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 The C. G. Jung Center
April 2010 Newsletter
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From the Executive Director
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 Last week I heard an interview with Tony Judt on the NPR program "Fresh Air." He is an historian who was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2008. Judt is quite compelling: he has a brilliant mind and is faced with a disease which he describes as "progressive imprisonment without parole." At this stage in his inexorable neuromuscular decline, he is quadriplegic and needs assistance with his breathing. At one point, Judt was explaining that he used to be afraid of MRI machines because of "the sensation of being buried alive." ALS is often compared to that very sensation, yet, Judt noted, "It's rather I mentally got used to the idea of being closeted in like a coffin or a box." He went on to say, "But I don't now feel at all buried alive. I feel as though this useless body is just the accidental case in which I lie in for six hours of night thinking and that really does work. So nothing has gotten better but my capacity to live within it has grown hugely. I would never have thought I could do it." [emphasis added] This is at the root of all lasting or profound psychological change: one's engagement with one's struggles can lead to a shift in attitude, even though nothing on the outside may change. This upcoming weekend's program "Pema Chodron and Carl Jung" addresses this very dilemma: how can we be open or receptive to the very things we would rather move away from, and instead go deeper into them and perhaps develop a new capacity to live within our struggles.
Pat Cochran, Psy.D.
Executive Director
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 Cultivating the Feminine SoulApril 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 9:30-12:30 pm
W. Keren Vishny, MD, MA
$250, CEUs: 24
This group is meant for women wishing to take time out to nurture soul-connections and restore inner balance. Based in the BodySoul approach developed by Marion Woodman, Mary Hamilton and Ann Skinner, the roots of this work grow out of a deep respect for dreams, embodied wisdom, and C. G. Jung's understanding of the psyche. In addition, the BodySoul approach is committed to honoring the Feminine aspect of the Sacred in our lives. In an atmosphere of curiosity and respect, participants will use dreams, movement, voice and simple art forms as vehicles to connect to inner experience and to each other. Myth, fairytale and poetry will serve as a backdrop for these explorations. Participants are asked to make a good faith commitment to attending most sessions. New participants may not join for this term after the second session. This group welcomes women of all ages and backgrounds. Held at the Winnetka Community House, 620 Lincoln Ave Winnetka, IL 60093.
 Pema Chödrön and Carl JungA Workshop by Barbara Friedman, PhDFriday April 9 (7-9 pm) & Saturday April 10 (9:30-noon)$55 by 4/2, $65 after, CEUs: 4.5
All Dharma agree on one point: If the ego is well fortified the suffering is great.
Barbara Friedman will use the recorded lectures of the Tibetan nun, Pema Chödrön to introduce the Buddhist practice of Tonglen. She will facilitate a discussion of this practice and the similarities between Chödrön's teachings and the depth psychology of Carl Jung. Lojong, or mind training, is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist practice designed to open our hearts to the vivid experience of life as it is and to awaken the realization of our kinship with all beings. Tonglen is "sending and receiving," the meditation practice of exchanging self for others. Lojong practice - especially Tonglen - brings up uncomfortable, unwanted feelings such as fear, rage, envy and loneliness. They are the raw material of the practice. The practice helps us to open our hearts to these feelings and to find compassion for ourselves and for all others who have ever experienced them. It teaches us how to keep our hearts open in the situations where we usually shut them down. For a fundamental change on the planet we have to change the way we are reacting.
Case Seminar: Grief Work in Clinical Practice
Monday April 19, 1-3 pm
Judith Robinson, LCPC
$45 (includes 2 CEUs)
This casework seminar will focus on griefwork in clinical practice. We will move from the archetypal through to complex into individual major life loss and a process of healing and recovery. We will begin with discussion of a Jungian Backdrop which will be provided, followed by a few summary comments about Jung's Essay on The Psychological Aspects of the Kore. You can find this essay in CW, volume 9. The backdrop and summary comments will serve in the exploration of a case vignette of a middle-aged father facing the profound loss of his child. Come ready to explore your understanding of archetype and complex formation, the ego's relationship to unconscious material, and how the therapist serves the transcendent function. Bring any examples you would like to present from your own personal and/or clinical work. This program is for clinical professionals only.
 May Viewing and Discussion: Up In The AirFriday May 7, 7-10 pmMary Ellen O'Hare- Lavin, PhD, CADC$15 pre or drop-in
Join us to view and discuss Up in the Air with George Clooney as your archetypal Puer Aeternus who embodies both the loveable and the negative sides of the puer complex. George Clooney as a very vulnerable Ryan Bingham, a man who lives out of his suitcase and travels around the country firing people will easily touch a nerve for our economic times. When his company 'grounds' him Clooney is faced with a fresh-faced newcomer, Anna Kendrick, a young anima figure who extols the virtues of love and commitment, while coldly trying to excise the last ounce of human touch with layoffs. Clooney tries to show her that human contact is needed in the firing room, while denying it's needed anywhere else in his life. At the same time he encounters an older woman executive who exposes him to a life experience he was totally unprepared for. In these encounters he faces the archetypal puella and crone. This is an excellent movie to set the stage for next week's discussion by Mary Ellen O'Hare-Lavin about Infidelity.
