Dream Interpretation: Learning to Understand Your Dreams, Part 1
5 consecutive Mondays, 12:30 –1:30 pm
Beginning February 24
Instructor:Jane Selinske, EdD
An inner journey is undertaken when one listens to and reflects on his or her dreams. Dreams speak through image and symbol and are structured like dramas waiting to be experienced and interpreted. We will learn Jung’s Map of the Psyche and will use this map to understand how dreams can be better understood. This class will be didactic and experiential and will provide participants with a variety of skills to interpret their dreams through a Jungian lens. If you generally do not remember your dreams, attending a class is one way to activate your psyche to recall your dreams. The class is designed for both those who are new to and those who have experience with Jungian Dream Interpretation.
Poetry’s Mystery: Creativity and the Unconscious
5 consecutive Mondays, 6:30 –8:10 pm
Beginning February 24
Instructor:Fanny Brewster, PhD
The Creative Urge lives and grows like a tree in the earth from which it draws its nourishment.
– C.G. Jung, The Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry
In The Spirit in Man, Art and Literature, Jung discusses the relationship between analytical psychology and poetry in consideration of the creative process. Jung’s thoughts provide us with an opportunity to express ourselves as writers of poetry. In his discussion of creativity, Jung gives insights into how we are to approach and develop our creative selves, as reflections of the unconscious in its dynamic movements. Poetry as an expression of the Heart supports our interest in delving deeper into unconscious processes which includes our understanding of creativity as a life force energy.
When meeting, we will explore Jung’s ideas regarding creativity and express our own creativity through the writing of poetry. Prior poetry writing experience is not necessary. You are invited to bring your favorite poems to class for inclusion in our discussions.
C.G. Jung on Eastern Religion
5 consecutive Tuesdays, 6:30–8:10 pm
Beginning February 25
Instructor:John M. Lundquist, MLS, PhD
This course will introduce students to brief overviews of the primary religious traditions of India, China, Tibet and Japan, and then present the major writings of C.G. Jung on these same religions. The text for the course will be the very accessible paperback, C.G. Jung, Psychology and the East, translated by R.F.C. Hull. This book consists of essays about and introductions to major studies of Eastern religions and to translations of Eastern religious texts written by Jung over many decades. The religions represented include Hinduism, Taoism and Chinese religion more generally, and the Buddhist traditions of Tibet and Zen. In each case, the instructor will give an overview of the religion in question, present Jung’s ideas on this religion from the textbook, compare Jung’s ideas with current scholarly and popular thinking on the same subjects, and present the subjects from the point of view of comparative religion studies. Jung did not approach these religious traditions from the point of view of pure scholarship, but rather from the point of view of depth psychology. During each class period, there will be time and opportunity for discussion by participants.
Narcissistic Injury and Healing in Fairy Tales
5 consecutive Wednesdays, 6:30–8:10 pm
Beginning February 26
Instructor:Maxson J. McDowell, PhD, LMSW, LP
Everyone has some narcissistic injury, even if the effects are only temporary. Injury occurs whenever our self-esteem or sense of self is hurt. We show narcissistic behavior whenever we lose our temper, or seek attention too much, or take a criticism too personally. Narcissistic injuries hurt our relationships, our creativity and our career success, besides stealing our pleasure at achievements and good fortune.
Fairy tales from around the world describe narcissistic injuries and show how they may be healed. By exploring a different tale each week, we will learn about narcissism and also learn how to analyze symbols for psychological meaning. There will be weekly readings. Please read the introduction and the first two readings (a link is on instructor’s website) before the first class.
Exploring the Spirit of Our Times
We regret that this class is fully enrolled. No more students can be accepted
5 consecutive Wednesdays, 6:30 –8:10 pm
Beginning February 26
Instructor:Sylvester Wojtkowski, PhD
What you call the spirit of the times is fundamentally the gentleman’s own mind, in which the times are reflected.
– Goethe, Faust I, lines 577-9, as quoted by C.G. Jung in The Red Book
The Spirit of this time has condemned us to haste. You have no more futurity and no more past if you serve the spirit of this time.
