A Jungian Weekend with Donald Kalsched, Ph.D. and Robin van Löben Sels, Ph.D.    –

– Lecture    
Trauma and the Lost and Recovered Soul
Donald Kalsched, Ph.D

When interpersonal trauma strikes the developing psyche of a child, a split sometimes occurs in which an “innocent” part of the self retreats into “God’s world,” that is, in the organizing matrix of what Jung called the mythopoetic psyche, where it continues to live in suspended animation as a lost soul. Deprived of this lost spark, the outer personality is often depressed and sometimes seeks psychotherapeutic help. This lecture will focus on how the psychotherapy process works, its combination of intimacy and separateness which invites the lost soul back into relationship. Attendees are asked to read the Grimm’s fairy tale, “Rapunzel,” before the lecture.    

– Seminar                  
The Mystical Dimensions of Psychotherapeutic Work with Early Trauma
 
Many contemporary psychoanalytic writers are acknowledging a non-rational or “mystical”dimension to their practice, something Jung’s work emphasized in his theory of the “transcendent function” and his understanding of the Self. Psychoanalytic work with some victims of early trauma supports these mystical musings in specific and dramatic ways. In this seminar, Donald Kalsched will provide examples of the way the mythopoetic psyche (as envisioned by Jung) supplies life-saving imagery and contains narratives as if to fill the “gap” in self-world relations opened up by childhood trauma.    
       
– Workshop
Dreams and the Spirit of Embodiment
Robin van Löben Sels, Ph.D., Jungian Analyst     

In her book, A Dream in the World, Robin traces a series of dreams from a young woman in analysis, which led Robin to an emerging new attitude towards working with dream material. Dreams can point toward an experience of the body as a vessel for the numinous. In this small informal workshop, Robin will use a few dreams from her book and discuss the implications of looking at dreams “through the lens of the body.” Please bring a short dream of your own or someone else’s dream and the group will process the material through this new “lens.”
    
– Lecture
Envy: Trap and/or Treasure    
Kathryn Kuisle, Ph.D., Jungian Analyst

Envy, in its many manifestations in life, can trap us and limit us. Can it also lead us into new insights about ourselves—perhaps treasures? From a Jungian perspective Kathryn will explore envy, something everyone faces in life. The fairy tale “Little Snow White” will be the basis of the exploration. The tale sheds light on facing abandonment, negativity, and unknown circumstances. Most outstanding is the envy of the stepmother (a powerful archetype of the negative mother) that directs the fate of Snow White. We will explore the unfolding of the characters and events of the tale looking at envy as it appears in the story. What is behind envy? What vulnerable place does it hide? Where do we face it in our own lives? Can envy be resolved or healed, or must it be killed as in the tale?   

– Lecture
Buddha and Psyche    
Deborah Bowman, Ph.D.    

The cities and countryside of Southeast Asia are saturated with Buddhist shrines and statues. Sculptors from this area who create a Buddha strive to imbue three essential qualities in his form: tranquility, kindness and enlightenment. As an archetypal image, the Buddha mirrors these capacities within each individual human being. In an interactive presentation, Deborah will share photographs of this compelling iconography from a recent excursion to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Reflections on the power of sacred symbols and their capacity to inspire and shape the human psyche will be explored from a Jungian perspective. Deborah will share from her cross-cultural experience and speculate about humor, a subtle fourth quality in some of the colorful imagery. As we contemplate these ancient and artistic renditions together, participants will be invited to share observations and discover their own direct experience of the face of the Buddha.

– Lecture
The Emergence of the Cosmic Psyche    
Bernice H. Hill, Ph.D., Jungian Analyst

It has been fifty years since Jung wrote “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth.” At that time, while he did not deny actual reports from pilots and radar specialists, he wrote on the psychological and spiritual aspects of the phenomenon. Current public opinion polls now report that half the American population believes in UFOs and that forty million people have either seen, or know someone who has seen UFO activity. In this presentation, Bernice will share reflections from twenty years of experience with individuals, conferences, training workshops and journeys in this realm. Her talk (illustrated with story and image) will focus more on the implications of UFOs and their invitation to expand our ways of knowing than on the phenomenon itself. In this period of profound earth and cultural change, it is time we examine this issue.


