A guest post by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.

Psychotherapy is pervasive in contemporary culture. Even if you’re not a therapist yourself, if you’re taking the time to read this post, chances are good that either you or someone close to you has been involved in therapy at some point in their lives. And, while you may feel you have a good understanding of what happens in the therapy room, there may be more than meets the eye. Do you ever wonder, for example, what has to occur in the therapeutic process so that the basic experience is what it needs to be for both the client and the therapist? How does a therapist tap into the unconscious in order to help the client be more of “who they are”? How does synchronicity—and the interactive field that emerges between two individuals—serve up messages from the unconscious for the benefit of the work? More, where does the therapist her/himself turn for help in honing their own intuition and skills that ultimately contribute to their own individuation process in working with clients?

A guest post by Dr. Dennis Patrick Slattery.

Now that the heat of the long-awaited release of the next installment of the Star Wars epic, franchise, industry, and monster money-maker has passed and the fires of enthusiasm have cooled a bit to a delightful glow, one might ask: what is it about this series of science fiction films, the brain-child of George Lucas, which has now been passed on to the brilliant director, JJ Abrams, whose task it was to retrieve some of the excitement of The Return of the Jedi (1983) by offering a plausible sequel to it, but revitalized and, well, made to reflect more inclusively the world we inhabit today?

Video Transcript: 

Dr. Alejandro: Bernardo, I'd like to ask you: what is human vocation? And what is the origin of the term and of the concept behind it?

A guest post by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.

The brilliant use of alchemy as a symbolic language and process for psychological and spiritual development is arguably one of C. G. Jung’s greatest contributions to the field of depth psychology. While alchemy may appear to be a mystical—and mysterious—domain, Jung developed a powerful and inspired method for accessing it by entering into dialogue with the rich manifestations of the unconscious and applying it to our daily lives for transformation and growth.

A Faculty Spotlight on M.A. Counseling Psychology's Core Faculty Member Avrom Altman

From January 18th through January 25th, Pacifica Professor Avrom Altman taught an eight-day Gurdjieff Movements Intensive in Goa, India. The intensive was attended by 47 participants from 20 countries. The participants were primarily teachers of the Gurdjieff Movements in their respective countries: India, Israel, Japan, South Korea, France, Norway, Germany, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Italy, Taiwan, Iran, China, USA, Mexico, Ireland, Ukraine, UK, Romania, and Russia.

A guest post by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.

Ever since I met Dr. Glen Slater in 2008, I have known him to be a particularly passionate and knowledgeable advocate of film. I often see his film reviews in Jungian and depth publications, and his background in clinical psychology and religious studies—along with his interest in technology and culture—make his commentary especially valuable.

In a recent interview, Glen and I sat down together for an intriguing depth discussion on Jung, individuation, and film.

To begin, Dr. Slater notes, while we can think of individuation as coming to one’s deep self or unique character, it’s also the place where one comes to contribute to the larger human story. The individuation process is both deeply personal but also transpersonal; both universal and archetypal. At any given time in a specific culture, individuation is about finding a deep relationship with those energies that are coming up from the collective psyche. Jung believed that “no one can individuate on a mountaintop,” Glen reminded me. Therefore, at the same time you are growing into your own genius, you are also finding where your own life resonates with what is emerging collectively.

A guest post by Somatic Studies student Cacky Mellor

The Depth Psychology with an emphasis in Somatic Studies program at Pacifica was recommended to me during my senior year of undergrad. From research online and talking with mentors, I knew immediately this was my dream program. This belief was reaffirmed three years later when I stepped onto campus for the first time on the first day of classes.

A guest post by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” ― Kahlil Gibran

We are all intimately familiar with suffering. And, while we might wish it away when it is painfully present, it is a normal part of human life, Dr. Lionel Corbett, M.D., Jungian analyst and professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute reminded me when I recently sat down for a depth discussion with him on the topic.

Etymologically, the word “suffering” comes from two Latin roots: sub—meaning “under”—and ferre, meaning “to carry or bear,” as in “to bear a burden.” But suffering is not necessarily pathological, Lionel insists. The root of the word “suffer” is also the root of the English word “fertile,” so it is also related to the idea of bearing fruit. Psychologically, then, suffering can produce something; it’s not random or meaningless, nor merely something to get rid of. In reality, it can act as either a fertilizer or a poison. It can be harmful or it can be helpful, but we need a framework by which we can understand it.

Dear Prospective Student,

Thank you so much for your continued interested in Pacifica Graduate Institute. We are excited to share that applicants who have been accepted for the Fall, 2016 term by March 31st will be invited to attend one of our upcoming Public Programs with our compliments. The registration fee will be waived for any one of the events listed below (but please note, accepted applicants will still be responsible for travel and accommodations). In order to be accepted by the March 31st deadline, all application documents would need to be received by mid-March to schedule faculty file reviews and interviews for an acceptance decision by the program.