psychotherapy - Blogs - Depth Psychology Alliance
2024-03-28T21:20:34Z
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/psychotherapy
Does therapy have an image problem?
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/does-therapy-have-an-image-problem
2013-09-30T22:11:34.000Z
2013-09-30T22:11:34.000Z
Esther Waldron
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/EstherWaldron
<div><p>There's a brief and intriguing article in today's New York Times, asserting that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/opinion/psychotherapys-image-problem.html?_r=0" target="_blank">psychotherapy has an image problem</a>. Whether the author is being deliberately provocative or not, I like the article for the conversation it has generated - and in particular, this response, from a practising psychologist in Pittsburgh: </p><p><em>'In reality, psychotherapy is nothing like a drug. Rather, it is a complex but profoundly rewarding process of examining one's life, history, desires, relationships, hopes, and fears in order to open up new possibilities and make new meaning out of one's experience. It is inherently discursive, inherently existential, and inherently relational.</em></p><p><em>At the outset, we never know quite where it will take us, what we will discover in the process, or indeed whether we will achieve our initial goals. However, psychotherapy of some duration undertaken with a competent therapist seldom fails to be deeply meaningful.'</em> </p><p>I'm keen to hear your views on this, dear Alliance members. Do we have - ahem - a collective image problem..?!</p><p>Warmest wishes,</p><p>Esther </p><p></p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9142444864,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9142444864,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="473" class="align-full" alt="9142444864?profile=original" /></a>(<a href="http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/After-psychotherapy-mint-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8475499_.htm" target="_blank">New Yorker cartoon by Leo Cullum</a>)</p><p></p></div>
An Archetypal Perspective on Clinical Practice: A Summary of an Introductory Teleseminar Lecture by Jungian Analyst Michael Conforti
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/an-archetypal-perspective-on-clinical-practice-a-summary-of-an-in
2012-11-09T02:30:00.000Z
2012-11-09T02:30:00.000Z
Bonnie Bright
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/BonnieBright
<div><p align="center"><b>An Archetypal Perspective on Clinical Practice</b></p><p align="center"><b>A Summary of an Introductory Teleseminar Lecture by Jungian Analyst Michael Conforti</b></p><p align="center"> </p><p>A few days ago I attended a teleseminar wich I found valuable and provocative and which inspired me to summarize it here. Please note that that this synopsis is based on my own understanding and interpretation of what was said on the call, and has not been reviewed by the presenter, Dr. Michael Conforti. Also, the teleseminar was offered to the general public free of charge, so the content has been generously made available in the public domain, and the audio file has been archived for later listening at the link provided later in this blog if you are interested.</p><p align="center">###</p><p>Whether you are a clinical psychologist or psychotherapist, or simply an individual who had experienced therapy, the capacity to use an archetypal perspective is critical and greatly enriches the treatment, stated Dr. Michael Conforti in his introductory teleseminar in the Master Lecture series, “An Archetypal Perspective on Clinical Practice” on November 5, (2012).</p><p>Dr. Conforti, a Jungian analyst himself of some thirty years, began the session reminding us that Jung was once a Freudian, a fact we may tend to forget. The infamous break between Jung and Freud occurred because Jung no longer found himself able to boil human instincts down to the singularity Freud seemed determined to make them. Jung perceived things on a broader level. Take sex, for example: Freud is widely known for his theory that many psychological issues could be reduced to issues around the sex drive. Jung, by contrast, observed a bigger picture in which sex is a physical act on one end of a spectrum, but on the other (archetypal) end, it is a spiritual <i>coniunctio</i>, a desire for union with the divine.</p><p>Generally speaking, psychotherapy—regardless of the approach—often looks at “what’s wrong with a life.” Jung realized the archetypal forces at work are inclusive of the history of humanity. The voices of our own past and humanity’s past are what shape our lives. As a clinician, Conforti says, you can hear it from your clients. These threads make a tapestry that is transpersonal.