After 120+ years of analytic experience, models of the psyche have proliferated in conjunction with developments with various other disciplines. As the nature of knowledge itself is being reconsidered in the 21st century, there is movement towards a new synthesis incorporating many levels of information and experience, in which the porosity of subjective and objective states transcends traditional binary views. As this opens into discoveries of non-local, distributed aspects of mind and psyche, exciting new therapeutic challenges and possibilities emerge.
In this three-part seminar, we will together explore the origins and evolution of the concept of the field, starting with 19th century discoveries in physics. Examination of the ongoing adaptation and transformation of field theories in the work of depth psychologists throughout the past century offers an array of tools to detect subtler manifestations of unconscious processes that permeate not only clinical work but also our engagement with nature. Concepts such as transference, countertransference, projective identification and so forth can be transformatively envisioned as field phenomena. The addition of Jung’s concept of synchronicity can further add to our perceptions and explorations of these fields. Reciprocally we can revision synchronicity itself in terms of networks and fields associated with complex systems. Following from this we have the opportunity to reconsider various knowledge systems for insights they may offer into contemporary model of the mind, with significant consequences for clinical, cultural, and environmental practices when integrated into our worldviews.
June 7, 14, 21, 2022 | Tuesdays | 12:00-1:30pm Pacific Time | Zoom