The Undiscovered Self In 1957, Carl Jung wrote an essay titled The Undiscovered Self which addresses “the plight of the individual in modern society.” It is a powerful and important work that, in many ways, incorporates and outlines many of the main insights of his whole life’s work. The heart of Jung’s thesis is that the […]
“I just wish I could stop feeling this way.” Nicole often struggled with bouts of anxiety that were not only a cause for frustration but a source of deep shame. She hated that she had these experiences and considered it a weakness. For Nicole, the concept of self-acceptance was as foreign as they come. Therapy […]
In my previous two posts I have written about the call to adventure and the journey to find one’s own voice that follows that call. In this post I want to talk about what it means to begin speaking out and the courage it takes to do so. At the conclusion of my post Hearing […]
Many of the people I work with describe the primary experience that brings them into therapy as one of feeling lost. It is probably not surprising that for several decades now it has been common for people who are on a path of self-exploration and self-development to express their quest in terms of “finding themselves.” […]
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Cor. 1:25) Two years ago, at just about this time of year, I was preparing to take the Propaedeuticum — or Stage 1 exams — at the Jung Institute of Boston. This set of exams […]
Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net I read a lovely passage on the value of limitations, written by Parker Palmer. As someone who tends to be a bit of a puer (the eternal youth), I can easily dream of infinite possibilities, but struggle with the down-to-earth finite practicalities, which are born of limitation. […]
Wislawa Szymborska, a Nobel-prize winning Polish poet, died yesterday at the age of 88. Her poems were lovely — both simple and profound.This is one of my favorites: A Few Words on the Soul We have a soul at times.No one’s got it non-stop,for keeps.Day after day,year after yearmay pass without it.Sometimesit will settle for awhileonly in […]
What Was Told, That by Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)What was said to the rose that made it open was said to me here in my chest. What was told the cypress that made it strong and straight, what was whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made sugarcane sweet, whatever was said to the inhabitants of the town of […]