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From the Exectutive Director
I find I am missing the sun in the morning when I awaken. Every year as spring lengthens into summer, I revel in the warm light that greets me at an ever earlier hour, and then as the summer fades I feel the loss of the warmth that emanates from that distant star. This pattern reminds me that the forces that are beyond me, my ego, my control, are vast and powerful. Here at the Jung Center we devote ourselves to engaging with those energies that lie beyond the ego. Jung's depth psychology offers a way to understand and relate to those powers that lie in the unconscious, respecting the patterns that cannot be controlled by the ego, but which nonetheless beckon to be related to. We have two upcoming workshops, led by two excellent presenters, that focus on some of these underlying, unconscious dynamics: "Exploring the Opposites Within," led by Keren Vishny, and "Finding the Flow in Troubled Waters," led by Rami Henrich. In addition, our ongoing, drop-in dream group presents a forum for connecting to the energies emerging from the unconscious. These programs focus on what lies beneath the surface, which can exert a greater influence over us the less we are conscious of them: our dreams, the complexes that drive our relational patterns, and the archetypal energies present in our psyches. I would highly recommend all of these programs, and more information on all of them can be found below.
Dr. Pat Cochran
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Upcoming Programs
Movie Viewing and Discussion:
Young at Heart
Facilitated by Jackie Mattfeld, PhD
Friday October 3, 7-10 pm
$15 pre of drop-in
"Young at Heart", directed by British filmmaker Stephen Walker, bears unexpected and powerful witness to Jung's observation "From the middle of life onward, only that person remains vitally alive who is ready to die with life." (C. G. Jung, The Collected Works, vol. 8 para. 800). This low-budget documentary follows a twenty-four member chorus of amateur singers in their 70s and 80s through seven weeks during which they prepare for a public concert of rock'n'roll. As we view the film -- roughly half music and half dialogue -- we realize with a catch in the throat that the perceptive 50-something chorus' director has consciously selected a genre of popular music that mirrors the emotional energy of his third age singers, and individual songs with lyrics that they can experience and transmit as expressions of their inner awareness of the paradoxes of late life and their personal intention "to drain the cup to the last drop". This viewing will be followed by a discussion of the Jungian themes of growth and vitality in later life.
October Book Club:
Meeting the Madwoman by Linda Schierse Leonard
Facilitated by Linda Goranson, PhD, LCPC
October 7, 7-9 pm
$15 pre or drop-in
The archetypal image of the madwoman has pervaded literature, mythology and art throughout the ages. Who hasn't flinched at Medusa's gaze or cringed when Bertha Rochester was threatening Jane Eyre? Modern day film and media images such as Glenn Close in the popular series Damages, as well as political icons Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, who often receive the projection of the madwoman, remind us that this archetype and its powerful energy cannot be ignored. Men, as well as women, must stop projecting the madwoman outward, become aware of her destructive aspects, and align themselves with her positive power. In Meeting the Madwoman, Jungian analyst Linda Leonard gives a compelling argument for coming face to face with the madwoman within and using the madwoman energy to transform our madness into creativity thereby freeing ourselves to live spirited and creative lives. New members welcome!
Finding the Flow in Troubled Waters:
A Process Work Approach to Working with Relationship Difficulties
Rami Henrich, LCSW
October 11, 10-4 pm
$75 on or before 10/3, $95 after
CEUs: 5
Just as an individual has an identity, a relationship is a unit with an identity and a dreaming process, something bigger than each individual. When a relationship is in difficulty the common pattern is to revisit the same dynamics and discussions that can lead to escalating conflicts or feeling stuck. From a process work perspective relationships are self-organizing systems. These relationship patterns could be what C.G. Jung called, "personal myths." These underlying transpersonal narratives express the Tao or essence of the relationship and reveal an innate wisdom and sense of direction and meaning. In this experiential workshop we will use the process work paradigm to work with accusations, escalation/de-escalation and to loosen those stuck places in relationships.
Masculine and Feminine as Metaphor:
Exploring the Opposites Within
A day-long retreat honoring the work of Marion Woodman
Saturday October 18, 10-4 pm
$75 on or before 10/3, $95 after, Limited to 18 Participants
CEUs: 5
The goal of this retreat is to take a short time-out from every-day commitments to nourish Body and Soul. In a beautiful setting on Lake Michigan, each participant will have the opportunity to attend to his/her inner wisdom as it is expressed physically and symbolically. We will draw upon experiential exercises developed by Marion Woodman, Mary Hamilton, and Ann Skinner for BodySoul Intensives. The Lakota legend "Dream of Double Woman" will serve as a backdrop for our work and help to bring to life several of the major themes of Marion's writing.
Movie Viewing and Discussion:
The Visitor
Facilitated by Pat Cochran, Psy.D.
Friday November 7, 7-10 pm
$15 pre or drop-in
How does one deal with the death of a partner who has been one's companion for decades, and, once they are gone, one realizes how empty and meaningless one's life has been? This is the dilemma facing Walter Vale (played by Richard Jenkins) when we first meet him in the film "The Visitor." He is living, but for all intents and purposes, he has died (likely long before his wife passed away). His first attempts to resuscitate himself involve trying to learn how to play the piano (his wife's passion). While that does not work, it is through his connection to music-and the people who foster that bond-that he slowly begins to come back to life. This stirring drama highlights the problem we all face-how to find meaning and connection when our lives seem barren of either. After viewing the film we will discuss Jungian perspectives on themes such as the role of creative expression, death and renewal, and the stranger.
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Ongoing Dream Circle
Dream sharing has been an integral part of many indigenous cultures, allowing individuals to deepen their relationship with others in their community and with the physical and metaphysical world at large. In these ongoing, drop-in groups, the Center aims to continue this tradition. Each week, a small group of people gather to share their own dreams and the dreams of others in the group. The purpose of the group is not psychotherapy, but simply to deepen participants' experience of their own dreams. It is our hope that the Dream Circle can recapture some of the greater meaning inherent in the dreaming process. We currently have a Dream Circle on Wednesday evenings, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., facilitated by Weyler Greene. The cost is $15 per week or $125 for 10 weeks. No pre-registration nessisary. Call 847-475-4848 ext. 221 for more information.
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Jung Corner
This space is devoted to a quote from Jung with some reflections about it. We invite you to share a favorite quote from Jung along with your thoughts (you can email us via the link below).
"Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden in the rhizome. The part that appears above ground lasts only a single summer. Then it withers away-an ephemeral apparition. When we think of the unending growth and decay of life and civilizations, we cannot escape the impression of absolute nullity. Yet I have never lost a sense of something that lives and endures underneath the eternal flux. What we see is the blossom, which passes. The rhizome remains." (Memories, Dreams, Reflections; p. 4)
How fitting to contemplate the enduring life that lies beyond what can be seen at this time of the changing season: plants are beginning to dry up and die, the sun is ever waning, the air is becoming colder. Too, the tumultuous-and seemingly precarious--present state of our economy brings about thoughts of decay and nullity. Much of life can seem uncertain and ephemeral, and in times of great flux, what endures, what sustains us? What is the rhizome that Jung writes of here? The archetypal energies that make us human, the collective unconscious, the creative or divine spark, the Self-or all of those things and more? Whatever it is that carries on, I agree with Jung that it is an enduring, unseen power that brings about both the initiation of life and its renewal.
To submit your Jung quote and reflection, please click here
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