Monsters of the Unconscious

The current discontent in our culture carries ripe opportunities for fantasies of the Apocalypse. The ground of long-known security has cracked beneath us, foundations have shifted, and “monsters” rush towards us, not content to slumber. Jung said we meet "monsters" such as these at key moments of our psychological growth, bringing us vital messages and warnings about the psychological status quo. What messages could the monsters be bringing us? 

Friday, April 13 - Lecture, 7p - 9p 

We have met the Apocalypse, and It is US 

Jung reminds us that at moments when we cannot believe what is upon us, we have the chance to examine the meaning of a monster’s appearance on the scene. When the monster of the apocalypse appears – in our individual, family, work, and cultural psyche—what messages might it be bringing? Can it be understood in a way that renders it less frightening? If we sit and dialogue with the marauding wolf at the door, can reconciliation come? Is some part of ourselves mirrored in the monster, shedding light on our next step of individuation? 

Saturday, April 14 - Workshop, 9a - 1:15p 

Meeting the Monster Under the Bed: archetypal expressions of the ‘other’ reflected in film, dreams, and culture 

The dark creatures that haunt the imaginations of children, the threatening strangers, terrifying killers, and vicious animals that move through the dreams of adults, the terrors encountered in agedness—we fear and avoid our monsters. These images appear terrifying because they represent a fundamental otherness within us, something tapping at the windows of our consciousness, pressing to be integrated so our psychological development may proceed. 

Carolyn Bates, PhD is a psychologist and diplomate Jungian analyst who lives and practices in Austin, TX. 

She is President of the Texas Seminar of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts training institute.