– The Red Book, Reader’s Edition, p. 202
Since his confrontation with the unconscious, Jung wrestled with the spirit of the times. Inspired by the spirit of the depths, Jung took upon himself to question the received collective wisdom, psychological and scientific knowledge, in an attempt to provide a critical platform from which to judge values, attitudes, and principles dominating the cultural environment of twentieth century Europe. Although his judgments regarding socio-political-cultural events of the times were sometimes wrong or terribly flawed, he was an engaged, public psychiatrist earnestly struggling to gauge the undercurrents of collective life, understand it psychologically, and provide direction for the healing of the soul. Jung has considered the spirit of the times “a prejudice so deeply rooted that until we give it proper consideration we cannot even approach the problem of the psyche.”
We will take as a point of our departure Jung’s understanding of the spirit of his own times and proceed toward an exploration of the spirit of our times. The seminar will be a joint investigation of our immediate world and the collective phenomena that we all participate in, are dependent on, are entertained by, and suffer from. In our enquiry, we will be assisted by works of contemporary Jungians: James Hillman, Wolfgang Giegerich, Luigi Zoja, Andrew Samuels, and Tom Singer.
Note: This course is held at 420 East 51st Street, Suite C.
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Spring II: Classes begin the week of April 7
Dream Interpretation: Learning to Understand Your Dreams, Part 2
5 consecutive Mondays, 12:30–1:30 pm
Beginning April 7
Instructor:Jane Selinske, EdD
An inner journey is undertaken when one listens to and reflects on his or her dreams. Dreams speak through image and symbol and are structured like dramas waiting to be experienced and interpreted. We will learn Jung’s Map of the Psyche and will use this map to understand how dreams can be better understood. This class will be didactic and experiential and will provide participants with a variety of skills to interpret their dreams through a Jungian lens. If you generally do not remember your dreams, attending a class is one way to activate your psyche to recall your dreams. The class is designed for both those who are new to and those who have experience with Jungian Dream Interpretation.
This course, Part 2, can be taken by itself or as a continuation from Part 1 (which was already given in February and March).
Dismantling the Caretaker Complex
5 Tuesdays, 6:00 –7:40 pm
Beginning April 8
Instructor:Irina Doctoroff, LMFT, MS
The Caretaker complex is a complex of identity which is formed early in childhood when a parent sees her child as an object she owns for her needs and forces the child to incarnate precariously into the mold of her expectations. Primarily, the mother expects the child to take care of her. As an adult, such a child continues to serve, take care of, and accommodate other people, often at her own expense. We often meet caretaker-identified people in healing and teaching professions. What brings them to therapy is their inability to have full access to their creativity, and to experience true happiness and pleasure.
In this class, we will explore the formation, development, and treatment of the “caretaker personality.” The nature of caretakers’ original wound suggests that a crucial task for them is to allow themselves to be taken care of and be able to own and express their needs. We will also discuss the caretaker personality from a historical and cultural perspective and relate it to the state of the Feminine in our patriarchal society.
Jungian Sandplay: Theory and Practice
5 consecutive Tuesdays, 6:30 –8:10 pm
Beginning April 8
Instructor:Ilona Melker, LCSW
Sandplay is a non-verbal, non-rational, image-centered form of therapy. The theoretical foundation of sandplay therapy is based on Jungian depth psychology with an additional influence from Eastern philosophy, as its founder Dora Kalff was a practicing Buddhist. We will explore sandplay therapy by viewing images from sandplay processes, learning about its history, and experiencing it first hand as a group. The series is aimed at those who may consider using sandplay in their own work, or those who are interested in this modality for themselves as a way of healing and individuating.
Note: This course is held at 108 East 38th St, #702 (between Park & Lex).
The Heroine’s Journey in Fairy Tales – How It Differs from the Hero’s Journey
5 Wednesdays, 6:30 –8:10 pm
Beginning April 9
Instructor:Maxson J. McDowell, PhD, LMSW, LP
In western culture, we are familiar with stories of a hero’s journey. Examples include Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and Beowulf. In this class, we will analyze tales which show an equivalent journey for a woman. These tales from cultures around the world offer insights into a woman’s development, showing ways in which that development may differ from a man’s. At another level, the archetypal feminine is a part of both women and men’s psychology and these tales show how our experience of that archetype may mature.
Please complete the first reading (given on the instructor’s website) before the first class.