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9142442484,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9142442484,original{{/staticFileLink}}" style="padding:12px;" class="align-center" alt="9142442484?profile=original" /></a></p><p>Post-Jungian James Hillman wrote in <i>The Soul’s Code</i> about the shaping of a life, a concept referred to as acorn theory. The oak tree is not physically in the acorn, but somehow the blueprint is. There is a teleological aspect in which the future oak tree seems to be <i>pulling the acorn forward</i><i> </i>to its destiny. In the book, Hillman relates a number of stories which some of the most successful individuals in their fields had to overcome the very thing that they later mastered, pointing to how our greatness lies in the root. For example, someone who became a master orator struggled with a severe speech impediment as a child. Similarly, Conforti reminds us, Jungian Edward Whitmont wondered if our traumas and issues reveal the destiny of a life, what each of our individual journeys is about.</p><p>Using an archetypal lens gives us a broader lens, Conforti said, allowing us to look at the field an individual is brought into when they experience a significant event. For example, if someone is orphaned, they don’t simply change status: they are ushered into a field of “orphan” which has a correlating set of data and rules that all provide context and meaning to what it means to be an orphan. Looking at the broad archetypal picture when working with clients reveals a teleological pull, allowing us to ask archetypal questions. If someone is orphaned, how can someone with that kind of trauma have a dramatic experience of the deep unconscious, like when powerful synchronicities occur in their life? <a href="http://www.depthinsights.com/blog/an-archetypal-perspective-on-clinical-practice-a-summary-of-an-introductory-teleseminar-lecture-by-jungian-analyst-michael-conforti/" target="_blank">Continue reading here...</a></p><p style="text-align:center;">###</p><p> </p><p><b>Part Two of the four part Master Lecture Teleseminar Series will be Monday, November 12, 2012</b><b> </b>(with Parts Three and Four on the ensuing Monday eves)<b>,</b><b> </b>and will cover interactive dynamics in structuring psychotherapy. How the client/therapist relationship begins to be configured in therapy is an expression of the archetypal constellations at work in an individual’s life, Conforti says.</p><p><a href="http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=34831407" target="_blank">To listen to the archived teleseminar via Assisi Institute, click here.</a></p><p>To register for the next session, you can call the Assisi Institute at (802) 254-6220 or email Assisi@together.net. Cost is $30 per session or $75 for the remaining three sessions.</p><p> </p></div>
Depth Psychology: Empowering Multicultural Women in the Wider World
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/depth-psychology-empowering-multicultural-women-in-the-wider
2018-04-05T20:59:31.000Z
2018-04-05T20:59:31.000Z
Bonnie Bright
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/BonnieBright
<div><p><a href="http://www.pacificapost.com/empowering-multicultural-women-in-the-world" target="_blank"><img width="400" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9142474900,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-right" alt="9142474900?profile=original" /></a>As a Latina and a self-made media mogul who has produced hundreds of television shows, headed a TV network, and generated a significant amount of income, Nely Galán ironically felt an odd sense of relief when the economy crashed in 2008, bringing many of her projects to a halt. In hindsight, Galán believes she had been feeling incongruent in her career because she was in a field where much of the focus was on achieving success, and where individuals were not valued for being their authentic selves.</p><p>By that point in her life, she had been through psychotherapy and understood how powerful it could be. After going back to school to complete a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on depth psychology, Galán realized the extent to which depth psychology provides a powerful lens for introspection and for examining ideas about diversity.</p><p>In her own Latino culture, Galán recognized that women often don’t engage in psychotherapy because there is stigma attached. Because of her connections, Galán realized she had the capacity to gather women from many different cultures together in a safe setting where they could tell their stories, many of which included experiences with psychotherapy. By founding the “Adelante Movement,” a series of free events that she hosted all over the U.S., Galán opened the door for more multicultural women to speak freely about feeling alone and needing help. “Adelante,” in Spanish, means “move forward.”