Our culture tends to seek historical, sociological, economic, and political explanations for the many crises we face while ignoring the unconscious underpinnings of such problems. It is rare to speak of the intense emotions and complex unconscious motivations that influence social policy decisions, thereby treating these decisions as if they were impersonal. Yet there is no doubt that early personal experiences combined with archetypal forces profoundly affect the behavior of political leaders. The psychological difficulties of political leaders may become unconsciously incorporated into public policy and group fantasies, which are often acted out in the form of authoritarianism, war, nationalism, and other socially destructive projects. Conversely, political leaders may act out the irrational fears of their society.
Policy decisions can have major effects on our inner lives when they resonate with our deepest fears and hopes. Depth psychology has much to offer in clarifying this interaction and contributing to our social evolution. This conference will address some of our most pressing social problems from the perspective of Jungian and other depth psychologies, clearing a path for the potential healing of our current cultural situation.
We hope you will join us for a stimulating and meaningful conference, building a bridge between our two communities, and furthering depth psychology in our contemporary world.
Conference Program and Special Pre-Conference Reception
The conference will take place at the St. Joseph Center Auditorium in Orange, California. Friday evening will begin at 6:30 PM with a festive reception and honoring of Peter Coukoulis Ph.D., founding president of the C.G. Jung Club of Orange County, in celebration of this 80th birthday. The conference program will begin Friday evening at 7:30 PM and continue on Saturday with four presentations and a panel discussion. The conference will conclude on Saturday at 5:30 PM
For accommodations we recommend the DoubleTree Hotel in the city of Orange. The C.G. Jung Club of Orange County is affiliated with Chapman University, therefore you should be entitled to the Chapman University rate of $92 per night.
Friday March 4, 2005, 6:30 PM
Celebration in Honor of Peter Coukoulis’ 80th Birthday: a festive celebration honoring the founding president of the C.G. Jung Club of Orange County.
Introduction, by Holly Fincher link to audio file
Friday March 4, 2005, 8:30 – 9:45 PM
Emigration: A Heroic Journey, presented by Robert Moradi link to audio file
Amplifying the psychology of emigration by comparing it to stages of classic Greek tragedies, and drawing upon personal life experience as a first generation emigrant and psychiatrist who has treated hundreds of first and second-generation Persian emigrants in Southern California, Dr. Moradi will examine how this crisis of emigration creates a ripe circumstance for the process of psychological individuation.
Robert Moradi, M.D., is a Board Certified Psychiatrist in private practice in Los Angeles since 1981. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, teaching at several training institutions. He is the former director of Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He has published and presented extensively on the treatment of adults, children and their families, as well as the cultural issues facing the Iranian emigrants. He is a candidate in the control stage of training at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles. Dr. Moradi was born in Iran and completed his medical training before emigration to the U.S. in 1976.
Saturday March 5, 2005, 9:00 – 10:15 AM
Violence as Sacrament: Unconscious and Spiritual Roots of War, presented by Lionel Corbett link to audio file
Many unconscious motives for war have been described, but war and militarism in general also have important spiritual sources. Various authors have noted that, for many people, war is a kind of sacrament or blood ritual that draws on the archetypal energies within the psyche. It is not surprising that religious passions so often produce violence; one can think of violence and nationalism as aspects of the psyche’s intrinsic religious function, so that war becomes intoxicating, allowing a sense of participation in a greater whole. A better understanding of the unconscious, spiritual, and mythic roots of militarism will help us to develop antidotes to this global plague.
Lionel Corbett, M.D., trained in medicine and psychiatry in England and as a Jungian analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago. Dr. Corbett is a core faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is particularly interested in the synthesis of psychoanalytic and Jungian ideas. His primary dedication has been to the religious function of the psyche, especially the way in which personal religious experience is relevant to individual psychology. He is the author of The Religious Function of the Psyche and is co-editor, with Dennis Patrick Slattery, of Depth Psychology: Meditations in the Field and Psychology at the Threshold. He has also authored Spirituality Beyond Religion, a set of audiotapes produced with Sounds True.