 Red Book Part 2: A Global Video SeminarFurther exploring Carl Jung's Visionary Masterpiece with Dr. Murray Stein Live from ZurichFriday May 14th, 10 am- 1 pm$47 per person; $23 for students or clergy
Many have now examined some of the incredible images and writings that Carl Jung painstakingly recorded in his mysterious Red Book recently released in October of last year. This January leading Jungian Analyst Dr. Murray Stein led a seminar exploring the intricacies of this book and the many inspirations it holds. The response to this seminar was overwhelming and included a strong clamoring for a second seminar going into more detail. Dr. Stein agreed and will be going much further into the text, including the third section know as The Scrutinies. He will also further examine the meaning of The Red Book for Jung's life and reflect on its potential value to Analytical Psychology today. Join us on May 14th as Dr. Murray Stein takes us to new depths into Carl Jung's Red Book. Held at the C. G. Jung Center, 817 Demspter St. To register please click here and select the "Evanston" site.
 The Meaning of Infidelity from a Depth Psychological PerspectiveMary Ellen O-Hare-Lavin, PhD, CADCFriday May 14th, 7-9 pm$25 by 5/7, $30 after, CEUs: 2
Recently we have been exposed to the personal sexual and unfaithful lives of celebrities from Tiger Woods to Mrs. Iris Robinson of Northern Ireland. What are the archetypal underpinnings of this behavior and why are we even interested in their misdeeds and madness? What is it that "grabs" us? Infidelity is not a new phenomenon and when it hits the front pages of our newspapers, and newsmagazines, and nightly news broadcasts, one wonders if it is indeed newsworthy? Join us for a lively discussion and PowerPoint presentation about "mid-life crisis", projection, and the difference between seduction and relationship. Delve into the medieval history of "courtship". Understand the addictive qualities of the behavior and the archetype of the fool. Discuss the ramifications of infidelity for the primary committed relationship. Though open to all, mental health providers in particular will learn new ways to look at and deal with their patient's disbelief and horror and anger with infidelity. This promises to be an informative enjoyable presentation.
To register please call 847-475-4848 or click here
There is a $15 processing fee for CEUs
Classes are held at The C. G. Jung Center, unless otherwise noted
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 Is Man God? The Advaitic View
Weekly Drop-In Study Group
Mondays 7-8:30 pm, Weyler Greene, PhD & Diane Miller, MA, LPC
$10/week
In
this group, we study Eastern esoteric non-dual wisdom through the words
of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, an Advaitic sage and 20th century
proponent of this philosophy. The group supports one another in
applying this non-dualistic thought to our Western lifestyle through
reading, discussion, and weekly self-awareness/meditation exercises
designed to help us transcend our thoughts, fears, and desires and
understand our true nature and ultimately realize Who we really are. Required text: I Am That, talks with Sri Nisargatta Maharaj (The Acorn Press, 2005).
 Ongoing Dream Circle
Wednesdays, 7-9 pm
Weyler Greene, PhD
$15/week or $80 for 8 weeks
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. Each week, a
group of people gather to share their own dreams and dreams of others
in the group. The purpose of the group is not psychotherapy, but simply
to deepen participants' experience of their own dreams. This group
will be experiential, so feel free to bring a dream! New and returning
participants welcome.
To register please call 847-475-4848 x221 or click hereThere is a $15 processing fee for CEUs
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This is our space for reflections on quotes from Jung. We invite you to share a favorite quote along with your thoughts by e-mailing us at jung@cgjungcenter.org
"One of the greatest difficulties for me lay in dealing with my negative feelings. I was voluntarily submitting myself to emotions of which I could not really approve, and I was writing down fantasies which often struck me as nonsense, and toward which I had strong resistances. . . . In order to grasp the fantasies which were stirring in me 'underground,' I knew that I had to let myself plummet down into them, as it were. I felt not only violent resistance to this, but a distinct fear. . . . After prolonged hesitation, however, I saw that there was no other way out." Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, p. 178
How often do we find ourselves confronted with the very things about ourselves which we do not approve, or that strike us as utter nonsense? In the course of a lifetime, I think this dilemma faces us all. It can be a truly frightening experience, as Jung writes about here in his memoir. This quote is found in the chapter "Confrontation with the Unconscious" in which he details the trials he underwent in the difficult time following his break with Freud (and out of which he produced The Red Book). At a time of crisis, how do we respond? After much resistance, Jung allowed himself to "plummet down" and in that descent into the unknown and fearful, he found the richness of the human experience. His encounter with himself was the basis of his work for the remainder of his life.
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Missed a month? Past newsletters can be viewed at our web site: http://www.cgjungcenter.org/newsletter-archive.html
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