Books by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.
Depth insights, 2019
If humans are going to deal with climate change, ecological destruction, and the recognition of a... more If humans are going to deal with climate change, ecological destruction, and the recognition of an age in which humans are changing the very structures of our world, then we need both social and psychological change.
Indeed, without some understanding of our psychological processes and our unconscious dynamics, it is unlikely that any social change we can generate will solve the problems we face. Our conditioned psychological drives will continue the crisis.
In this book, Jungian analysts, therapists, and academics with an interest in Depth Psychology discuss their approaches to these problems with Bonnie Bright, the Founder of Depth Psychology Alliance. Together, they contemplate psychological issues of consumerism and ecological collapse, our conceptual separation from nature, the cultural and economic complexes that drive us, together with the importance of attending to our dreams and psychological processes for reconnection to nature and for successful social action.
The human tendency toward control and colonization in the name of culture has led to a loss of so... more The human tendency toward control and colonization in the name of culture has led to a loss of soul and a disconnection from both inner and outer nature. Though the root of cultivate means to tend, honor or cherish, our tendency to tame, control, and avail ourselves of the “other” takes us further from the wild potentiality of nature (and human nature) than ever before. Our pathological estrangement from wilderness has led to increasing objectification, colonization, and even violence in the name of creating culture. Further, humankind’s history with honeybees is a story representative of the western inclination toward objectification, domination, and enslavement of nature, animals, and even our fellow human beings: one that may well end in crisis and an ultimate colony collapse of our own.
Papers by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.
coelaboratory.com
Hózhó. Under a turquoise sky dotted with cotton clouds, Pat, the patchwork mustang I ride feels h... more Hózhó. Under a turquoise sky dotted with cotton clouds, Pat, the patchwork mustang I ride feels his tentative way between large boulders and slippery sand. It has rained hard the night before, leaving everything bright and fresh, but the horses are paying for it with the ...
Jung Journal-Culture & Psyche — Http Dx Doi Org 10 1525 Jung 2012 6 2 133, Mar 1, 2012
Modern men and women have experienced a seemingly unsolvable rift with the sacred, foregoing anci... more Modern men and women have experienced a seemingly unsolvable rift with the sacred, foregoing ancient ways of knowing for rational thought. The collective unconscious, once the domain of our ancestors, has reemerged in a radical return of the repressed, manifesting in disturbing pathologies. But the same traits that make for madness also show up in mystics, and those prophets and heroes who employ creative imagination to re-invoke relationship with the unconscious can avoid being inundated by the influx of unknown primordial forces. As the engaging essays in Diego Pignatelli’s, Primordial Psyche: A Reliving of the Soul of Ancestors, A Jungian and Transpersonal View provide insights into theology, mythology, mysticism, shamanism, and Jungian and transpersonal theory, we are invited to engage with the sacred again.
From a depth psychological perspective, it stands to reason that there are archetypal complexes e... more From a depth psychological perspective, it stands to reason that there are archetypal complexes evidenced by the compulsive trend for the selfie that lie at the heart of our modern existence. The proliferation of mobile devices, while creating a multitude of conveniences, also contributes to a growing problem on our planet: electronic waste. The acceleration of our culture, and our growing appetite for technology and gadgets seems to go hand in hand with the selfie phenomenon. From a Jungian perspective, is there an argument to be made that the selfie trend is related to our profound need for making meaning in our lives?
The Navajo (Diné) use the word "hózhó" to describe a state of beauty and order, of being in harmo... more The Navajo (Diné) use the word "hózhó" to describe a state of beauty and order, of being in harmony with the universe. In this land of high barren sandstone, the people must live by their prayers in order to survive. The land allows them to embrace what is important, the unseen or abstract connections to land, family, and spirit. Based in part on his visit to the pueblo Indians of the southwest, Jung suggested that the collective psyche is often most deeply influenced by the culture that existed on the land before the dominant culture, insinuating that the land has a memory and influence of its own. Much has changed for the Navajo since their ancient ancestors made their way across the Bering Strait and migrated, as a people, over thousands of years. They have borne the weight of history and struggle since they first settled into ethereal Canyon de Chelly with its sacred red cliffs and powerful soul of place. But their rituals sustain them.
Trauma can refer to any experience that causes unbearable psychic pain or anxiety. Our collective... more Trauma can refer to any experience that causes unbearable psychic pain or anxiety. Our collective culture exhibits all the symptoms of one that has been traumatized due to a profound sense of separation, and we, as humans, may be seen to be living out pathological patterns of abuse and addiction because we experience a profound sense of homelessness.
