“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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
What does it mean to be authentic? In a recent post I suggested that “at the heart of Jungian therapy is the aim of experiencing and living an authentic life” and presented some material from Carl Jung’s writings in support of that idea. For Jung, authenticity emerges through the process of individuation, which is the […]
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 […]
Jungian Psychology Blogs There are a lot of excellent blogs being written in the world of Jungian Psychology and I want to use this space to bring attention to some of what is out there. This is just a sampling of some of the posts that have caught my attention this month. My hope is […]
One of the most eloquent writers on the subject of finding your life’s work is the poet David Whyte. There are very few people talking about the subject of work with his level of depth, imagination and insight. Because Whyte is a poet, it is not surprising that throughout his writing there are sentences that ring […]