What you will receive:

• A Weekend Somatic Residency on the PGI Ladera Lane Campus
• 8 Live Interactive Discussion Groups (via Zoom) with Q&A (listed in Pacific time)
• 6 Pre-Recorded Learning Sessions
• A Learning Resource Guide with Recommended Readings and Resources
• A Private, online Discussion Forum
• A Graduate Certificate in Applied Somatic Jungian Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute
• 16 CECs

Course Description

Embodiment and somatic psychology have gained increasing attention in the last few decades. The new emphasis is old: recovering ancient ways of being and thinking that are critical to addressing individual, communal, and ecological suffering. Attention to somatics, which unlocks the unspoken stories held within the body, is an essential part of this recovery process. It is a necessary and welcome counterbalance to centuries of treating the body as an object to be coerced, judged, and manipulated, and to centuries of treating sensate perception with disdain, distrust, or suspicion.

Situating a somatic approach within a Jungian framework opens up the many ways in which the creative unconscious speaks a symbolic language via embodied expressions that can reveal transformative insights for resilience and growth. This 4-month certificate course in Applied Somatic Jungian Psychology provides students with an introduction to core concepts of somatics as an interdisciplinary field that deepens Jungian and archetypal theory in essential ways. The course is centered on two questions. We ask, What are the qualities and practices of a somatic Jungian psychology? And, How can I develop an applied somatic practice to enhance my own personal and professional life?

This course is ideal if:

• You work in a therapeutic field and have an interest in learning how to incorporate Jungian and archetypal somatics as applied modalities in your practice.
• You are a graduate student studying psychology or related disciplines and wish to deepen your understanding of Jungian and archetypal somatic psychology.

No previous knowledge or qualifications will be required to register.

The course offers a blend of learning experiences: an introductory live Zoom meeting, a 3-day residential somatic retreat on the beautiful Ladera campus of Pacifica Graduate Institute, and twice monthly pre-recorded video lectures followed by 90-minute live Zoom discussions with the course faculty.

Program Format:
Each month, you will learn from the following:

• two recorded Presentations by leading experts in the field.
• two live, online discussions with subject matter experts (these will be recorded for those who cannot attend a given week)
• a list of required or recommended Readings/Videos/Resources
• online Discussion forum with the other participants and instructors.
• invitations to explore your responses to the topics will be offered.

Course Schedule

Course overview and introduction Saturday August 24th, 2024
Our course begins with a live 2-hour Zoom meeting to present foundational ideas of a somatic Jungian psychology, briefly discussing dreams, waking visions, symptoms, and synchronicity as ways in which the embodied psyche expresses itself.

You will be encouraged to pay attention to your dreams the weeks before the course begins and create a sketch or drawing of a dream moment, scene, or dream figure to bring to the opening residential weekend.

Residential Weekend August 31st, September 1st and 2nd (Saturday—Monday) 2024
This weekend retreat is an immersive exploration of the intersection of somatics and Jungian psychology, offering a unique blend of lecture, discussion, and experiential somatic work. Students will learn from leading experts in the field to deepen their theoretical knowledge with useful somatic depth psychological practices to enhance their personal and professional life.

Video lectures and live Zoom discussions (September through November)
Six topics exploring/explaining core elements of a somatic Jungian psychology. Includes 1-hour pre-recorded video and 90-minute live Zoom Q&A on the topic of the week, held on Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 PDT. Learners are expected to have watched the pre-recorded learning session prior to the live Zoom discussion. Proposed topics and schedule are as follows:

Saturday, August 24th, 2024
8:00 – 10:00 AM PT
– Elizabeth Nelson, Ph.D.
COURSE OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
This live 2-hour Zoom meeting will present foundational ideas of a somatic Jungian psychology, briefly discussing dreams, waking visions, symptoms, and synchronicity as ways in which the embodied psyche expresses itself.

