Into the Depths

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Into the Depths

• Swamplands Archetypes

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Swamplands of the Soul

• Why soul?
• Were NOT talking about soul in the religious
  sense
• NO reference to religion is necessary here
• So Why Soul?
• Psyche is the Greek word for soul
• Psychology is the study of (logos) the soul
  (psyche)

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Depth Psychological view of Soul

• James Hillman, Yale Professor
• Soul is the aspect within us that deepens events
  into experiences
• That is, the part that brings meaning to what
  happens to us in life
• Its a process, not a thing
• Soul-making
• Is what we do when we piece together the events
  all the events, mind you of our lives into
  something coherent and valuable for ourselves

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SWAMPLANDS of the Soul

• Why Swamplands?
• Hollis book has one goal
• To argue that our dark, difficult experiences
  hold value
• If heeded, they deepen wisdom meaning in our
  lives
• They are integral to the process of soul-making

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Carl Jung

• Mental illness must be understood, ultimately,
  as suffering that has not yet found meaning

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Authentic versus Inauthentic Suffering

• Authentic
• Realistic response to the jagged edges of being
  alive
• Sorrow of death heartbreak of loss
• Inauthentic
• Responses that reflect a protection against a
  turning from the pain and difficulties of life
• Limiting closeness to avoid loss
• Not speaking truthfully to avoid pain of
  rejection

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Healing

• Accept, tolerate, explore all that exists within
  us
• Joy and satisfaction are our sweet states
• Pain and loss can offer wisdom
• Insight
• endurance
• action

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Ortega y Gasset

• Spanish Philosopher Writer
• Why write, if this too easy activity of pushing
  a pen across a paper or oil pastel across
  paper is not given a certain bull-fighting risk
  and we do not approach dangerous, agile, and
  two-horned topics?
• Two-horned exploration can offer
• insight
• endurance
• action

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Take a Moment

• Think about a time in your life when you were
  able to resolve a very difficult/ painful
  experience
• Write for 2-3 minutes about this experience
• List something you felt you learned or understood
  better/ took away from this experience

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Individuation

• Grow up, will you?
• According to Jung, the task of our lives is
  individuation
• Wholeness - our task is wholeness
• Be all of who we are authentically
• To be whole, we must grow and fearlessly
  undertake tasks and responsibilities asked of the
  full functioning human
• This can never happen when the darker aspects of
  life are ignored or shunned
• We need our swamplands to become whole

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Specific Swamplands Grief

• Existential realities impinge upon us
• If we live long enough,
• we will lose everyone and everything for which we
  care
• We face grief in direct proportion to how much we
  have valued that which is lost
• How then is it possible to care? To love anyway?
• We must bear the inevitable losses
• to bear that is the Latin root of Grief

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HOW do we bear loss?

• Art as a Way of Knowing offers one approach and
  there are many, many
• Image-making letting images come and speak for
  themselves
• Image-making as a way to know varied inner
  aspects
• Her screaming baby
• Woman screaming at herself
• Woman unable to scream at the world, though angry

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Bearing Loss

• Doing art to approach the two-horned topics
• Can aid
• insight
• endurance
• Action
• Soul is made meaning is made in this process

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Take a Minute

• Think about a time when you were betrayed by
  someone it can be a small or large betrayal
  doesnt matter..
• Write about this experience for 2-3 minutes
• What did you lose in this experience?
• What did it or would it take to forgive?
• How easy or hard was it/ would it be to forgive?
  Why?

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Specific Swamplands Betrayal

• What is betrayal?
• Being let down
• What we expect doesnt match up with what we get
• Betrayal is a loss
• Loss of innocence
• Loss of trust
• Loss of safety

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Betrayal and Trust

• These are necessary opposites
• They cannot co-exist
• If you trust, you are at risk for betrayal
• Once betrayed any form it is tempting to avoid
  any situations where a similar betrayal might
  occur
• The past wound dominates the present
• Forgiveness frees us from this past

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How do we bear betrayal?

• Look closely at what hurt
• What might have been our part of the dance that
  created the betrayal?
• Were we naïve?
• Were we needing more than our share?
• If so, there is a call to grow individuate
  inherent in this perspective
• Were we simply party to anothers shortcomings?
• Can we allow ourselves necessary space to hurt?
  To suffer? To rage?
• After our suffering, can we forgive or at least
  acknowledge their shortcomings
• Can we expect NOW to be treated better? And take
  steps to be sure . . .

Insight, Endurance, Action
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Our Power Our Strength

• Comes only from
• Honest, authentic exploration
• Insights
• Endurance of all feelings
• Action, in accordance with our vision
• Soul is made in this process