Jungian Psychology, Metaphor and Connecting With Your Inner World
Hannah Green
Dear Community,
Happy Birthday to my fellow February birthdays! To celebrate I spent three wonderful days Indian Springs which is one of my most favorite places. I enjoyed soaking in the magical water which seemed extra warm and steamy in the cool and fresh February air. In the morning there was even frost on the ground!
A birthday treat was participating in "Living in the Metaphor" a training workshop exploring Jungian sandtray and expressive arts. This depth training reminded me that Psyche's language is expressed through myth, image and dream and that this is indeed our native language.
Jung's legacy is all about honoring the inner world and exploring our native language of symbolism. We use various mediums in our work to ferry us to the inner world and converse there with each other, with ourselves and with what Jung called the collective unconscious. As I have evolved as a psychotherapist I have become increasingly clear on my role and on the nature of the work. My role is to provide space and various mediums with which each client can ferry to their own inner world. The "work" is cultivating a connection with the inner world that provides the answers and the relief we seek. It is a profound honor to witness and participate in this process and something I want to do for the rest of my days.
If you are interested in Jungian psychology a nice place to start might be Memories, Dreams, Reflections which are Jung's memoirs written towards the end of his life. Inner Work by Robert Johnson is another great book about exploring the inner world.
I may have mentioned before that the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco is moving to the Mission and 22nd Street! This transition will take some time and you can help the process by donating here. The Institute has been providing resources and training to professionals and members of the public for over 70 years and will be a beacon for our Mission neighborhood.
A birthday gift to myself was a Tarot reading from Sarah Faith Gottesdiener which was really powerful. I love the intensity of tarot readings and have also learned to take care of myself around this intensity. I take a long time to integrate the energy and input I get from a one time session of this sort. I have come to understand that what comes through will take time to digest and that I might even experience a bit of a "low" after the "high" of a reading. I wonder if others have experienced this? This awareness has helped me enjoy and take care of myself around these kinds of experiences. I take what I need and leave the rest. I journal and process the information with my husband and with my support people. I remember I am always in process and the only goal is to enjoy the journey. I reflect on the fact that for me there is no replacement for good old fashioned weekly therapy sessions during which therapist and I learn to titrate, pace and digest information and feelings together.
The year is off to a great start and I am excited to share it with you all. I am so enjoying my new office. I am also slowly developing my home office as a lovely space for clients and groups. So far I am teaching two workshops this year, one next month on developing a successful private practice and later in the year I will be doing something fun at The Scarlet Sage (details to come).
This year a dear friend gifted me a book about Henri Rousseau. Above is my favorite painting by Rousseau The Sleeping Gypsy. About this painting Jungian Sallie Nichols writes: "The gypsy's sleep is haunted by dreams of his lost animal soul: the restless beast sniffs out the mystery of humanity, yearning for it's touch. Fortunately, the hero in our story remembers his dreams and is aware of the lion that prowls around in the night. Apparently he has also made contact with the anima who walks beside this animal. With this powerful lady as guide, the hero may safely explore the inner forests of his psyche. With her help he may come to know the lion and all the other primitive beasts who inhabit the darkest recesses of his being. "
For me this painting captures the mystery and excitement in the encounter with the unconscious. It speaks to the power and strength inherent to the inner world and how this world seeks communion with us, through dreams, images and symbol.
Wishing you all the very best.
Henri Rousseau