Mind
"When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." - Jonathan Swift I marvel at what science has explained. But what really keeps me reading late into the night is what science has
Mind
I've been thinking about a conversation I had last summer. Some friends and I were discussing Richard Dawkins' book, The God Delusion, with Rupert. As always, Rupert's ideas are well thought out and always seem to come out of left field - at least to
Mind
Far away, on an African savanna somewhere there is a lion stalking its prey. On the edge of a massive herd of animals, the lion chooses the weakest and strikes. The rest of the herd will not flee. Instead, they stand around and watch. The herd goes about their business
Mind
As the old saying goes, “we are what we eat.” We are also what we think about. Ever wake up in the morning (or the middle of night) thinking about work, school, or maybe a book you’ve been reading or a video game you’ve been playing? I think
Mind
Back in 1998 I interviewed one of my favorite Jungian authors, June Singer, for the old Jung Index web site. The interview is no longer available on the internet and it would be a shame to lose it. The format of the interview was collaborative – over email – so many people
Mind
In the emerging field of evolutionary psychiatry there has recently been attention focused on mood and personality disorders as adaptive traits. Why is it that disorders like depression or schizophrenia have not been deleted out of the human genome? Of course, not all expressed traits are always an adaptation; sometimes
Mind
People who become alcoholics later in life usually do not have a close emotional connection with their parents, especially their mothers. They tend to be people who consider themselves very independent – not needing anyone. Of course, everyone needs help and support. Many of these types go on to become ‘stars’
Mind
Jung mentions suicide in his letters, often in response to specific questions regarding suicide from correspondents. It is here that we find Jung had quite specific notions of suicide and viewed the act as wasteful. Yet, the connection between his own clients and suicide goes unmentioned. Jung’s strongest statement
Mind
It's been over a decade since Richard Noll first put a challenge to Jungians: prove that analytical psychology rests on firm scientific ground, otherwise agree that it's just a religion or pseudoscience. He was right to make this challenge.
Mind
One of Jung’s favorite metaphors for the clash of opposites is appropriate here: the hero’s night sea journey. The good hero sets out into the dark night sky on a raft to defeat the bad sea monster. When, in the morning daylight, the hero emerges after having slain
Mind
What sets Jungian Psychology apart from clinical psychology is dream analysis. This is a subject that Jung approached seriously. On one occasion a patient came to Jung with a particularly interesting dream. The patient mentioned that in her dream she went to places in the world that she had never
Mind
There are rare moments in life when we are aware of what we’re going through. We choose leaving instead of staying put, change instead of comfort, life instead of death. In those rare moments we are given insight into the pain we carry deep into the night. Edward Edinger