</p><p>The data that Galán collected from those conversations ultimately formed the basis of her New York Times best-selling book, <em>Self Made: Becoming Empowered, Self Reliant, and Rich in Every Way</em>. The book offers advice, grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy, about finding happiness in many aspects of life—not just economically, but also in areas like family, love, and spirituality.</p><p>Galán is on a powerful journey to bring depth psychological applications to the wider world and to provide important and innovative opportunities for transformation in individual, group, and community work. <a href="As%20a%20Latina%20and%20a%20self-made%20media%20mogul%20who%20has%20produced%20hundreds%20of%20television%20shows,%20headed%20a%20TV%20network,%20and%20generated%20a%20significant%20amount%20of%20income,%20Nely%20Gal%C3%A1n%20ironically%20felt%20an%20odd%20sense%20of%20relief%20when%20the%20economy%20crashed%20in%202008,%20bringing%20many%20of%20her%20projects%20to%20a%20halt.%20In%20hindsight,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20believes%20she%20had%20been%20feeling%20incongruent%20in%20her%20career%20because%20she%20was%20in%20a%20field%20where%20much%20of%20the%20focus%20was%20on%20achieving%20success,%20and%20where%20individuals%20were%20not%20valued%20for%20being%20their%20authentic%20selves.%20By%20that%20point%20in%20her%20life,%20she%20had%20been%20through%20psychotherapy%20and%20understood%20how%20powerful%20it%20could%20be.%20After%20going%20back%20to%20school%20to%20complete%20a%20Ph.D.%20in%20Clinical%20Psychology%20with%20an%20emphasis%20on%20depth%20psychology,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20realized%20the%20extent%20to%20which%20depth%20psychology%20provides%20a%20powerful%20lens%20for%20introspection%20and%20for%20examining%20ideas%20about%20diversity.%20In%20her%20own%20Latino%20culture,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20recognized%20that%20women%20often%20don%E2%80%99t%20engage%20in%20psychotherapy%20because%20there%20is%20stigma%20attached.%20Because%20of%20her%20connections,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20realized%20she%20had%20the%20capacity%20to%20gather%20women%20from%20many%20different%20cultures%20together%20in%20a%20safe%20setting%20where%20they%20could%20tell%20their%20stories,%20many%20of%20which%20included%20experiences%20with%20psychotherapy.%20By%20founding%20the%20%E2%80%9CAdelante%20Movement,%E2%80%9D%20a%20series%20of%20free%20events%20that%20she%20hosted%20all%20over%20the%20U.S.,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20opened%20the%20door%20for%20more%20multicultural%20women%20to%20speak%20freely%20about%20feeling%20alone%20and%20needing%20help.%20%E2%80%9CAdelante,%E2%80%9D%20in%20Spanish,%20means%20%E2%80%9Cmove%20forward.%E2%80%9D%20The%20data%20that%20Gal%C3%A1n%20collected%20from%20those%20conversations%20ultimately%20formed%20the%20basis%20of%20her%20New%20York%20Times%20best-selling%20book,%C2%A0Self%20Made%3A%20Becoming%20Empowered,%20Self%20Reliant,%20and%20Rich%20in%20Every%20Way.%20The%20book%20offers%20advice,%20grounded%20in%20cognitive%20behavioral%20therapy,%20about%20finding%20happiness%20in%20many%20aspects%20of%20life%E2%80%94not%20just%20economically,%20but%20also%20in%20areas%20like%20family,%20love,%20and%20spirituality.%20Gal%C3%A1n%E2%80%99s%20efforts%20to%20bring%20depth%20psychological%20applications%20to%20the%20wider%20world%20is%20providing%20important%20and%20innovative%20opportunities%20for%20transformation%20in%20individual,%20group,%20and%20community%20work.%20Learn%20more%20by%20reading%20a%20detailed%20summary%20article,%20or%20listen%20to%20the%20full%20audio%20interview%20at%20http%3A//www.pacificapost.com/empowering-multicultural-women-in-the-world" target="_blank"> Listen to the full audio interview or</a><a href="As%20a%20Latina%20and%20a%20self-made%20media%20mogul%20who%20has%20produced%20hundreds%20of%20television%20shows,%20headed%20a%20TV%20network,%20and%20generated%20a%20significant%20amount%20of%20income,%20Nely%20Gal%C3%A1n%20ironically%20felt%20an%20odd%20sense%20of%20relief%20when%20the%20economy%20crashed%20in%202008,%20bringing%20many%20of%20her%20projects%20to%20a%20halt.%20In%20hindsight,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20believes%20she%20had%20been%20feeling%20incongruent%20in%20her%20career%20because%20she%20was%20in%20a%20field%20where%20much%20of%20the%20focus%20was%20on%20achieving%20success,%20and%20where%20individuals%20were%20not%20valued%20for%20being%20their%20authentic%20selves.%20By%20that%20point%20in%20her%20life,%20she%20had%20been%20through%20psychotherapy%20and%20understood%20how%20powerful%20it%20could%20be.%20After%20going%20back%20to%20school%20to%20complete%20a%20Ph.D.%20in%20Clinical%20Psychology%20with%20an%20emphasis%20on%20depth%20psychology,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20realized%20the%20extent%20to%20which%20depth%20psychology%20provides%20a%20powerful%20lens%20for%20introspection%20and%20for%20examining%20ideas%20about%20diversity.