Teaching and Lecturing
One of my passions and interests is doing public programs for various groups. I've given frequent lectures and workshops over the years on the local level at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles as well as at Jungian Analyst Conferences in both Northern and Southern California. I've also spoken at Jungian Conferences on the National and International level.
Various Jung groups such as the Orange County Jung Club and the Friends of Jung in San Diego have invited me to speak, as well as the Phoenix Friends of Jung and the Jung group in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
Local churches have also expressed interest in material related to Jungian psychology such as the Gospel healing stories, dreams in the Bible, and the symbolism of various biblical narratives such as the Exodus and the Gospel Birth Narratives. I'm willing to work with groups as to speaking fees and travel arrangements.
Below are descriptions of lectures and workshops I will be offering or have offered in the past.
Lectures in 2013
Dancing with Wolves
Date: February 2, 2013; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
No animal reflects our conflict with our own unconscious internal world and our disavowal of our own shadow more profoundly than the wolf. Wolves have borne the burden of an intense hatred and misunderstanding that has brought their population to near extinction. In this presentation we will review our history with the wolf, our psychological relationship to this noble creature of the wild, and examine several wolf dreams (including one reported by Jung and one by Freud) to help us differentiate aspects of our inner wolf from the wolf that lives in the wild and our projections onto it.
Lectures in 2012
Our Projective Dance with the Wolf
Dates: November 2-4, 2012
Location: Portland, Oregon
Event: 23rd Annual International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education Interdisciplinary Conference IFPE
This presentation was part of a two person panel titled A Glimpse of the Wild. Chantel Thurman from Washington presented on Coyote. I explored the dark, destructive projections our culture has had on wolves and the slow shift in consciousness that began with authors such as Farley Mowat and Barry Lopez, that has culminated in wolf reintroduction in several areas of our country, including Eastern Oregon. I spoke of the wolf's role in the wild including its relationship with coyotes, and discussed the wolf in dreams including the dream of Freud's famous Wolf Man case, a dream of a patient of Jung's, and the wolf in some modern dreams including those of combat veterans.
The Red Book and Jung's Typology
Date: Lecture presented September 14, 2012
During his relationship with Freud Jung began formulating his ideas concerning psychological types. His break with Freud was followed by an intense period of introversion, much of which we can now find expressed in word and image in The Red Book. Jung’s first major publication following this deeply internal journey in his life was Psychological Types (now Volume 6 of the Collected Works). Steve will be examining some of the figures and dialogues that Jung describes in The Red Book that are closely related to his later work in typology. He will connect key passages in The Red Book to critical passages in Psychological Types to explore what Jung believed were the most important personal and collective issues to be addressed in considering typology.
Developments and Amplifications of Jung's Work in Typology
Date: September 15, 2012 Workshop
Location: Phoenix Friends of Jung
Steve will set the stage by returning to the early years of Jung's reflections about typology including his correspondence with Hans Schmid (soon to be published). Jung, for instance, began to wonder why only one member of a family would be negatively impacted by the family psychology. Steve will also summarize the typology Jung outlines in Psychological Types.
With a review of the principles of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator based on Jung’s theories of typology Steve will help us to understand our development and the awareness of the secondary function. He will also review the work of Jungian Analyst John Giannini who works to link the couplings of the Myers-Briggs to a variety of archetypal models of the personality, in particular those of Toni Wolff (archetypes of the feminine) and Robert Moore and Richard Gillette (archetypes of the masculine). Giannini has also found parallels to Jung’s typology in such diverse fields as developmental psychology, brain research, and theories of organization development.
Steve will also review Jungian Analyst John Beebe’s work with typology and the archetypal considerations he uses in understanding the superior function through the secondary and tertiary functions, to the inferior function.
