A Serpentine Journey Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a conference put on by the C.G. Jung Institute of Boston and held at Brandeis University called The Wisdom of the Dream. This conference brought together a diverse group of presenters to examine dreams from a variety of perspectives with the stated goal to “enrich […]
Recently, a client with whom I have been working for quite some time, asked me why she was having such trouble understanding the meaning of dreams that she attempted to work on by herself. In our sessions together, we often worked with her dreams and she found the experience illuminating and helpful. She had a […]
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 […]
Attention to Images in Jungian Therapy One of the elements that distinguishes Jungian therapy from some other forms of psychotherapy is its respect for and attention to images. In Jungian psychology, images are understood to be the primary mode through which the activity of the psyche is revealed. Images are not simply reflections of […]
“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 […]
We are more than we know. More than we even suspect. That is the fundamental insight of depth psychology — that who we are extends far beyond who we believe ourselves to be. We are not only what we consciously experience of ourselves, but we are also a great many things of which we remain […]
The Unlived Life of the Parents One of the most potent forces upon the psyche of the individual, according to C.G. Jung, is the unlived life of one’s parents. By this he means the potentials of the parents that have remained unrealized and the personal qualities that have never been developed or expressed. Jung, however, […]
Jungian Psychology and Dreams This month I find myself thinking about the meaning and purpose of dreams a lot. Apparently, I find myself in good company as many of July’s blogs from the field of Jungian Psychology took the dream as their focus. Jung had enormous respect for dreams. He was wary of using a […]
Recently, I watched an episode of Nova ScienceNow on sleep that demonstrated some of the power and mystery of the unconscious mind. In the episode the host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, reports on some of the latest research that shows a strong link between learning and sleep. Sleep and Learning Photo courtesy of pedrosimoes7(CC Attribution) There […]
Jungian Psychology and Psychotherapy Here is June’s gathering of blog posts on the topic of Jungian Psychology. These are some of the posts that caught my attention this past month and I pass them on to you here for your consideration. This month’s theme focuses on the practice of psychotherapy. Despite, at times, elaborating on […]