Finding Courage and Speaking Out

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 […]

Depression and the Call to Adventure

The Hero’s Journey From the perspective of Jungian Psychology, myths and fairy tales are images of typical psychological experiences presented in story form. As Joseph Campbell demonstrated in his seminal book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the mythological motif of the hero’s journey is one of the most ubiquitous themes in mythology.  The journey […]

The Best of Jungian Psychology: June 2014

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 […]

The Definition of Authenticity

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’s Words of Advice for the Depressed

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 […]

The Best of Jungian Psychology: May 2014

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 […]

The Art of Finding Your Life’s Work: Entering Silence

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 […]

How to Answer the Question “Am I Depressed?”

First of all, let me acknowledge that this is a complicated topic that does not allow for a simple answer. This post is not intended to be a comprehensive view of depression. Rather, I want to suggest a few things to consider if you find yourself grappling with the question, “Am I depressed?” In particular, […]

The authentic life shines as a light within

Carl Jung on Living an Authentic Life

Individuation and Authenticity It could be argued that at the heart of Jungian therapy is the aim of experiencing and living an authentic life.  That is not the language that Carl Jung used, but it does express a central idea of his psychology, which he called ‘individuation.’ Put very simply, individuation is the process by […]