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A Jungian Analysis of Toxic Modern Society: Fighting the Culture of Loneliness

July 30, August 6, 20, 27, 2024

4 Live Classes | 4 CECs | Offered Live via Zoom

Program Description

What you will receive:

  • 4 Live Webinar Sessions with Q & A
  • 4 Links to the Recordings
  • 4 CECs

The rates of depression, anxiety, addiction, and suicide have all been increasing for the last hundred years, and it appears that the causes of this are related to cultural changes. In this seminar, we will explore what these cultural changes are and why Western society is becoming more toxic, despite the many gains we have made in medicine, human rights, and material wealth. Foremost among the causes are our starving social instincts which orient us toward connection and belonging. Massive cultural changes brought about by the last century, including shifts in individualism, family structure, spiritual adherence, community membership, consumerism, mass media, and disconnection from nature are all contributing factors that are leaving our Social Instincts neglected. We have built a culture of loneliness. In this seminar we will discuss ways we can change this disturbing trajectory.

This Course is Ideal for:

  • Therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists
  • Those with interest in public health
  • Interested lay persons

Course Overview:

Week 1: Starving Social Instincts and Toxic Modern Society

Week 2: Hyperindividualism and changes in Family and Spirituality

Week 3: Pseudoculture, the Achievement Value System, and Cultural Addictions

Week 4: Hope and Hard Decisions

Course Outline:

  1. Lecture 1: Starving Social Instincts and Toxic Modern Society
    • Discuss the loneliness epidemic and steadily rising rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and addictions
    • Learn the bio-psycho-social model and how it applies to this epidemic
    • Compare modern western society to non-western
  2. Lecture 2: Hyperindividualism and changes in family and spirituality
    • Hyperindividualism and narcissism in modern society
    • Changes in family dynamics
    • Changes in spirituality
    • Comparisons to non-western examples
  3. Lecture 3: Pseudoculture, the Achievement Based Value System, and Cultural Addictions
    • Mass Media Pseudoculture
    • The Achievement Based Value System
    • The explosion of addictions in modern society
    • Nature deficiency
    • The four Social Instincts
  4. Lecture 4: Hope and Hard Decisions
    • Addressing the four social instincts
    • Challenges and tradeoffs
    • The Quest for Meaning
    • The transcendent function—individual and collective dreams
    • The Quest for sustenance in culture and individual life
    • The principles needed to fix toxic modern society

CEC Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the main causes of the loneliness epidemic
  • List two real-world actions to alleviate the suffering caused by the loneliness epidemic
  • Apply the principles learned therein to themselves or to clients/patients in clinical settings
  • Assess two ways of making informed decisions regarding needed social change
  • Identify the Four Social Instincts and how to satisfy them

References:

