"Splinter Psyches" in a Splintered World: Ecological Restoration of the Human Soul, with Chantel Thurman

  • Fri, May 12, 2017
  • 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
  • Parkdale United Church
  • 14 registrants

Registration

  • Discounted price for Jung Society Members, Friends of Jung Members and Executive Members
Registration is closed

Jung’s notion of a “splinter psyche” – a fragmented aspect of psyche operating autonomously as if it possessed its own intrinsic wholeness and volition - is a very apt descriptor for humanity at large these days. Modern humans do not seem to know where they belong or fit in the larger natural order and are increasingly finding themselves at odds with the biologically attuned processes supporting life on the planet.

Through a juxtaposition and weaving of perspectives from Jung’s writings and other diverse fields (depth psychology, neuroscience, ecology, evolutionary theory, and indigenous traditions), this lecture explores the dynamics of psyche at the juncture of human experience and the greater natural world. Examining what appears to be a parallel process of degradation in our time - one at the level of nature (environment) and the other at the level of human psyche (both individual and collective) - this presentation will speak to the interrelatedness of these processes and the imperative to address them concurrently in order to bring about substantive change in both.

By reflecting on the evolutionary history of our species and our co-evolution with myriad other life forms, we will also consider the pathways for deep nature connection within our internal architecture and the spiritual implications for finding our way home.

Friday Lecture Learning Objectives

  • Understanding Jung’s complex theory in relation to the psychology of nature connection/disconnection
  • Consideration of environmental destruction and restoration as psychological issues
  • Comparing and contrasting Jung’s ideas on nature and psyche with contemporary perspectives from diverse fields

Recommended Readings

  • The Earth Has a Soul: C.G. Jung on Nature, Technology and Modern Life, edited by Meredith Sabini (2002).
  • C.G. Jung and the Sioux Traditions: Dreams, Visions, Nature and the Primitive, by Vine Deloria, Jr. (2009).
  • “Archaic Man” – essay by Jung in Civilization in Transition (CW 10). Also appears as Chapter 7 in Modern Man in Search a Soul. 
Chantel Thurman is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist practicing in Washington state. She has presented at numerous conferences and organizations on the primary relationship between psyche, humans and the natural world. As a naturalist and environmental educator, she leads programs that mentor youth, adults and whole families in deep nature connection through exercises in sensory awareness development, primitive living skills, and the ancient sciences of animal tracking and bird language. A longtime volunteer on conservation efforts related to the successful co-existence of Gray Wolves and humans, she is also certified Level III in Wildlife Track and Sign Interpretation through CyberTracker North. She has a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute (1996).