Even decades ago, C.G. Jung pointed out that our collective culture mirrors an individual who is suffering deeply from soul loss. The general apathy that appears so rampant in our culture may derive from dread and a deep despair we all carry that lives just under the surface and our inability to deal effectively with the trauma. How are individuals in our modern culture attempting to fill up an “empty self” that is driven by this felt sense of hollowness and how might we engage with trauma as a transition that can move us to a new threshold of existence?
Much has been written about the juncture where Jungian psychology and shamanism converge . Indeed... more Much has been written about the juncture where Jungian psychology and shamanism converge . Indeed, Jung, who developed the concept of archetype, might agree that both are instances of the same primordial image or instinctual pattern known the world over.
As a cultural theory, Object Relations and the development of transitional space as an opportunit... more As a cultural theory, Object Relations and the development of transitional space as an opportunity to build self-stability through creative play has tremendous potential. There is much to gain by increasing awareness of the potential and experimenting along those lines. Trial and error in a safe container, what Winnicott referred to as reality testing, engenders creative discovery and development. Instead of attempting to create the transitional space within our culture through traditional sources like individual talk therapy or group work, by tapping two powerful arenas that already exist, imagery and nature, we may be able to access a well of creativity and healing potential that is massively underutilized in our contemporary culture today.
This article explores how two of the most ancient archetypal symbols of the feminine and of trans... more This article explores how two of the most ancient archetypal symbols of the feminine and of transformation, the moon and the frog, are in danger of disappearing due to human-made ecological threats. Both pass through clear-cut transformational phases mirroring human cycles of birth and death. Light pollution is diluting the moon, allowing new progressive gods to invade her domain. Frogs are experiencing devastation as a result of human forays into the realm of fertility once ruled exclusively by the moon. Increasing numbers of deformities resulting from contaminated waterways restrict reproduction. Man-made herbicides including atrazine, meant to eliminate unwanted plants and increase agricultural yield, along with synthetic hormones from birth control pills, drastically affect the role of the endocrine system, which regulates reproductive processes. Humans, disrupting age-old rhythms and eliminating the power of the moon by manipulating the realm over which she presides, are effectively dismantling the feminine archetypes of transformation from which we draw creative force. Having divested ourselves of the power found in nature, we are at a cultural and ecological crossroads. We must seek continuity in the face of ecological and archetypal change, recalling the regenerative power of the moon to find a way to live in harmony with our natural environment. By allowing form that no longer has a purpose to dissolve and transform into the energy of powerful intention for new creative solutions, we can fulfill our needs while the frogs continue to raise their abundant chorus to the sovereign moon.
Perhaps we are like stones; our own history and the history of the world embedded in us, we hold ... more Perhaps we are like stones; our own history and the history of the world embedded in us, we hold a sorrow deep within and cannot weep until that history is sung" (Griffin, 1992, p. 8).
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Books by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.
Indeed, without some understanding of our psychological processes and our unconscious dynamics, it is unlikely that any social change we can generate will solve the problems we face. Our conditioned psychological drives will continue the crisis.
In this book, Jungian analysts, therapists, and academics with an interest in Depth Psychology discuss their approaches to these problems with Bonnie Bright, the Founder of Depth Psychology Alliance. Together, they contemplate psychological issues of consumerism and ecological collapse, our conceptual separation from nature, the cultural and economic complexes that drive us, together with the importance of attending to our dreams and psychological processes for reconnection to nature and for successful social action.
Papers by Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.
Even decades ago, C.G. Jung pointed out that our collective culture mirrors an individual who is suffering deeply from soul loss. The general apathy that appears so rampant in our culture may derive from dread and a deep despair we all carry that lives just under the surface and our inability to deal effectively with the trauma. How are individuals in our modern culture attempting to fill up an “empty self” that is driven by this felt sense of hollowness and how might we engage with trauma as a transition that can move us to a new threshold of existence?
Indeed, without some understanding of our psychological processes and our unconscious dynamics, it is unlikely that any social change we can generate will solve the problems we face. Our conditioned psychological drives will continue the crisis.
In this book, Jungian analysts, therapists, and academics with an interest in Depth Psychology discuss their approaches to these problems with Bonnie Bright, the Founder of Depth Psychology Alliance. Together, they contemplate psychological issues of consumerism and ecological collapse, our conceptual separation from nature, the cultural and economic complexes that drive us, together with the importance of attending to our dreams and psychological processes for reconnection to nature and for successful social action.
Even decades ago, C.G. Jung pointed out that our collective culture mirrors an individual who is suffering deeply from soul loss. The general apathy that appears so rampant in our culture may derive from dread and a deep despair we all carry that lives just under the surface and our inability to deal effectively with the trauma. How are individuals in our modern culture attempting to fill up an “empty self” that is driven by this felt sense of hollowness and how might we engage with trauma as a transition that can move us to a new threshold of existence?