As I mentioned in my last post, I’m planning to add some posts to this blog that are built around quotations from Carl Jung, in addition to the posts that are my own reflections. This is because I think that Jung’s own thoughts and language…
People are most commonly motivated to come into therapy or counseling because they are in serious distress or pain. I know that’s what motivated me to start on my own therapeutic journey many years ago. Often, it’s only intolerable pain that can bring someone to the point…
Almost all therapists experience it: the phone gets more and more hyperactive the closer the calendar gets to December 25. As the holidays get nearer, more and more people call. While for many people, the holidays may bring great joy, for many others, they…
The present economic conditions are deeply challenging to the ways that we all think about ourselves and our lives. It takes a toll on all of us to be constantly bombarded with negative economic news that often seems only to get worse with each passing day.…
One of the larger age groups that come to me for therapy are people who are at or right around the age of 45. © Aleksandar Nikolov Dreamstime.com This is not entirely surprising to me. For many people at this age, there is a…
It seemed as if the world’s stock markets might have finally turned a corner early this week, in response to concerted action from the world’s governments. Now things seem somewhat less certain. Since I last posted, people throughout the world have endured bout after bout of bad financial…
These are anxious days in suburbia, and in fact throughout North America and the rest of the developed world. As I write, the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States has mushroomed into a full-blown crisis. Many of my American readers live in areas like…
Most of the analytical psychology of Carl Jung ultimately revolves around the idea and image of the Self. It is here that his approach differs from that of so many other psychologies. What exactly does Jung mean when he uses this term? He certainly doesn’t mean…
Looking at dreams is often a part of Jungian analysis. Jungian analysis, along with other forms of depth psychology, maintains that dreams are meaningful, and that the dreams a person has are directly connected to what is going on in his or her life, both…
“Depression” and “suburbia” are two words that you don’t usually see in the same sentence. Those who promote suburbia tend to want to portray it as a place where happiness and fulfillment abound. However, as any therapist or counsellor can tell you, depression and anxiety…