by thisjungian | May 23, 2019 | Relationships
Images of physical dismemberment are often used in fairy tales, dreams, and art to depict psychological fragmentation, numbing and other forms of disconnection. Such cut-offs, dissociations, and splits may be related to earlier relational trauma, and constitute...
by thisjungian | Apr 4, 2019 | Relationships
One of the issues clients bring into the therapeutic consulting room is dissatisfaction with the state of their marriage or partnership. Although this dilemma often takes shape as bipolar, it represents a challenge to engagement with deep, defended parts of self and...
by thisjungian | Feb 28, 2019 | Relationships
Estrangement from members of one’s family and others take place far more often than seems commonly acknowledged. Estrangement involves psychologically cutting-off, repressing, and defending against connection with another who has come to be experienced as...
by thisjungian | Jan 24, 2019 | Relationships
Heartbreak is more primal, more pervasive, and more related to one’s sense of self than sadness is. Our hearts can break over the death of a dearly loved other, including a pet…and our hearts can break over the death of a relationship as well as the death of...
by thisjungian | Dec 20, 2018 | Relationships
As the holiday season approaches, we examine the tidal pull of the ancient, archetypal power of the solstice season. Because of this underpinning, together with the power of family narratives, roles, and complexes, the holidays can be fraught with intense feeling,...
by thisjungian | Dec 6, 2018 | Personal Issues, Relationships
What does it mean to separate from one’s parents and parental complexes—the attitudes and values that have been deeply instilled since infancy? How do we discern when we are in a parental complex, whether we are aligned with it or rebelling against it? What can we do...