Thursday, September 5th, 2024
5:00 – 6:30 PM PT
Learning Module #1 – Elizabeth Nelson, Ph.D.
ARCHETYPAL DESCENT, THE BODY AND TRANSFORMATION
Psychological transformation is frequently represented in myth as a journey to the underworld, a symbolic death necessary for new life. The experience is often shocking, always disorienting, and accompanied by despair and grief: a somatic encounter with profound shifts in identity. This module teaches participants three stories of archetypal descent as narrative frameworks for embodied practices to feel into the depths of psychological transformation when it actively includes the flesh and blood, sinew and bone.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Describe three stories of the mythic journey to the underworld
2. Analyze motifs from the myths as a means to deepen into the somatic dimensions of psychological transformation

Thursday, September 19th
5- 6:30 PM PT
Learning Module #2 Marco Sante Beghin, MA
LISTENING TO YOUR BODY TO RECLAIM VITALITY AND CREATIVITY
Somatic practice helps us move through anything that stands in the way of our health and creativity. It is rooted in breath, movement, and engagement with sensory experiences. In this module, we will explore simple somatic activities while standing, sitting, and lying down to help us unearth unconscious habits, tensions, movement patterns, and emotional material in the body so we can learn to transform pain, disconnection, and creative blocks while nourishing our work and imagination.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Identify and discuss somatic resistances to foster openness and creative flow.
2. Practice lying down and working with objects as a somatic framework for active imagination and dreamwork.

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024 5:00 – 6:30 PM PT
Learning Module #3 Arieahn Matamonasa-Bennett
SOMATICS, RITUAL AND HEALING PRACTICES
Throughout human-history and through deep-time, cultures have created rituals and ceremonies to heal through connecting with the natural world, integrating all of life’s-stages/transitions and creating social/community cohesion. In today’s world, confronted with complex challenges, we find ourselves increasingly isolated and desperate for spiritual connection. This class explores the ways in which this ancient, sacred wisdom can be incorporated into healing practice and everyday life for individuals, families, and communities.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Describe the cross-cultural, key elements for the creation of ritual and ceremony
2. Apply the principles of ritual and ceremony to individual, family and collective (community) healing.

Thursday, October 17th, 2024,
5:00 – 6:30 PM PT
Learning Module #4 Loralee M. Scott, MFA
WORKING WITH THE ARCHETYPAL IMAGINATION IN SOMATIC MOVEMENT
Beyond movement as exercise or movement as performance, there is movement as revelation. Much like our dreams, our bodies hold deep mysteries not only about ourselves, but also about the collective. There is a prophetic element to creative somatic engagement that can offer a symbolic glimpse of what is soon to emerge not only in our personal world, but in the larger world. This is the work of the archetypal imagination. In this session, we will explore the work of world-recognized choreographers along with that of Carl Jung, Erich Neumann and James Hillman to learn to recognize when and how the archetypal imagination manifests in somatic movement.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Identify three key considerations for working somatically with the archetypal imagination.
2. Distinguish somatic movement that is ego-driven from that which is rooted in the archetypal imagination.

Thursday, November 7th, 2024, 5:00 – 6:30 PM PT
Learning Module #5 Elizabeth Nelson, Ph.D.
SOMATICS AND DIGITAL LIFE
We live in an age that has decisively dissolved the human-machine interface to such an extent that few people in the first world can function without their mobile digital technology. One may meaningfully ask, how am I cyborg? What are the benefits and the costs—to body, mind, spirit, and soul? This session explores the impact of our “always on” digital life on daily life, including rest, sleep, dream, creative focus, and relationships.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Analyze the social, psychological and cultural implications of mobile digital technology
2. Demonstrate somatic practices to experience the impact of digital life on body and mind.

Thursday, November 21st, 2024 5:00 – 6:30 PM PT
Learning Module #6 Jonathan Erickson
SOMATIC ATTUNEMENT AND HUMAN-ANIMAL RELATIONSHIPS
Indigenous traditions throughout the world have long viewed non-human animals as persons and as kin.  After centuries of dismissing animals as unfeeling machines, modern science has begun to acknowledge that animals are conscious beings with their own unique varieties of intelligence.  This session explores somatic attunement as a bridge between human and animal bodies—a way of understanding and relating to the animal experience without abstract language.  From this embodied perspective, participants are invited to rediscover animals as companions and teachers in life.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe the similarities and differences in human and animal consciousness, and how the shared experience of embodiment can serve as a bridge between the two.
2. Apply somatic attunement in developing deeper and more meaningful human-animal relationships.