Jungian Concept Series:

Each spring the Concept Series focuses on specific topics that delineate and reflect the depth and richness of Jung’s psychology. The series is  open to all levels of knowledge and group participation is encouraged.     

Carl Jung: An Introduction to the Man & His Psychology  
Jeffrey Kiehl, M.A., LPC          

Carl Jung led an exceptional life, and his writings have had a profound effect on many people. Many of Jung’s psychological concepts arose from experiences in his own life. We will explore Jung’s life, look at individuals who influenced his thinking, and also consider the influence of Jung’s travels on his ideas. We will then look at a map of Jung’s psychology and how this relates to the Concept Series lectures. The class will conclude by viewing the “Face to Face” interview of Jung which took place just before his death in 1961.    

The Interpretation of Fairy Tales  
Stephen Foster, M.A., LPC    

“Fairy tales are the purest and simplest expression of collective unconscious psychic processes.” We will explore why Jung’s colleague, Marie-Louise von Franz, made this statement in her book on fairy tale interpretation and why the interpretation process is so valuable for accessing or opening layers of the personal unconscious. Our interpretation of Grimm’s fairy tale, “The Raven,” will illustrate the archetypes of Anima and Animus in the psyche. We will discuss how these masculine and feminine figures (concepts) play a role in opening us up to the mystery of the Self.

Individuation and Wholeness  
John Hitchcock, Ph.D          

Among our deepest desires is the longing to be fully ourselves. A flower, a tree, an animal is just itself with no mighty inner struggle to become what it is from seed or birth. Why should humans be required to undergo an often painful transformation process? There is much more to us than we presently know, a potentially infinite depth to our being human. Our individual consciousness is important to the overall wholeness of the cosmos. In this presentation, a few of the paradoxical dimensions of our transformative process leading to both our uniqueness and our wholeness will be explored.      

Synchronicity: Jung’s “Acausal Connecting Principle”  
Robert Diehl, M.A.    

Jung first described synchronicity in his foreword to Richard Wilhelm’s, The Secret of the Golden Flower, by drawing on the Taoist notion of time as “a stream of energy filled with qualities.” Jung later systematically treated this subject by defining “the synchronicity principle” as linking events acausally in terms of the subjective meaningfulness of the coincidence, rather than by cause-and-effect. We will explore this original and controversial idea by investigating the interface between Jung’s psychology and the new sciences of “archetypal field theory,” and by creatively engaging ancient and modern techniques of divination.          

Active Imagination  
Nancy Ortenberg, M.A., LMFT    

Marie-Louise von Franz referred to active imagination as “the most powerful tool in Jungian psychology for achieving wholeness.” Jung spoke of this process as a way to promote and develop a conscious ego that can differentiate from unconscious contents and engage in a relationship with those contents. In this class we will discuss the theoretical foundation and stages of the active imagination process. Images and words from poets, artists and clients will be shared. In a personal demonstration of the active imagination process we will engage in a hands-on experience through dialogue with one of your own inner guides.              

The Essential Alchemical Elements Related to Jung’s Second Half of Life Devotion    
Joe McNair, Ph.D., Jungian Analyst      

After Jung’s period of introversion following his break from Freud, he devoted the second half of his life’s work to alchemy. We will explore the alchemical metaphor as a way of working more deeply and in a more related manner through the substantive notions of Salt, Lead, Sulphur and Mercury. It will be a definite challenge for the “concept-addicted” therapist who has come to rely upon the metaphor of concept-based clinical psychology in our thinking-oriented modern era. We will explore each Element for its rich metaphorical imagination, and hopefully, as Francis Bacon said: “The job of the artist is to deepen the mystery.”