  1. Goodwyn, E.  (2010).  Approaching archetypes:  reconsidering innateness.  Journal of Analytical Psychology 55:  503-522.
  2. Goodwyn, E.  (2010).  The author responds to Knox, Merchant and Hogenson.  Journal of Analytical Psychology 55:  550-555.
  3. Wyatt R, Goodwyn E and Ignatowski M.  (2011).  A Jungian Approach to Dreams Reported by Soldiers in a Modern Combat Zone.  Journal of Analytical Psychology 56:  217-231.
  4. Goodwyn, E.  (2011).  Review of McNamara’s “Neuroscience of Religious Experience”.  Journal of Analytical Psychology 56: 437-438.
  5. Goodwyn, E.  (2012).  The Neurobiology of the Gods:  How Brain Physiology Shapes the Recurrent Imagery of Myth and Dreams.  Routledge.
  6. Goodwyn, E.  (2013). Recurrent motifs as resonant attractor states in the narrative field:  a testable model of archetype.  Journal of Analytical Psychology, 58: 387–408.
  7. Goodwyn, E.  (2014).  Depth Psychology and Symbolic Anthropology:  Toward a Depth Sociology of Psychocultural Interaction.  International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 24(3): 169-184.
  8. Goodwyn, E.  (2015).  The End of All Tears: A Dynamic Interdisciplinary Analysis of Mourning and Complicated Grief with Suggested Applications for Clinicians.  Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health 17 (4): 239-266.
  9. Goodwyn, E.  (2017).  Rediscovering the ritual technology of the placebo effect in analytical psychology.  Journal of Analytical Psychology:  62(3):  395-414.
  10. Goodwyn, E.  (2019).  Comments on the 2018 IAAP Conference on Archetype Theory:  Defending a Non-Reductive Biological Approach.  Journal of Analytical Psychology.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5922.12543.
  11. Goodwyn, E., and Reis J.  (2020).  Teaching Dream Interpretation to Psychiatric Residents.  Journal of Psychodynamic Psychiatry 48(2): 140-151.
  12. Goodwyn, E.  (2020).  Archetypal Origins:  Biology vs. Culture is a False Dichotomy.  International Journal of Jungian Studies 13(1):  111-129.
  13. Goodwyn, E. (2020).   Archetype: The Contribution of Individual Psychology to Recurrent Symbolism.  Jungian Journal of Scholarly Studies 15(1):  5-19.
  14. Goodwyn, E.  (2020.  Commentary on Mills’ ‘The Essence of Archetypes’.  International Journal of Jungian Studies 12(2): 1-10.  doi:10.1163/19409060-01201007.
  15. Goodwyn, E.  (2020).  Archetypes and the ‘impoverished genome’ argument:  updates from neurogenetics.  Journal of Analytical Psychology Nov;65(5):911-931 doi:10.1111/1468-5922.12642.
  16. Goodwyn, E. (2021). Reply to John Merchant regarding “Impoverished Environment” response. Journal of Analytical Psychology. Feb;66(1):153-157. doi: 10.1111/1468-5922.12653.
  17. Goodwyn, E. (2021). Bodies and minds, heaps and syllables. Synthese. 199: 8831-8855.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03184-7.
  18. Goodwyn, E. (2021). The origins of psyche: from experience to ontology. International Journal of Jungian Studies 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1163-19409060-bja10016.xml
  19. Goodwyn, E. (2022). Archetypes and clinical applications: how the genome responds to experience. Journal of Analytical Psychology 67(3): 838-859.
  20. Goodwyn, E. (2023a). Phenotypic plasticity and archetype: a response to common objections to the biological theory of archetype and instinct. Journal of Analytical Psychology 68(1): 109-132.
  21. Goodwyn, E. (2023b). Genome and Psyche: a response to Christian Roelser’s Critique. Journal of Analytical Psychology 68(1): 148-161.
  22. Goodwyn, E. (2024a). The Body is the Collective Unconscious. Journal of Analytical Psychology. In Press.
  23. Goodwyn, E. (2024b). Demystifying Jung’s “Archetypes” with Embodied Cognition. Psychodynamic Psychiatry. In Press.
  24. Goodwyn, E. (2024c). Understanding Spontaneous Symbolism in Psychotherapy using Embodied Thought. Behavioral Sciences 14(4), 319. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040319

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

  1. Goodwyn E.  (2014).  A Psychological Reading of the Anglo-Saxon Poem Beowulf:  Understanding Every Thing as a Story.  Mellen Press.
  2. Goodwyn E.  (2016).  Healing Symbols in Psychotherapy:  a Ritual Approach.  New York:  Routledge.
  3. Greenwood S and Goodwyn E.  2017.  Magical Consciousness:  an Anthropologiccal and Neurobiological Approach.  Routledge Studies in Anthropology, Vol. 24.  New York:  Routledge.
  4. Goodwyn E.  (2018).  Understanding Dreams and Other Spontaneous Imagery:  The Invisible Storyteller.  New York:  Routledge.
  5. Goodwyn E.  (2019).  The Mind-Body Problem in relation to Jung.  In Mills (Ed.) Jung and Philosophy.  Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press:  pp. 81-106.
  6. Brooks R and Goodwyn E. (2020). Welcome note from the new editors. International Journal of Jungian Studies. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/19409060-01201010.
  7. Goodwyn E. (2022). Developing a metaphysical foundation for analytical psychology. In Mills (Ed.) Psychoanalysis and the Mind Body Problem. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 88-118.
  8. Mills J and Goodwyn E. (2023). Archetypal Ontology. New York, NY: Routledge.
  9. Goodwyn, E. (2023). The problem of death and meaning for depth psychology. In Broderson (Ed.) Intimations of Immortality. New York, NY: Routledge. (in press).
  10. Goodwyn, E. (2024). Archetypes, embodiment, and spontaneous thought. In R. Brooke (Ed.) Title TBD. City, state: publisher. (in press), pp. XX-XX. (In press).