Thursday, December 5th 5:00 to 7:00 PM PDT
Closing Zoom meeting and presentation of final projects.
No prerecorded video lecture. Students seeking certification/credit for the course will post their projects on a shared page of the course learning platform (D2L) for all to view by Saturday morning November 30th. A live Zoom meeting and course wrap-up discussion with faculty and learners will conclude this course.

Overview:

The student project for the Applied Somatic Jungian Psychology Graduate Certificate class is a comprehensive and integrative assignment designed to demonstrate the application of somatic Jungian principles in a practical, real-world context. This project aims to deepen students’ understanding of the interwoven nature of body and psyche and to cultivate their ability to apply these insights in therapeutic, educational, or organizational settings.

Objectives:

1. Integration of Theoretical Knowledge: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of somatic and Jungian psychology concepts.
2. Practical Application: Apply theoretical knowledge to a specific area of interest or practice.
3. Critical Analysis: Critically analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of applied techniques.
4. Innovative Approach: Show creativity and innovation in the application of applied somatic Jungian principles.
5. Reflective Practice: Engage in reflective practice to gain insights into personal and professional growth.

Project Proposal
Design and record a somatic psychological praxis that illustrates the integration of theory learned in this course and its practical application. You are free to include a movement exercise (or movement series) or other expressive arts modalities.

Write an 8-page paper that:

• introduces the project and identifies the key Somatic and Jungian theories and principles it draws from, approximately 3 pages.
• succinctly reviews relevant literature from somatic and Jungian psychology, approximately 2 pages.
• describes the scope and objectives of the project—that is, how you will teach the praxis to others or use it in a therapeutic setting, 1 page
• provides a timeline and description of the required resources and materials, 1 page
• describe the potential contribution of the project to the field of somatic Jungian psychology and summarize the key findings you anticipate or hope for, approximately 1 page

Proposal Publication and Review

• Upload your proposal to D2L for cohort review

By the end of the course students will be able to:

• Integrate core ideas of Jungian and archetypal theory with somatic psychology
• Re-imagine individuation, the realization of the Self, and the cultivation of soul as a somatic experiences
• Understand urgent, omnipresent cultural issues through the lens of Jungian somatic psychology
• Distinguish between a structural and functional approach to somatic therapies as they are applied in professional practice
• Apply Jungian somatic psychology to developing creative practices and rituals for oneself and one’s clients

---

SOMATIC RESIDENTIAL WEEKEND OFFERINGS

Applied Somatic Jungian Psychology Graduate Certificate Residential Weekend August 31st, September 1st and 2nd 2024 (Saturday—Monday)

Saturday, August 31st

7:30 – 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:15 – 11:15 AM Lecture & Experiential Work I: Image, Archetype, and Embodying the Self

11:15 – 11:30 AM Break

11:30 – 12:30 Movement Process & Discussion

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 Lecture & Experiential Work II: Ego, Persona, Shadow: Somatic Dimensions of Individuation

3:30 – 4:30 Movement Process & Discussion

4:30 – 5:30 Nature Walk/Free Time

5:30 – 7:00 Dinner

7:00 – 9:30 Introduction to Somatic Dreaming

Sunday, September 1st

7:30 – 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:15 – 12:15 Workshop I:

Healing and Creativity: the interconnectedness of breath, space, and contact.
Marco Sante Beghin, MA, M. AmSAT, SEP

Healing requires permeable boundaries, body consciousness, and creativity. To heal, it is indispensable for our body to move as we breathe air in and out, and for our expanded Self to cultivate a somatic imaginative alliance with what surrounds us and with others. In this experiential hands-on workshop, we will discover the body not as a territory sealed by a thick skin contour, but as a liminal symbolic space with the potential to unlock stuck energy to nourish intuition, creative expression, and collective soul making.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Identify how to engage with somatically perceived realities, in movement and stillness.
2. Apply breath, space, and contact skills in creative and professional practice.

Somatics and Ecopsychology: The Body on the Earth
Betsy Purluss, Ph.D.

Knowing our interconnectedness with the Earth is our birthright and responsibility. Yet, the trauma of separation has led many to forget this connection, causing further cultural and environmental damage. In this session, we will engage in a practice that supports a nature-informed consciousness, re-awakening us to the life-sustaining reality of the Anima Mundi. Our bodies are nature, divine incarnations, joined to Earth by Eros. By tending our bodies with love, we simultaneously tend the Earth.