Experiencing Jung: Jung’s Typology
Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Location:C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles During the time of his relationship with Freud and others like Hans Schmid Jung began formulating his ideas concerning psychological types.For instance, why would only one member of a family be negatively impacted by the family psychology?After a period of intense introspection following his break with Freud, Jung’s creative work in this area resulted in the publication of Psychological Types, now Volume 6 of the Collected Works.We will examine aspects of Jung’s personal experience of typology as reflected in The Red Book, selected passages from Psychological Types, and review the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as it relates to Jung’s psychology. The work of Jungian Analysts John Giannini and John Beebe will also be introduced so that we may gain an overview of the far ranging significance of Jung’s typology.Dancing With Wolves
Date: March 2, 2012
Location: California Conference of Jungian Analysts in Pasadena
No animal reflects our conflict with our own unconscious internal world and our disavowal of our own shadow more profoundly than the wolf. Wolves have borne the burden of an intense hatred and misunderstanding from mankind during the march of modern civilization that has brought their populations to near extinction. More than any other animal Canis lupis has carried and suffered from the projection of our own out of control aggression. This paper explores our "dance" with the wolf that has seen an extraordinary turn about in the past few decades. Wolf reintroduction now duels with wolf extermination in certain key natural environments as an new approach to this noble, yet greatly misunderstood creature of the wild. This drama has currently been played out in the state of Oregon from which one wolf, OR9, strayed into Idaho and was killed, and another from the same pack, OR7, journeyed to California where wolves have been eliminated for 90 years. Our history with the corporeal wolf will be reviewed as well as the projected aspects of the human psyche that the wolf has had to bear. What we must come to terms with in ourselves if we, the wolf, and other creatures of the wilderness are to survive. As we more clearly learn of the critical role of the wolf in various ecosystems, their enviable organizational skills and other qualities, we may be able to learn about our own destructiveness before it is too late, and maybe also learn how to better get along. Several wolf dreams will be discussed from our clinical literature to help differentiate aspects of our inner wolf from the wolf that lives in the wild.
Harry Potter, Horcruxes, and the Deathly Hallows
Date: February 8, 2012
Beginning with a look at Jung’s consideration of magic in The Red Book, this presentation will explore some of the key symbolism of the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, in particular the Horcuxes and the tale of the Deathly Hallows. We also look at the development of key characters, their successes and failures, as reflecting some of the vicissitudes of the individuation process and finding the proper relationship to the unconscious “magical” realm.
Offered in Fall 2011
Coming Home: War and the Soul
A Jungian Perspective on PTSD
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2011
Location: C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
In this workshop held the day after Veterans Day, we began by looking at some of C. G. Jung’s visions prior to the outbreak of World War I as images of the nature of war from the viewpoint of the psyche. We then looked at samples of post war dreams and nightmares and dreams of soldiers while in combat. We also reviewed of the work of people who have worked extensively with veterans including Edward Tick and Jonathan Shay, including Shay's insights into the profound psychology of the Iliad and the Odyssey as related to the veteran experience in war and coming home. We examined myth, fairytale, and film as imaginative ways the soul uses to come to grip with the reality of war. We reflected on the collective burden of war and how each of us carries certain responsibilities so that the weight does not fall just on those sent to the battlefields. We discussed how even today we are still “recovering” from our various wars dating back to the civil war, which began 150 years ago, because of the enormous psychological impact of what happens to both the individual and collective psyche.
Other Previous Lectures
The Red Book and Jung's Typology
Date: Given on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Description: Beginning with his relationship with Freud Jung began formulating his ideas concerning psychological types. For instance, why would only one member of a family be negatively impacted by the family psychology? After his intense period of introversion following his break with Freud, which we can now find expressed in word and image in The Red Book, Jung’s first major publication was Psychological Types, now Volume 6 of the Collected Works. We will examine Jung’s theory of typology in relationship to some of the figures and dialogues that Jung describes in The Red Book and explore how they have informed his understanding of psychological opposites and the approached he used in outlining his type theory in Psychological Types.
