In the first half of adulthood, externals occupy us pretty exclusively. The challenges of getting out of the family of origin and out into the world, getting the education we need, finding appropriate work, perhaps marrying and having a family, and finding our way as…
Jungian therapy affirms that there is life in the second half of life; the film "Hope Springs", portrays one couple's exploration of that territory. The film's story seems to resonate with many in the second half of life. While it is extremely funny, this is…
In the second half of life, mystery is more and more our companion, and Jungian therapy urges us to open ourselves to it, rather than run from it. The Surrounding Mystery What does Jungian therapy mean by mystery? Well, clearly not this: The kind of mysteries…
We easily identify "externals" that keep us from being free, such as my boss, my job or my financial limitations. It's true: my external circumstances will always limit my freedom – just as they also create my possibilities. But in our time and culture, is…
In Jungian therapy, we become aware of the profound power of truth, not as something "flaky", but as the numinous place where the individual encounters the realities of the deep self, or soul.
We become acutely aware that our time is limited in the second half of life. This gives a certain type of urgency to living. We have real choice about whether we will meet it with panic, denial and regret, or a sense of courage, self…
We tend to think that desire declines in the second half of life, but Jungian therapy challenges us as to whether that is really true. As life goes on, there are actually some things that we yearn for with greater and greater intensity, and they may well have…
Growing older can tempt us to close ourselves off from new kinds of awareness and new possibilities for living. How do we avoid this, and stay open, alive and mature?
Recently, I saw an excellent production of Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya, presented by Toronto’s dynamic Soulpepper Theatre, which opens up powerfully issues at midlife and in the second half of life. Soulpepper opened up this play in a particularly insightful, poignant and empathic way. Their interpretation reveals…