12:15 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 4:30 Workshop II:

The Spherical Psyche: Somatic Explorations into the Subtle Energy Body
Cynthia Carse, Ph.D.

The subtle energy body is an archetypal idea that has existed for thousands of years that is often visualized as an aura surrounding the physical body. Like the Jungian psyche, it bridges the spiritual and material worlds within the intermediate realm of human experience. In this workshop, participants will explore their own subtle energy body through somatic-oriented inquiry along with related lecture. Specific practices will be introduced to support the on-going development of subtle awareness.

Aging and the Body
Julie Rohde-Brown, Ph.D.

In a society that focuses on youth and anti-aging, there are few venues where one may explore what it means to be embodied in the process of growing older. A depth perspective offers a valuable framework for tapping into creative and somatic resources to address the changing landscape of the body and emergent feelings and meanings. This offering integrates lecture, interactive discussion, and experiential components in deepening the inquiry of aging and the body.

4:30 – 5:30 Nature Walk/Free Time

5:30 – 7:00 Dinner

7:00 – 9:30 Film & Discussion: Marion Woodman’s Dancing in the Flames

Monday, September 2nd

7:30 – 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:10 – 11:15 Somatic Dreaming Small Group Work

11:15 – 12:15 Final Q&A, Discussion, and Closing Ritual

---

August 31st – September 2nd, 2024
Pacifica Graduate Institute – Ladera Lane Campus

The Spherical Psyche: Somatic Explorations into the Subtle Energy Body
Cynthia Carse, PhD

The subtle energy body is an archetypal idea that has existed for thousands of years that is often visualized as an aura surrounding the physical body. Like the Jungian psyche, it bridges the spiritual and material worlds within the intermediate realm of human experience. In this workshop, participants will explore their own subtle energy body through somatic-oriented inquiry along with related lecture. Specific practices will be introduced to support the on-going development of subtle awareness.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Explain the subtle energy body as a collective idea, archetypal image and as a lived somatic experience.
2. Apply the subtle energy body to personal development and professional practice.

Somatics and Eco-psychology: The body on the Earth
Betsy Perluss, PhD

Knowing our interconnectedness with the Earth is our birthright and responsibility. Yet, the trauma of separation has led many to forget this connection, causing further cultural and environmental damage. In this session, we will engage in a practice that supports a nature-informed consciousness, re-awakening us to the life-sustaining reality of the Anima Mundi. Our bodies are nature, divine incarnations, joined to Earth by Eros. By tending our bodies with love, we simultaneously tend the Earth.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Describe our intrinsic union with the Earth and the specific lands on which we live, including those who have lived here long before our arrival.
2. Identify practical ecotherapeutic tools that can be integrated into one’s life, empowering participants to continue cultivating their connection with nature beyond the workshop.

Healing and Creativity: the interconnectedness of breath, space, and contact.
Marco Sante Beghin, MA, M. AmSAT, SEP

Healing requires permeable boundaries, body consciousness, and creativity. To heal, it is indispensable for our body to move as we breathe air in and out, and for our expanded Self to cultivate a somatic imaginative alliance with what surrounds us and with others. In this experiential hands-on workshop, we will discover the body not as a territory sealed by a thick skin contour, but as a liminal symbolic space with the potential to unlock stuck energy to nourish intuition, creative expression, and collective soul making.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Identify how to engage with somatically perceived realities, in movement and stillness.
2. Apply breath, space, and contact skills in creative and professional practice.

Aging and the Body
Juliet Rohde-Brown, PhD

In a society that focuses on youth and anti-aging, there are few venues where one may explore what it means to be embodied in the process of growing older. A depth perspective offers a valuable framework for tapping into creative and somatic resources to address the changing landscape of the body and emergent feelings and meanings. This offering integrates lecture, interactive discussion, and experiential components in deepening the inquiry of aging and the body.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Describe how depth perspectives and practices impact the quality of one’s relationship to the body in the aging process.
2. Apply somatic and creative experiential processes to address aging in therapeutic and integrative healing contexts