One of the distinct features of depth psychology, as compared to more behavioral approaches to therapy, is the time we (therapist and client) spend in the dark corners of the psyche. By that I mean looking at our shadows and undesirable characteristics within, so that we bring them to consciousness. Carl Jung referred to the [...]
The other day I was riding a bus in San Francisco. I am a tourist, but I try to fit in and belong in the “big city.” To do so, I have become hyper-aware of the rules and I try to follow them, all. Like many public transit systems, younger riders are expected to make [...]
Do you know what it feels like to be seen? That wonderful exchange between you and a gracious friend or loved one, who really steps outside their own experience to see you in yours, do you know what I mean?
One of my teachers at one of my programs, James Flaherty, asked me an intense question [...]
I have recently started reading the book: Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, described as a “practical guide for enlightened living.” In it, author Trungpa talks about breaking old habitual patterns. He says that calling someone a toranoko- a Japanese term for tiger cub, used pejoratively is saying this “you mean that he is [...]
Continue reading about Are you a Paper Tiger or a Real Tiger?
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I have recently come to ask myself whether our wounds really heal. As a student of depth psychology, the learning is never ending. The layers of the psyche are complex, not only on an individual but a collective level. How do I differentiate my wounds from my partner’s? What belongs to my history, [...]
One of the ways we learn about custom is through the fairy tales our caregivers tell us. Stories that are carried through the ages have messages in them that are important for our development. Through the lens of depth psychology, we often learn about what is important to a culture by studying the [...]
Continue reading about What Do the New Generation of Vampires Have to Say?
Often the way we feel about a particular person is reflective of what that person represents within us. That is to say, if there is something we do not like about someone else, it may represent a shadow nature that we, ourselves,possess. This is Carl Jung’s classic idea of shadow projection, and a [...]
Continue reading about What is Your Relationship to the Rat?