%20In%20her%20own%20Latino%20culture,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20recognized%20that%20women%20often%20don%E2%80%99t%20engage%20in%20psychotherapy%20because%20there%20is%20stigma%20attached.%20Because%20of%20her%20connections,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20realized%20she%20had%20the%20capacity%20to%20gather%20women%20from%20many%20different%20cultures%20together%20in%20a%20safe%20setting%20where%20they%20could%20tell%20their%20stories,%20many%20of%20which%20included%20experiences%20with%20psychotherapy.%20By%20founding%20the%20%E2%80%9CAdelante%20Movement,%E2%80%9D%20a%20series%20of%20free%20events%20that%20she%20hosted%20all%20over%20the%20U.S.,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20opened%20the%20door%20for%20more%20multicultural%20women%20to%20speak%20freely%20about%20feeling%20alone%20and%20needing%20help.%20%E2%80%9CAdelante,%E2%80%9D%20in%20Spanish,%20means%20%E2%80%9Cmove%20forward.%E2%80%9D%20The%20data%20that%20Gal%C3%A1n%20collected%20from%20those%20conversations%20ultimately%20formed%20the%20basis%20of%20her%20New%20York%20Times%20best-selling%20book,%C2%A0Self%20Made%3A%20Becoming%20Empowered,%20Self%20Reliant,%20and%20Rich%20in%20Every%20Way.%20The%20book%20offers%20advice,%20grounded%20in%20cognitive%20behavioral%20therapy,%20about%20finding%20happiness%20in%20many%20aspects%20of%20life%E2%80%94not%20just%20economically,%20but%20also%20in%20areas%20like%20family,%20love,%20and%20spirituality.%20Gal%C3%A1n%E2%80%99s%20efforts%20to%20bring%20depth%20psychological%20applications%20to%20the%20wider%20world%20is%20providing%20important%20and%20innovative%20opportunities%20for%20transformation%20in%20individual,%20group,%20and%20community%20work.%20Learn%20more%20by%20reading%20a%20detailed%20summary%20article,%20or%20listen%20to%20the%20full%20audio%20interview%20at%20http%3A//www.pacificapost.com/empowering-multicultural-women-in-the-world" target="_blank"> read my latest detailed summary article </a><a href="As%20a%20Latina%20and%20a%20self-made%20media%20mogul%20who%20has%20produced%20hundreds%20of%20television%20shows,%20headed%20a%20TV%20network,%20and%20generated%20a%20significant%20amount%20of%20income,%20Nely%20Gal%C3%A1n%20ironically%20felt%20an%20odd%20sense%20of%20relief%20when%20the%20economy%20crashed%20in%202008,%20bringing%20many%20of%20her%20projects%20to%20a%20halt.%20In%20hindsight,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20believes%20she%20had%20been%20feeling%20incongruent%20in%20her%20career%20because%20she%20was%20in%20a%20field%20where%20much%20of%20the%20focus%20was%20on%20achieving%20success,%20and%20where%20individuals%20were%20not%20valued%20for%20being%20their%20authentic%20selves.%20By%20that%20point%20in%20her%20life,%20she%20had%20been%20through%20psychotherapy%20and%20understood%20how%20powerful%20it%20could%20be.%20After%20going%20back%20to%20school%20to%20complete%20a%20Ph.D.%20in%20Clinical%20Psychology%20with%20an%20emphasis%20on%20depth%20psychology,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20realized%20the%20extent%20to%20which%20depth%20psychology%20provides%20a%20powerful%20lens%20for%20introspection%20and%20for%20examining%20ideas%20about%20diversity.%20In%20her%20own%20Latino%20culture,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20recognized%20that%20women%20often%20don%E2%80%99t%20engage%20in%20psychotherapy%20because%20there%20is%20stigma%20attached.%20Because%20of%20her%20connections,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20realized%20she%20had%20the%20capacity%20to%20gather%20women%20from%20many%20different%20cultures%20together%20in%20a%20safe%20setting%20where%20they%20could%20tell%20their%20stories,%20many%20of%20which%20included%20experiences%20with%20psychotherapy.%20By%20founding%20the%20%E2%80%9CAdelante%20Movement,%E2%80%9D%20a%20series%20of%20free%20events%20that%20she%20hosted%20all%20over%20the%20U.S.,%20Gal%C3%A1n%20opened%20the%20door%20for%20more%20multicultural%20women%20to%20speak%20freely%20about%20feeling%20alone%20and%20needing%20help.%20%E2%80%9CAdelante,%E2%80%9D%20in%20Spanish,%20means%20%E2%80%9Cmove%20forward.%E2%80%9D%20The%20data%20that%20Gal%C3%A1n%20collected%20from%20those%20conversations%20ultimately%20formed%20the%20basis%20of%20her%20New%20York%20Times%20best-selling%20book,%C2%A0Self%20Made%3A%20Becoming%20Empowered,%20Self%20Reliant,%20and%20Rich%20in%20Every%20Way.%20The%20book%20offers%20advice,%20grounded%20in%20cognitive%20behavioral%20therapy,%20about%20finding%20happiness%20in%20many%20aspects%20of%20life%E2%80%94not%20just%20economically,%20but%20also%20in%20areas%20like%20family,%20love,%20and%20spirituality.%20Gal%C3%A1n%E2%80%99s%20efforts%20to%20bring%20depth%20psychological%20applications%20to%20the%20wider%20world%20is%20providing%20important%20and%20innovative%20opportunities%20for%20transformation%20in%20individual,%20group,%20and%20community%20work.%20Learn%20more%20by%20reading%20a%20detailed%20summary%20article,%20or%20listen%20to%20the%20full%20audio%20interview%20at%20http%3A//www.pacificapost.com/empowering-multicultural-women-in-the-world" target="_blank">via Pacifica Post</a></p></div>