Psyche and Nature: The Call of the Wild
Date: Given on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Description:In a letter towards the end of his life Jung wrote, “True to my nature-loving bias, I have followed the call of the wild, the age-old trail through secluded wildernesses where a primitive human community may be found.” This presentation explored the relationship between psyche and nature through the lens of Jung’s life journey, one that shows how deeply connected these aspects of life are. It then explored the unique journey of Englishman Archie Belaney, who immigrated to Canada in the early 20th century during the time Jung lived, and eventually took on the half Native American alter ego of Grey Owl and became a leading environmental writer and speaker. I reviewed Grey Owl’s life and his efforts to save the beaver from extinction and extended this theme to the wolf, examining both animals role, as they sit on the brink of extinction, in helping maintain a balanced ecosystem, . (This presentation was an expanded version of a paper presented in August in Canada.)
Wilderness in North America: The Call of the Wild
Original paper presented at the XVIII Congress of the International Association for Analytical Psychology on August 23, 2010 in Montreal.
Avatar: The Journey on PandoraGiven on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
Description: Jung wrote, “The most we can do is to dream the myth onward and give it a modern dress.” One of the ways this happens in our culture is through certain evocative films. Avatar is such a film, and after examining a few of its themes that are also found in earlier films, we will explore some new elements in the symbolism of Avatar. We will descend into the dreamlike quality of the planet Pandora in order to investigate key psychological dilemmas posed by an encounter with the unconscious. We will pay special attention to the anima archetype and how the call to individuation brings a person to a more complete psychological state, one that challenges us to fully navigate the “compass” of the soul.
Dreams-God’s Forgotten Language
Given on Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Description: Jung’s approach to dreams is unique in the way it carries forward the approach of ancient religious traditions to dreams. For instance Jung noted that the healers he met in Africa made the same distinction he did between “big” dreams and personal ones. Jungians have noted the connection between Jung’s approach and that of the temples of the Greek god Asclepius. In this presentation, I explored key Biblical figures and the place of dreams and their meaning in the Hebrew Bible, in particular Joseph and Jacob from the Book of Genesis. I also reviewed the importance of dreams found in the first two chapters of Matthew’s Gospel.
In the Spring 2010 I taught a class on Dream Interpretation to Candidates in the Analysts Training Program at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles.
Gnosticism:Mary Magdalene -- The Missing Feminine
Given on Wednesday,November 4, 2009
Description: The success of The DaVinci Code affirms an unconscious yearning in our culture for the long forgotten sacred feminine. During this lecture I discussed the success of Dan Brown’s novel in the light of Jung’s psychology and in particular Jung's own interest in gnosticism and his discovery of the lost feminine. Special attention was paid to the Gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene and how its discovery reflects the internal process of rediscovering the neglected feminine in the souls of women and men today.
Spring 2009
In April I lectured on the basics of Jung's Typology. Visit the Archetypal Typology page of this website to read my review of John Gianinni's book, Compass of the Soul and hear some of my reflections on this fascinating exploration of fundamental human differences.
Fall 2008
The Anima in Film is the title of a lecture series I gave at the Jung Institute on Wednesdays, September 24, 2008, October 1, 2008, and October 22, 2008. The anima is the feminine archetype of life, critical in our patriarchal society to the emotional well being of women and men alike. The anima is hard to describe theoretically, but the art of film communicates her reality especially well. The first lecture explored The Anima in Fantasy Films like Star Wars and Steven Speilberg's Hook,Peter Jackson's King Kong and more recent films like Pan's Labyrinth and Bridge to Terabithia as converying the imaginative, fantasy aspects of the anima. The second lecture explored The Anima in "Everyday" Life in films such as Little Miss Sunshine, The Sisterhood of the Travleing Pants, Antwone Fisher, Juno, and Knocked Up. Set in real life these films poignantly express how the life energy of the anima is awakened and developed in our daily lives. The third lecture explored in depth the film Lars and the Real Girl, which depicts the emergence of the anima in a very introverted young man and the special attitudes required of those in relationship to this man so that she can come to life in him. Visit the Jung Institute website or call (310) 556-1193 for further public program information. (These lectures are available on CD at the Jung Institute's Bookstore and Library.)
