cultural implications of exceptional human experiences, deep memory, and the psychological significance of liminal entities such as Sasquatch.
Images: Sasquatch is still standing, Oregon Department of Transportation; A life-size model of Bigfoot nicknamed “Murphy” made by Unit 70 Studios in Columbus, Ohio, exhibited at the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, Oregon, Fred Cherrygarden.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Tuesdays, January 20 - February 24, 2026
6:30 - 8:30pm ET (NYC Time)
$150 Paid Patreon Members / $170 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
This interdisciplinary course will explore the mystery of the Sasquatch from cultural, psychological, and other scientific perspectives. Together, we’ll investigate why stories of “homins”—hairy, humanlike creatures found in natural history, folklore, and myth—may pose an existential threat to both individual and collective psyches. We’ll look at how these tales reflect deeper fears about mortality, the unknown, and the edges of human experience, and why the idea of mysterious beings lurking just out of sight can trigger both anxiety and fascination. Drawing from various academic and non-academic traditions including Indigenous mythologies, historical and contemporary narratives, and transpersonal psychology, we’ll explore how the homin phenomenon writ large may generate anxiety and fear related to symbolic and/or literal death.
We’ll begin with an overview of the history and science surrounding homins, from early theories to ideas about their origins and nature. We’ll discuss the role of eyewitness memory, anecdotal evidence, and recurring themes in homin stories, such as their reported appearance and behavior. We’ll delve into the emotional territory of awe and fear, focusing on what these encounters suggest about mortality and the survival instinct, as well as how these topics intersect with Western scientific skepticism. In our final sessions, we’ll reflect on ways to thoughtfully integrate the idea of homins into our understanding of the human experience and explore what further study might reveal. Along the way, we’ll touch on related concepts like high strangeness, ontological shock, paradigm shifts, and extraordinary moments that challenge our sense of reality.
By the end of the course, students will leave with a well-rounded sense of the homin phenomenon, see its key elements through the lens of death anxiety, and gain insight into why mainstream science and culture often dismiss or sideline these mysteries—and what that says about us as a society.
Designed for adult learners interested in the Sasquatch mystery and its connection to our understanding of death, this class will also be a good fit for cryptozoology enthusiasts, experiencers, and anyone curious about how such mysteries intersect with psychology and culture. Through a mix of firsthand accounts, video and audio testimony, creative media, and scholarly articles, you’ll get a broad view of the phenomenon from both academic and non-academic sources.
David S. B. Mitchell, M.S., Ph.D., is core faculty and assistant professor of integral transpersonal psychology in the research psychology doctoral program at CIIS. His current scholarship examines transpersonal and cultural implications of exceptional human experiences, deep memory, and the psychological significance of liminal entities such as Sasquatch.
Images: Sasquatch is still standing, Oregon Department of Transportation; A life-size model of Bigfoot nicknamed “Murphy” made by Unit 70 Studios in Columbus, Ohio, exhibited at the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, Oregon, Fred Cherrygarden.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Tuesdays, January 20 - February 24, 2026
6:30 - 8:30pm ET (NYC Time)
$150 Paid Patreon Members / $170 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
This interdisciplinary course will explore the mystery of the Sasquatch from cultural, psychological, and other scientific perspectives. Together, we’ll investigate why stories of “homins”—hairy, humanlike creatures found in natural history, folklore, and myth—may pose an existential threat to both individual and collective psyches. We’ll look at how these tales reflect deeper fears about mortality, the unknown, and the edges of human experience, and why the idea of mysterious beings lurking just out of sight can trigger both anxiety and fascination. Drawing from various academic and non-academic traditions including Indigenous mythologies, historical and contemporary narratives, and transpersonal psychology, we’ll explore how the homin phenomenon writ large may generate anxiety and fear related to symbolic and/or literal death.
We’ll begin with an overview of the history and science surrounding homins, from early theories to ideas about their origins and nature. We’ll discuss the role of eyewitness memory, anecdotal evidence, and recurring themes in homin stories, such as their reported appearance and behavior. We’ll delve into the emotional territory of awe and fear, focusing on what these encounters suggest about mortality and the survival instinct, as well as how these topics intersect with Western scientific skepticism. In our final sessions, we’ll reflect on ways to thoughtfully integrate the idea of homins into our understanding of the human experience and explore what further study might reveal. Along the way, we’ll touch on related concepts like high strangeness, ontological shock, paradigm shifts, and extraordinary moments that challenge our sense of reality.
By the end of the course, students will leave with a well-rounded sense of the homin phenomenon, see its key elements through the lens of death anxiety, and gain insight into why mainstream science and culture often dismiss or sideline these mysteries—and what that says about us as a society.
Designed for adult learners interested in the Sasquatch mystery and its connection to our understanding of death, this class will also be a good fit for cryptozoology enthusiasts, experiencers, and anyone curious about how such mysteries intersect with psychology and culture. Through a mix of firsthand accounts, video and audio testimony, creative media, and scholarly articles, you’ll get a broad view of the phenomenon from both academic and non-academic sources.
David S. B. Mitchell, M.S., Ph.D., is core faculty and assistant professor of integral transpersonal psychology in the research psychology doctoral program at CIIS. His current scholarship examines transpersonal and cultural implications of exceptional human experiences, deep memory, and the psychological significance of liminal entities such as Sasquatch.
Images: Sasquatch is still standing, Oregon Department of Transportation; A life-size model of Bigfoot nicknamed “Murphy” made by Unit 70 Studios in Columbus, Ohio, exhibited at the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, Oregon, Fred Cherrygarden.