Peace Corps Meets Pacifica: Cultivating, Counseling, and Stories from Cameroon
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/peace-corps-meets-pacifica-cultivating-counseling-and-stories-fro
2017-05-05T19:00:00.000Z
2017-05-05T19:00:00.000Z
Bonnie Bright
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/BonnieBright
<div><p><a href="http://www.pacificapost.com/peace-corps-meets-pacifica-cultivating-counseling-and-stories-from-cameroon" target="_blank"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9142466494,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9142466494?profile=original" /></a><a href="http://www.pacificapost.com/peace-corps-meets-pacifica-cultivating-counseling-and-stories-from-cameroon" target="_blank"></a>The first thing Courtney McCubbin did when she landed in Cameroon for the Peace Corps was start a tree nursery, which then required her to build a fence around it to protect it from rodents. Once she began getting interest from farmers, she gave them seedlings to plant to help improve soil fertility and to prevent erosion on their lands. She also created a demonstration farm to show native farmers techniques they could use.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9142467069,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="120" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9142467069,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" style="padding:1px;" alt="9142467069?profile=original" /></a></p><p>While a volunteer in the Peace Corps, McCubbin connected in profound ways to the community, she on her return she began to realize that her interpersonal relationships weren't thriving as much as she would wish. As much as she had been outwardly focused on helping others, she wanted to focus on helping and healing herself, and so she began working one-on-one and doing group work with a psychodynamic psychotherapist.</p><p>Now that she’s training to be a therapist herself, McCubbin is acutely aware of lessons she learned when she was “on the other side” of therapy as a client. While focusing on agroforestry, she built a farm with a protective fence so she could grow new seedlings for farmers. While in therapy, she worked on creating boundaries and nurturing her psyche. As a therapist or counselor, she is developing the capacity to provide fertile ground so that something new can grow within the psyche of the clients she sees.</p><p><img width="300" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9142467268,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-right" alt="9142467268?profile=original" /></p><p>Through my own depth psychological lens, I’ve been keenly aware of the profound erosion of soul in contemporary western culture, which desperately needs to be reforested in a new and different way. Through McCubbin’s willingness to pursue a career in counseling, can now begin to parlay that kind of literal experience into something new, different, and profound in her work with soul.</p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong><a href="http://www.pacificapost.com/peace-corps-meets-pacifica-cultivating-counseling-and-stories-from-cameroon" target="_blank">Read the full blog post or listen to the interview on Pacifica Post</a></strong></span></p></div>
The Therapy Room and the Interactive Field: Dr. Joseph Cambray on Becoming a Supervisor in Depth - includes audio interview
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/the-therapy-room-and-the-interactive-field-dr-joseph-cambray-on-b
2016-02-20T03:00:00.000Z
2016-02-20T03:00:00.000Z
Bonnie Bright
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/BonnieBright
<div><p><span class="font-size-2">EXCERPT from my new blog post and interview with Dr. Joseph Cambray, Jungian analyst and Provost at <a href="http://www.pacifica.edu" target="_blank">Pacifica Graduate Institute</a>:</span></p><blockquote><span class="font-size-2"><img src="http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/435563/hubfs/Blog_post_images/blog_supervisor.png?t=1455841142126&height=225&width=300" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding:4px;" alt="blog_supervisor.png?t=1455841142126&height=225&width=300" /></span><p></p><p><span class="font-size-2">"...Recent analyses of the fractal qualities that are inherent in Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, which reveal Pollock had “spontaneously intuited a way to get at the optimal amount of fractal density.” It’s that kind of intuitive knowing from nature—not from a cognitive rational process—which, when they emerge in therapy and supervision, are art forms...."