Saturday March 5, 2005, 10:30 – 11:45 AM
George W. Bush and the American Psyche: The Meaning and Function of the Love and Loathing of Our Nation’s Leader, presented by Holly Fincher link to audio file
What is being hosted from the unconscious depths by our president? The intensity of feeling and reaction, both for and against the iconic public persona and actions of George W. Bush, serve as symptom and indicator for our contemporary collective process. This talk will focus on an understanding of the way in which a leader arises in a collective setting and may serve to create shifts beyond our immediate awareness. We will examine conscious attitudes and beliefs about our current situation, and explore what might be lurking about in our collective shadow. Opportunity for individual and collective growth will be explored.
Holly Fincher, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in a private practice in Orange, CA, specializing in Jungian depth psychology. A member of the Board of Directors of the C.G. Jung Club of Orange County for nine years, she contributes to the ongoing promotion of Jungian psychology through teaching and lecturing within the Orange County community. She holds her doctorate in clinical psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Saturday March 5, 2005, 1:15 – 2:30 PM
Screens and Shadows: Collective Consciousness and the Manufacture of Consent, presented by Brad TePaske link to audio file
Jung’s insight into language, collective consciousness, and the archetypal structures of popular myth offers us powerful means for exposing America’s imperial agenda and confronting the powerful force of corporate media in today’s ceaseless information war. In this ardent plea for individual consciousness and collective responsibility, the kindred observations of Noam Chomsky’s classic Manufacture of Consent will also be brought to bear on the analysis of one timely example of imperial mythology, the “National Security Strategy of the United States” of Under Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz.
Bradley A. TePaske, Ph.D. is a Jungian analyst trained at the C.G. Jung Institute of Zurich, a clinical psychologist, and progressive political activist. He holds an MFA in Printmaking and Art History from UMASS Amherst, a Doctorate in Depth Psychology from the Union Institute of Cincinnati; is a member of the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, and practices in Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles.
Saturday March 5, 2005, 2:45 – 4:00 PM
Psyches and Cities of Hospitality, presented by Mary Watkins link to audio file
Through reflection on the example of the U.S./Mexico border, this talk and small group experiential work will focus on the psychological orientation that eventuates in the building of walls between neighbors. We will take heart from an idea proposed in Europe by Jacques Derrida and others to create Cities of Hospitality for those forced to migrate from their homelands. We will explore the psychological work necessary to moving across borders in our psychological experience and in our communities.
Mary Watkins, Ph.D. is the Coordinator of Community and Ecological Fieldwork and Research in the Depth Psychology Doctoral Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dr. Watkins is the author of Waking Dreams and Invisible Guests: The Development of Imaginal Dialogues; the co-author of Talking With Young Children About Adoption; a co-editor of “Psychology and the Promotion of Peace” (Journal of Social Issues, 44, 2) and essays on the confluence of liberation psychology and depth psychology. Her clinical training included object relations, Jungian, archetypal, phenomenological, and developmental approaches. Her Clinical practice has included adult, child, and family therapy, as well as small and large group work on the interface of sociocultural issues and individual suffering.
Saturday, March 5, 2005, 4:30 – 5:30
Panel Discussion. Panel participants: Lionel Corbett, Holly Fincher, Robert Moradi, Brad TePaske, Mary Watkins link to audio file
GENERAL INFORMATION
Conference Location and Local Accommodations
The conference will be held at the St. Joseph Center Auditorium, 480 So. Batavia Street, in Orange, California. Directions: From 22 Freeway East take the Main Street exit, turn right at end of off ramp and then right again onto Main. Proceed to LaVeta and turn right. Proceed to Batavia. The St. Joseph Center is located at the corner of LaVeta and Batavia. Information on local accommodations will be included in your confirmation letter.