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 I participated in a Clinical Supervision Seminar held at Antioch University and sponsored by the Los Angeles County Psychological Association. The program was titled "Live Supervision of a Psychotherapy Case from Four Theoretical Perspectives and was moderated by a psychoanalyst and featured supervision from four theoretical positions: Congnitive Behavioral Therapy, Intersubjective Systems Theory, Narrative Therapy, and Jungian Analysis (my contribution). You can obtain further information about future programs by the LACPA by calling (818) 905-0410 or emailing them at lacpsych@aol.com.
If December I gave a series of three lectures on the Gospel Birth Narratives at The Church of the Epiphany in Oak Park, California as part of their advent program. We explored the origins of these narratives, why there are only two in the four Gospels, and looked in depth at the divergent accounts in Matthew and Luke for their symbolic meaning. The Church of the Epiphany has year round programs. Their website is: thechurchoftheepiphany.org.
Spring 2008
In the spring of 2008 I participated in two lectures series: an introductory series for the general public on C. G. Jung's psychology (my lecture was on Jung's typology), and a Clinical Dialogues Series for licensed professionals around the theme of Narcissism. I offered the opening lecture, which reviewed the psychology of narcissism through major Jungian contributors, a review of the myth of Narcissus and Echo, and the central Jungian archetypes of shadow, anima/animus, and the Self.
I also co-taught a class on transference and countertransference with my wife, Tia, who is also a Jungian analyst, as part of the Institute's series for professionals--Analytical Psychology: Theory and Practice.
My spring teaching ended with a class for candidates in the analyst training program on myth and fairytales.
Fall 2007 I offered four lectures on the life of J.R.R. Tolkien, and his major worksThe Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. (These lectures are available on CD through the Institute's bookstore.)
Further Details
In the past I have also taught at Pacifica Graduate Institute as an Adjunct Faculty member, specifically a class for M.A. Counseling Psychology students on Myth, Literature, and Religious Studies.
Past Presentations
Course Offerings for Candidates in the Analyst Training Program at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
Fairytale, Myth, and Amplification
Jung's Typology
Jung and Gnosticism
Dream Interpretation
Jungian Perspectives on the Treatment of Narcissistic Wounding
The Exodus Myth and the Modern Psyche
The Golden Ass of Apuleius
Child Sacrifice in Ancient and Modern Times
Course Offerings for the Institute's Analytical Psychology: Theory and Practice Professional Study Program for licensed professionals
Jung's Typology
Transference and Counter Transference
Dreams
The Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious
Fairytale and Myth in Clinical Practice
Graduate School Course
Myth, Literature and Religious Studies
Public Lectures in Los Angeles and Other Settings
War and the Soul: Jungian Perspectives on PTSD
Harry Potter, Horcruxes, and the Deathly Hallows
Jung and the Call of the Wild
Jung's Red Book and Psychological Types
A Journey to Middle Earth: J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings (four meetings)
The King Kong Myth
Jung’s Typology
Jungian Approaches to the Psychology of Narcissism
The Religious Function of the Psyche
Fairytale and Myth in Film (numerous versions)
Puer and Senex Archetypes
Jungian Perspective on the Psychology of Perversions
The Perversion of Relationship
The Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church
Fairy Tales of Yesterday and Today
The Anima in Film
The Anima in Modern Culture and the Development of the Personality
The Hero Archetype in Popular Culture (Zorro, Batman, Spiderman, et al)
Processing National Trauma (lecture given after 9/11)
Psychic Eruptions (lecture given after
Country Music and the Psyche
Relationship and Transcendence in the Music of Bruce Springsteen
Sports and the Psyche