<br /></span></p><p></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span class="font-size-2">Psychotherapy is pervasive in contemporary culture. Even if you’re not a therapist yourself, if you’re taking the time to read this post, chances are good that either you or someone close to you has been involved in therapy at some point in their lives.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-2">And, while you may feel you have a good understanding of what happens in the therapy room, there may be more than meets the eye. Do you ever wonder, for example, what has to occur in the therapeutic process so that the basic experience is what it needs to be for both the client and the therapist? How does a therapist tap into the unconscious in order to help the client be more of “who they are”? How does synchronicity—and the interactive field that emerges between two individuals—serve up messages from the unconscious for the benefit of the work? More, where does the therapist her/himself turn for help in honing their own intuition and skills that ultimately contribute to their own individuation process in working with clients?</span></p><p><span class="font-size-2">These are all questions I asked Jungian analyst, Dr. Joseph Cambray, when he agreed to take a few minutes away from his busy schedule as provost at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dr. Cambray is co-leading a 10-week course, <a href="http://www.pacifica.edu/current-public/item/on-becoming-a-supervisor-in-depth?__hstc=202165006.09a80c6eff836bc77b20c645a51651b6.1451336195547.1455657238665.1455937655670.31&__hssc=202165006.1.1455937655670&__hsfp=2672192279" target="_blank"><strong>On Becoming a Supervisor in Depth, along with Linda Carter, Avedis Panajian, Lionel Corbett, and Patricia Katsky starting March 3, 2016, at Pacifica</strong></a>.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-2">Joe Cambray is not only eminently qualified to offer insights on what goes on between a client and therapist in the therapy room, he also has a long history around the process of supervising other therapists, having taught a course on becoming a supervisor for nearly 12 years at Harvard Medical School. More, his landmark book, <a href="http://www.pacificabookstore.com/synchronicity-nature-and-psyche-interconnected-universe" target="_blank"><strong><em>Synchronicity: Nature and Psyche in an Interconnected Universe</em></strong></a>, also reveals how Joe is uniquely qualified to help each of us identify ways in which unconscious patterns are at work in our lives and in our journeys of individuation.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-2">Joe describes his own perspective on what has to happen in the therapy room so that the basic experience is what it needs to be. While the focus is on the internal life of the person and on them becoming more of who they are, he notes, there is a symmetry between the client and the therapist. The therapist pays attention to his or her own reactions within the dialogue, and uses them to guide him.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-2">Through clients’ dreams and through certain events in their lives, it is possible to see how the unconscious is mobilized and activated. More, there is a field that transpires between the therapist and client—what Jung himself might have described as “a multi-dimensional field within the limited frame of our own sensory perception.” Therapists hone certain skills and processes that enable them to tune into what’s emerging into the field between the two individuals. As images arising in the therapy begin to create resonance, it enables us to perceive how the archetypal field is... <strong>(<a href="http://www.pacificapost.com/the-therapy-room" target="_blank">CLICK HERE to read the full post and access the audio interview on Pacifica Post)</a></strong></span></p></div>
Review: Platko's In the Tracks of the Unseen
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/review-platko-s-in-the-tracks-of-the-unseen
2013-12-03T16:00:00.000Z
2013-12-03T16:00:00.000Z
Patricia Damery
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/PatriciaDamery
