At the beginning of the twentieth century, Sigmund Freud declared that dream analysis was the royal road to the unconscious. Over a hundred years later, despite extensive research into the process of sleep and dreams, as well as the experience of countless thousands of people who have been helped by engaging in the process of […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Carl Jung was a prolific letter writer. Much of Jung’s writings can be very difficult reading, particularly when he digs deep into complex subjects like alchemy. But his letters are often poetic and reveal his humanity and his passionate engagement with the struggles of living an authentic and meaningful life. The following letter, to an […]