Teaching and Lecturing
Lectures for 2012
Harry Potter, Horcruxes, and the Deathly Hallows
Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m - 9:30 p.m
Beginning with a look at Jung’s consideration of magic in The Red Book, this presentation will explore some of the key symbolism of the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, in particular the Horcuxes and the tale of the Deathly Hallows. We also look at the development of key characters, their successes and failures, as reflecting some of the vicissitudes of the individuation process and finding the proper relationship to the unconscious “magical” realm.
Experiencing Jung: Jung’s Typology
Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m
Location: C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
During the time of his relationship with Freud and others like Hans Schmid Jung began formulating his ideas concerning psychological types. For instance, why would only one member of a family be negatively impacted by the family psychology? After a period of intense introspection following his break with Freud, Jung’s creative work in this area resulted in the publication of Psychological Types, now Volume 6 of the Collected Works. We will examine aspects of Jung’s personal experience of typology as reflected in The Red Book, selected passages from Psychological Types, and review the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as it relates to Jung’s psychology. The work of Jungian Analyst John Giannini will also be introduced so that we may gain an overview of the far ranging significance of Jung’s typology.
Offered in Fall 2011
Coming Home: War and the Soul
A Jungian Perspective on PTSD
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2011
9:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. (30 minute lunch break)
Location: C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
In this workshop held the day after Veterans Day, we began by looking at some of C. G. Jung’s visions prior to the outbreak of World War I as images of the nature of war from the viewpoint of the psyche. We then looked at samples of post war dreams and nightmares and dreams of soldiers while in combat. We also reviewed of the work of people who have worked extensively with veterans including Edward Tick and Jonathan Shay, including Shay's insights into the profound psychology of the Iliad and the Odyssey as related to the veteran experience in war and coming home. We examined myth, fairytale, and film as imaginative ways the soul uses to come to grip with the reality of war. We reflected on the collective burden of war and how each of us carries certain responsibilities so that the weight does not fall just on those sent to the battlefields. We discussed how even today we are still “recovering” from our various wars dating back to the civil war, which began 150 years ago, because of the enormous psychological impact of what happens to both the individual and collective psyche.
Other Previous Lectures
The Red Book and Jung's Typology
Date: Given on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Description: Beginning with his relationship with Freud Jung began formulating his ideas concerning psychological types. For instance, why would only one member of a family be negatively impacted by the family psychology? After his intense period of introversion following his break with Freud, which we can now find expressed in word and image in The Red Book, Jung’s first major publication was Psychological Types, now Volume 6 of the Collected Works. We will examine Jung’s theory of typology in relationship to some of the figures and dialogues that Jung describes in The Red Book and explore how they have informed his understanding of psychological opposites and the approached he used in outlining his type theory in Psychological Types.
Psyche and Nature: The Call of the Wild
Date: Given on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Description: In a letter towards the end of his life Jung wrote, “True to my nature-loving bias, I have followed the call of the wild, the age-old trail through secluded wildernesses where a primitive human community may be found.” This presentation explored the relationship between psyche and nature through the lens of Jung’s life journey, one that shows how deeply connected these aspects of life are. It then explored the unique journey of Englishman Archie Belaney, who immigrated to Canada in the early 20th century during the time Jung lived, and eventually took on the half Native American alter ego of Grey Owl and became a leading environmental writer and speaker. I reviewed Grey Owl’s life and his efforts to save the beaver from extinction and extended this theme to the wolf, examining both animals role, as they sit on the brink of extinction, in helping maintain a balanced ecosystem, . (This presentation was an expanded version of a paper presented in August in Canada.)
Wilderness in North America: The Call of the Wild
Original paper presented at the XVIII Congress of the International Association for Analytical Psychology on August 23, 2010 in Montreal.
Avatar: The Journey on Pandora Given on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
Description: Jung wrote, “The most we can do is to dream the myth onward and give it a modern dress.” One of the ways this happens in our culture is through certain evocative films. Avatar is such a film, and after examining a few of its themes that are also found in earlier films, we will explore some new elements in the symbolism of Avatar. We will descend into the dreamlike quality of the planet Pandora in order to investigate key psychological dilemmas posed by an encounter with the unconscious. We will pay special attention to the anima archetype and how the call to individuation brings a person to a more complete psychological state, one that challenges us to fully navigate the “compass” of the soul.
Dreams-God’s Forgotten Language
Given on Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Description: Jung’s approach to dreams is unique in the way it carries forward the approach of ancient religious traditions to dreams. For instance Jung noted that the healers he met in Africa made the same distinction he did between “big” dreams and personal ones. Jungians have noted the connection between Jung’s approach and that of the temples of the Greek god Asclepius. In this presentation, I explored key Biblical figures and the place of dreams and their meaning in the Hebrew Bible, in particular Joseph and Jacob from the Book of Genesis. I also reviewed the importance of dreams found in the first two chapters of Matthew’s Gospel.
In the Spring 2010 I taught a class on Dream Interpretation to Candidates in the Analysts Training Program at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles.
Gnosticism: Mary Magdalene -- The Missing Feminine
Given on Wednesday,November 4, 2009
Description: The success of The DaVinci Code affirms an unconscious yearning in our culture for the long forgotten sacred feminine. During this lecture I discussed the success of Dan Brown’s novel in the light of Jung’s psychology and in particular Jung's own interest in gnosticism and his discovery of the lost feminine. Special attention was paid to the Gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene and how its discovery reflects the internal process of rediscovering the neglected feminine in the souls of women and men today.