<div><p>Some topics are so controversial we cannot discuss them. Jane Davenport Platko’s <em>In the Tracks of the Unseen: Memoirs of a Jungian Analyst</em> brings one of those topics into full view: when the doctor and patient fall in love.</p><p>While we psychoanalysts and psychotherapists have thorough discussions as to why these kinds of relationships are problematic, we seldom have open discussions about what happens when they seem to work. Those who have entered such relationships rightfully fear judgement.</p><p>I will be honest. I have a bias. Having barely survived the 1970’s in psychology after early experiences with therapists and teachers who did not know the power of the tool of the transference, I developed a healthy respect of the need for “boundaries,” as we put it in the talk of our trade. As a result, I often have had a hair trigger reaction when these boundaries are transgressed. For the most part, I think my stance has merit.</p><p>But Platko’s story demonstrates it is not so simple. What happens when the analytic vessel cannot contain the feeling within a transference format, when the Self has something different in mind? Are there times the therapeutic meeting is a springboard into the soul connection of friendship or romantic love and this is not exploitive of the patient?</p><p>With great integrity, honesty, and courage, Platko lays out her vulnerabilities and history, antecedents to both a friendship with her first analyst and then marriage to a man who had been her patient. Her decisions are not impulsive. In fact, she deeply and openly suffers them with her then current analyst and with her then husband.</p><p>In the preface she quotes Jung, “My story is my truth.” This story is Platko’s truth, and one can only feel compassion, awe and concern for a woman reveals herself so openly in order for us to understand the decisions she has made. There will be judgement!</p><p>When I began reading <em>In the Tracks of the Unseen</em>, I did not want to put it down. Platko is a good storyteller, and I have not read a book like it. It is well written, albeit disturbing, submerging the reader in the rawness of human attachment and the lonely quest of a woman who followed her heart. This is an important book in that it questions some suppositions of the last decades, taking the structure of love in analytical relationships down to the studs. There are no answers here, only a kind of <em>solutio</em>. Perhaps it is only now that we can follow “the tracks of the unseen,” to a larger playing field that may redefine ethics and the challenges of the human connection in the vessel of analytic work.</p></div>
Patterns at Work, Patterns We Live By
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/patterns-at-work-patterns-we-live-by
2013-01-15T01:48:19.000Z
2013-01-15T01:48:19.000Z
Dr. Michael Conforti
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/DrMichaelConforti
<div><p>In looking at patterns, we see an incarnation and expression of archetypes and spirit within the internal and external world. The specific form and design of these patterns gives voice to the reality of these underlying shapers of experience. <br /> <br />From the moment a dancer steps onto the stage, to the lyrical musings of a poet, and even to our most intimate of relationships, we find these highly stylized, patterns in our life. Joseph Campbell allowed us to see that one’s life is an unfolding of a mythic tale, and that our behaviors, choices and desires are expressions of these eternal traditions. It is through the recognition of the patterns we live by that reveals the nature of our particular relationship to spirit, soul and <br />psyche.<br /><br /> Virtually everyone can identify patterns in their own life, and in many instances, we have to admit to those which do not serve us well. There are patterns of... <strong><a href="http://www.assisiinstitute.com/1/post/2013/01/patterns-at-work-patterns-we-live-by.html" target="_blank">(Finish reading here)</a></strong></p></div>
New member open to Discussions
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/new-member-open-to-discussions
2012-07-14T06:48:03.000Z
2012-07-14T06:48:03.000Z
Michael Mayer
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/MichaelMayer
<div><p>I'm a new member to this group, and would like to dialogue with others about some of the contributions that I've made to the field of depth psychology. For example : 1. In the 1980's I developed the Mythic Journey Process which integrated Gendlin's Focusing with Archetypal Psychology; in the 1990's I added Tai Chi/Qigong to this process to integrate movement 2. My Mystery of Personal Identity book was the first to integrate astrology with depth psychotherapy and introduce a hermeneutic perspective to astrology 3. My Bodymind Healing Psychotherapy book was the first to integrate Qigong with depth psychotherapy 4. My just released book, The Path of the Reluctant Metaphysician: Stories and Practices for Troubled Times, is the synthesis of my integration of depth psychology, astrology, Qigong/Tai Chi, and metaphysics. I'd love to hear what those in this group are doing in these areas and other domains of depth psychotherapy. Michael Mayer,<a href="http://www.bodymindhealing.com/">www.bodymindhealing.com</a>, <a href="http://www.reluctantmetaphysician.com/">www.reluctantmetaphysician.com</a></p></div>
Homophobia Enemy of Curiosity
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/profiles/blogs/homophobia-enemy-of-curiosity
2011-08-22T04:00:00.000Z
2011-08-22T04:00:00.000Z
Payam Ghassemlou Ph.D.