Spirit of the Times versus Spirit of the Depths
We regret that this class is fully enrolled. No more students can be accepted
5 Wednesdays, 6:30 –8:10 pm
Beginning April 9
Instructor:Sylvester Wojtkowski, PhD
The parable about refinding the soul, my friends, is meant to show you that you have seen me only as a half a man, since my soul had lost me. I am certain that you did not notice this, because how many are with souls today? Yet without the soul, there is no path that leads beyond these times. C.G. Jung, The Red Book, p. 232
There is a divine madness which is nothing other than the overpowering of the spirit of this time through the spirit of the depths…The spirit of the times is ungodly, the spirit of the depths is ungodly, balance is godly. C.G. Jung, The Red Book, p. 238
[T]he spirit of the whole historical epoch recedes, disappears into nature, and at the same time it is renewed in a new figure with a new message. Yet it is still the same figure; the same spirit that taught mankind the difference between Good and Evil is now informing us of the fact that there is no difference and that the god is dead. C.G. Jung. Nietzsche Seminars p. 37
In this course, we will deepen our reflection by speculating about manifestations of the spirit depths in our subjective experiences and cultural phenomena. Paradoxically, The Red Book, a century-old text, offers some guidance. It provides a different, revitalizing perspective, which can serve as a timely compensation for our contemporary psychological Zeitgeist. Can we fathom and respond to the spiritual and soulful needs of our confusing, conflicted times? Jung noted that “the primordial images undergo ceaseless transformation and yet remain ever the same, but only in a new form can they be understood anew.” Following the spirit of The Red Book, we will attempt to locate the current phenomena that indicate the presence of alternative forms, inspired by the spirit of the depths, which critically engage the dominant spirit of our times. Although as Heraclitus noticed “we are estranged from what is the most familiar,” we will try to see through our familiar adaptive habits to find patterns that may indicate the emergence of new forms. As each interpretation of the eternal alchemical spirit of Mercurius duplex becomes obsolete, we will examine how the old forms transform into new.
Note: This course is held at 420 East 51st Street, Suite C.
The Secret of the Golden Flower
5 consecutive Thursdays, 7:00–8:40 pm
Beginning April 10
Instructor:Royce Froehlich, LCSW, MDiv
Jung’s 1928 commentary on the Chinese meditation treatise The Secret of the Golden Flower was his first essay devoted to the understanding of Eastern thought in relation to Western Psychology. It was a “missing link” that provided a bridge between his own insights on the nature of consciousness and already established psychological principles found in Taoist and Buddhist philosophies.
This class will review those insights and debate oversights, while focusing on the golden flower’s “secrets” for maintaining psychic balance in our fast-paced era.
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FACULTY
Fanny Brewster, PhD, is a Jungian analyst in private practice in New York. She holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, is a graduate of the C.G. Jung Institute of New York, and is a New York State Certified School Psychologist.[Class description]
Irina Doctoroff, LMFT, MS is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Manhattan and a graduate of the C.G. Jung Institute of New York. She has a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, and this course is based on her long-term work in a county clinic with children and families, as well as with individual private patients. [Class description]
Royce Froehlich, LCSW, MDiv, is a Jungian analyst in private practice in NYC. He is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University, The New School for Social Research, and the C.G. Jung Institute of New York.[Class description]
John M. Lundquist, MLS, PhD, is the former Susan and Douglas Dillon Curator of Asian and Middle Eastern Collections in the New York Public Library. He is an adjunct professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Pace University, and has taught at FIT, SVA, the Bard Graduate Center, the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Institution, and other New York City universities. He is the author of The Temple: Meeting Place of Heaven and Earth and The Temple of Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future.[Class description]
Maxson J. McDowell, PhD, LMSW, LP is a Jungian analyst in private practice in New York City. Former President of the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, he is also a faculty member.[Spring I, Class description][Spring II, Class description]
Ilona Melker, LCSW, is a Jungian analyst and Certified Sandplay Therapist. She is in private practice in New York City and Princeton, NJ. The classes will be held at her office at 108 East 38th St, #702, (between Park & Lexington Avenues)[Class description]
Jane Selinske, EdD, LCSW, LP, MT-BC, is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Montclair, NJ and NYC, a practitioner of Mandala Assessment, and a Board Certified Music Therapist. She is on the faculty of the C.G. Jung Institute of New York, the Institute for Expressive Analysis in New York and the Jung Foundation.[Spring I, Class description][Spring II, Class description]
Sylvester Wojtkowski, PhD, is a Jungian analyst and clinical psychologist in private practice in New York City. He received his doctorate from the New School for Social Research.[Spring I, Class description][Spring II, Class description]