Course Addendums
Bibliography, Reading List, PDFs, Creative Prompts/Reflective Questions, Films to Watch
Healing Symbols in Psychotherapy by Erik Goodwyn
King of the Forgotten Darkness: a Raven’s Tale Fantasy a novel by Erik Goodwyn

(links to the above can be found on www.erikgoodwyn.com)

 

Program Details

Dates

July 30, August 6, 20, 27, 2024

12 Noon – 1:00 PM PST

Registration
$225.00    – General Rate
$185.00    – Pacifica Alumni, Full Time Students, & Senior Rate
$135.00    – Pacifica Student Rate
$30.00     – Continuing Education Credit (CECs) Fee

Participants requesting Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for Online programs must attend all live sessions (offered via Zoom) in order to receive CECs. Please make sure that your Zoom account name matches the name of the attendee requesting CECs.

About the Teacher

Erik Goodwyn is a psychiatrist who has listened to the dreams and fantasies of suffering people from in both military and civilian settings. He is also a scholar published in anthropology, dream analysis, mythology, ritual, philosophy, and archetypal psychology. He has been invited to give lectures in Ireland, Swizerland, Italy, Germany, and all over the United States. His passion is the imagination in all its manifestations, which is why he is also an author of fantasy fiction. He feels the symbolic and fantastical imagery of the imagination is the only way to depict some of the most important and mysterious truths of the human soul, as depicted in his Raven’s Tale series.

General Information

Location

Hosted Online

Cancellations

Cancellations 14 days or more prior to the program start date receive a 100% refund of program registrations. After 14 days, up to 7 days prior to the program start date, a 50% refund is available. For cancellations made less than 7 days of program start date, no refund is available.

For additional information, including travel, cancellation policy, and disability services please visit our general information section.

Continuing Education Credit

This program meets qualifications for 4 hours of continuing education credit for Psychologists through the California Psychological Association (PAC014) Pacifica Graduate Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing education for psychologists.  Pacifica Graduate Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.  Full attendance is required to receive a certificate.

This course meets the qualifications for 4 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.  Pacifica Graduate Institute is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (#60721) to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs.  Pacifica Graduate Institute maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.  Full attendance is required to obtain a certificate.

For Registered Nurses through the California Board of Registered Nurses this conference meets qualifications of 14 hours of continuing education credit are available for RNs through the California Board of Registered Nurses (provider #CEP 7177).  Full attendance is required to obtain a certificate.

Pacifica Graduate Institute is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs.  Pacifica Graduate Institute maintains responsibility for each program and its content.  Full day attendance is required to receive a certificate.

Continuing Education Goal.  Pacifica Graduate Institute is committed to offering continuing education courses to train LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs to treat any client in an ethically and clinically sound manner based upon current accepted standards of practice.  Course completion certificates will be awarded at the conclusion of the training and upon participant’s submission of his or her completed evaluation.

CECs and Online Program Attendance: Participants requesting Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for Online programs must attend all live sessions (offered via Zoom) in order to receive CECs. Please make sure that your Zoom account name matches the name of the attendee requesting CECs.

For those who meet the CEC requirements, CE Certificates will be emailed out 1 month after the course.

For additional information, including travel, cancellation policy, and disability services please visit our general information section.

Registration Details

July 30, August 6, 20, 27, 2024

Number of Classes: 4
Class Length: 60 min.
Class Time: 12 Noon – 1:00 PM PST
CECs: 4
Total Duration:
4 Hours

The presentations will be recorded and shared after each session for those unable to attend live.

Participants requesting Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for Online programs must attend all live sessions (offered via Zoom) in order to receive CECs. Please make sure that your Zoom account name matches the name of the attendee requesting CECs.