https://depthpsychologyalliance.com/members/PayamGhassemlouPhD
<div><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><div class="post-header"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7492430582796831076"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><span> </span>Homophobia Enemy of Curiosity</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">By Payam Ghassemlou Ph.D.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The landscape of our life is as vast as the degree of our curiosity. This is an emotion that can be put in motion by a wondrous dance with creation. Curiosity motivates us to show interest in ourselves and the world around us. With curiosity, we can passionately explore the mystery of life. It also engages us with the content of our universe and helps us to come to life in a new way. When life comes to us through our curiosity, we become an active player in our life. We no longer sit passively and let life just happen.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Lack of curiosity keeps us prisoner in the small pond that we call our life. Without curiosity, we can never leave this small pond and merge with the ocean or never ride the inquisitive waves. When we don’t explore, notice, ask questions or embrace the wonder of life we are not living a full life. Without curiosity our life lacks meaning and vitality. This is why curiosity is so important in order to live a meaningful life.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Curiosity requires support and tolerance to leave our comfort zone and venture into the unknown. Curiosity starts early in life, and requires support from care givers in order to fully blossom. All small children need to learn about their emotions including curiosity and healthy parenting includes this task.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">One of the barriers toward developing a strong sense of curiosity for gay and lesbian youth has to do with a homophobic upbringing. Homophobia prevents gay and lesbian kids from fully embracing their sense of curiosity. Many of my gay and lesbian patients, including a number of bisexual and transgender individuals, have shared with me that as young as age four they felt different. They were unable to articulate why they felt different, and, at the same time, they were too afraid to talk about it. Many reported that they knew this feeling of being different was related to something forbidden. Many found it too threatening to show curiosity toward their feeling of differentness hence their sense of curiosity got discouraged from early age. Growing up in a homophobic atmosphere caused their sense of curiosity to be replaced with fear and shame.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">When an adolescent’s curiosity about his or her same sex attraction gets fed with homophobic messages of disgust, he or she can develop self hate and be forced into a closet of shame. Homophobic messages and violent attacks can discourage his or her sense of curiosity, which can have negative consequences including lack of relationship to one’s inner life. It can prevent the youngster from learning to know himself or herself and develop a deeper emotional insight. <span> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Depression is common among those gays and lesbians who suffered homophobic mistreatment growing up. Many of them who felt different and did not flow with mainstream reported suffering in silence without any support in understanding their feelings. Curiosity toward complex matters like feeling of differentness and same sex attraction requires support from caring adults. Many reported they did not have support to follow their natural sense of curiosity and explore their feeling of differentness. As a result their ability to be curious was hindered which caused a sense of deadness inside them and resulted in long term depression.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Thrill seeking behaviors such as drug abuse and risky sex are another example of consequences for underdeveloped curiosity. Some gay individuals use thrill seeking behaviors as compensation for their insufficient relationship to their sense of curiosity. Thrill seeking behaviors are ways they might try to cope with the void and emptiness that results from lack of access to their curiosity. Life can feel meaningless without freedom to be curious.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The journey toward healing from the impact of homophobia on one’s sense of curiosity requires support from caring counselors or psychotherapists who have experience treating such matters. Curiosity, like a muscle, needs plenty of exercise to stay fit. Your gym is the present moment where you can exercise your sense of curiosity. I have found mindfulness practices such as consciously choosing to adapt an attitude of curiosity toward our present moment is a simple and yet powerful step toward redeeming one’s sense of curiosity. For example, a simple walk from your car to the store can become an opportunity to awaken you feeling of curiosity. By curiously noticing the ground under your feet as you walk toward your destination or paying attention to the noise in your immediate area, you can be present and engaged with life. This form of active engagement with your present moment can enhance and improve your ability to be curious.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">It is never too late to heal from the impact of homophobia on our ability to feel our curiosity. With curiosity, our life no longer lacks purpose, and we can passionately explore the mystery of our inner life and embrace our gayness.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">© This article is copyrighted by Dr. Payam Ghassemlou MFT Ph.D., a psychotherapist in private practice in West Hollywood, California. <span> </span><a href="http://www.DrPayam.com">www.DrPayam.com</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><span> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div></div></div>