Spring 2009
In April I lectured on the basics of Jung's Typology. Visit the Archetypal Typology page of this website to read my review of John Gianinni's book, Compass of the Soul and hear some of my reflections on this fascinating exploration of fundamental human differences.
Fall 2008
The Anima in Film is the title of a lecture series I gave at the Jung Institute on Wednesdays, September 24, 2008, October 1, 2008, and October 22, 2008. The anima is the feminine archetype of life, critical in our patriarchal society to the emotional well being of women and men alike. The anima is hard to describe theoretically, but the art of film communicates her reality especially well. The first lecture explored The Anima in Fantasy Films like Star Wars and Steven Speilberg's Hook,Peter Jackson's King Kong and more recent films like Pan's Labyrinth and Bridge to Terabithia as converying the imaginative, fantasy aspects of the anima. The second lecture explored The Anima in "Everyday" Life in films such as Little Miss Sunshine, The Sisterhood of the Travleing Pants, Antwone Fisher, Juno, and Knocked Up. Set in real life these films poignantly express how the life energy of the anima is awakened and developed in our daily lives. The third lecture explored in depth the film Lars and the Real Girl, which depicts the emergence of the anima in a very introverted young man and the special attitudes required of those in relationship to this man so that she can come to life in him. Visit the Jung Institute website or call (310) 556-1193 for further public program information. (These lectures are available on CD at the Jung Institute's Bookstore and Library.)
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 I participated in a Clinical Supervision Seminar held at Antioch University and sponsored by the Los Angeles County Psychological Association. The program was titled "Live Supervision of a Psychotherapy Case from Four Theoretical Perspectives and was moderated by a psychoanalyst and featured supervision from four theoretical positions: Congnitive Behavioral Therapy, Intersubjective Systems Theory, Narrative Therapy, and Jungian Analysis (my contribution). You can obtain further information about future programs by the LACPA by calling (818) 905-0410 or emailing them at lacpsych@aol.com.
If December I gave a series of three lectures on the Gospel Birth Narratives at The Church of the Epiphany in Oak Park, California as part of their advent program. We explored the origins of these narratives, why there are only two in the four Gospels, and looked in depth at the divergent accounts in Matthew and Luke for their symbolic meaning. The Church of the Epiphany has year round programs. Their website is: thechurchoftheepiphany.org.
Spring 2008
In the spring of 2008 I participated in two lectures series: an introductory series for the general public on C. G. Jung's psychology (my lecture was on Jung's typology), and a Clinical Dialogues Series for licensed professionals around the theme of Narcissism. I offered the opening lecture, which reviewed the psychology of narcissism through major Jungian contributors, a review of the myth of Narcissus and Echo, and the central Jungian archetypes of shadow, anima/animus, and the Self.
I also co-taught a class on transference and countertransference with my wife, Tia, who is also a Jungian analyst, as part of the Institute's series for professionals--Analytical Psychology: Theory and Practice.
My spring teaching ended with a class for candidates in the analyst training program on myth and fairytales.
Fall 2007 I offered four lectures on the life of J.R.R. Tolkien, and his major worksThe Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. (These lectures are available on CD through the Institute's bookstore.)
Further Details
In the past I have taught at Pacifica Graduate Institute as an Adjunct Faculty member, specifically a class for M.A. Counseling Psychology students on Myth, Literature, and Religious Studies.
I've lectured in Santa Fe for the C. G. Jung Institute, on the theme of Fairytale and Myth in Film. Similar material was presented to the Friends of Jung in Phoenix.
Over the years I've lectured on a number of occasions for the Friends of Jung of Orange County and also the Friends of Jung in San Diego.
I am available for lectures to various groups interested in Jungian psychology, mythology, and symbolism. I'm willing to work with groups as to speaking fees and travel arrangements. I also lecture at various churches on a variety of topics.
Past Presentations
Course Offerings for Candidates in the Analyst Training Program at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
Jung and Gnosticism
• Fairytale, Myth, and Amplification
Dream Interpretation
• Jungian Perspectives on the Treatment of Narcissistic Wounding
• The Exodus Myth and the Modern Psyche
• The Golden Ass of Apuleius
• Child Sacrifice in Ancient and Modern Times
Course Offerings for the Institute's Analytical Psychology: Theory and Practice Professional Study Program for licensed professionals
Jung's Typology
• Transference and Counter Transference
• Dreams
• The Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious
• Fairytale and Myth in Clinical Practice
Graduate School Course
Myth, Literature and Religious Studies
Public Lectures in Los Angeles and Other Settings
Jung and the Call of the Wild
Jung's Red Book
• A Journey to Middle Earth: J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings (four meetings)
• Jung’s Typology
Jungian Approaches to the Psychology of Narcissism
• The Religious Function of the Psyche
• Mythical Dimensions of the Psyche: King Kong
• Fairytale and Myth in Film (numerous versions)
• Puer and Senex Archetypes
• Jungian Perspective on the Psychology of Perversions
• The Perversion of Relationship
• The Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church
• Fairy Tales of Yesterday and Today
• The Anima in Film
• The Anima in Modern Culture and the Development of the Personality
• The Hero Archetype in Popular Culture
• Processing National Trauma
• Psychic Eruptions
• Country Music and the Psyche
• Relationship and Transcendence in the Music of Bruce Springsteen
• Sports and the Psyche