We are storying beings, creating unending webs of narratives as we attempt to situate ourselves in the world around us.  The stories provide an identity and a framework for interacting with others and help us find meaning and safety in a world so full of uncertainty. But those same stories that often cause unnecessary drama and suffering can also be a crucial window into knowing who we really are.

UnstoryingⓇ offers a glimpse at what lies beneath the surface of our awareness, bringing more clarity, resilience, compassion, creativity, and a sense of wholeness to your life through the power of our stories. At its core, UnstoryingⓇ is a Jungian-based shadow integration process that, combined with nondual awareness and inner journeying, is designed to help you see and understand the stories you carry through life; the ones you welcome and the ones you push away, the ones that mask old pain, and the ones that veil the yet unseen gold within you, and move you towards individuation and transcendence, and an embrace of the Self… in the space between stories.

In this 4-session experiential course, Dr. Miller will guide you through the UnstoryingⓇ Process, along with core concepts, such as Jungian understandings of shadow and psyche, nonduality, narrative thinking, and surrender, and introduce the UnstoryingⓇ Process itself. She will then share some of the foundational exercises and practices of her work, allowing participants to contemplate some of their own shadow stories that may be keeping them stuck, in unhealthy relationships, or in repetitive cycles that no longer serve them. We will also discuss wider applications of this work in coaching and personal and professional development models, and on a larger community and societal level.

***(Please note: This course does not offer the required supervised mentorship in using the UnstoryingⓇ Process with clients to become a UnstoryingⓇ Certified Practitioner, or offer certification as a UCPⓇ)

 

Weekly Module Titles and Descriptions:

Week One: The Nature of the Mind: Introduction to the Process of UnstoryingⓇ

In this session, we will focus on understanding how and why the mind creates meaning and story. We will define key concepts, including Jung’s ideas of the “Shadow” and “Individuation,” and introduce key components of the shadow integration process of UnstoryingⓇ.

Supplies needed: Journal, a sheet or two of loose blank paper, pencils or pens (various colors optional).

 

Week Two: The Nature of Conflict and the Web of Stories

In this session, we will look deeper into the stories we carry and see how those stories carry through to our current day understanding of ourselves and our interactions with others in our personal and professional relationships, and how to navigate them. We will look at the system of stories that are present in any group dynamic, focusing on the conflict cycle and how to work towards unraveling, diffusing, and rebalancing that system.

Supplies needed: Journal, pencil or pen

 

Week Three: The Imaginal World: A Conversation with the Shadow

In this session, we will journey into the Library, a guided visualization journey designed to offer participants access points into your own inner wisdom and facilitate a conversation with pieces of the shadow.

Supplies needed: Journal. Pencil or pen. A Separate piece of paper (optional). A comfortable place to sit or lie down during the visualization exercise.

 

Week Four: Integration, Surrender, and Letting Life Unfold

In this session, we will look at the practice of surrender, and the possibility of integration, and how they relate to shadow work and individuation. Why and how we can embrace rather than run from those shadow stories, and move into becoming more whole and comfortable with all of who we are. Supplies needed: Journal. Pencil or pen. An object, picture, or article of clothing (to be determined only after session #3. More information about this in Session #3.)

 

 (CEC) Continuing Education Credit Learning Objectives (6 CECs):

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Analyze the Jungian concepts of shadow, psyche, and individuation, as well as how shadow is created, and how it can influence our experience of Self.
• Apply insights into the concepts of surrender, wholeness (from a nondual lens), and life as lived liminality.
• Assess some of one’s own core stories, and how they flavor interactions and experiences.
• Discuss how the collective’s stories construct the wider world, and how they influence personal story constructs.
• Apply the tools and strategies of UnstoryingⓇ to conflict resolution, both internal and interpersonal.
• Utilize more tools in your personal and professional toolkit to navigate through when strong emotional reactions arise, when moving through liminal space, and when feeling stuck.

This Course is Ideal For:

• Graduate students, coaches, therapists, and others seeking some of the fundamental skills, and a foundational understanding, of UnstoryingⓇ.
• Students and professionals interested in deepening their ability to work with shadow work, the imaginal world, and inner storytelling.
• Anyone seeking to get unstuck from an area of your life that no longer serves you; access a deeper level of self-awareness and self-confidence; learn healthy strategies to interact with friends, family, and colleagues with clarity and empathy; and gain practical tools to address the challenges as they arise in your life.
• Individuals considering training toward becoming an UnstoryingⓇ Certified Practitioner.

***(Please note: This course does not offer the required supervised mentorship in using the UnstoryingⓇ Process with clients to become a UnstoryingⓇ Certified Practitioner, or offer certification as a UCPⓇ.)

 

What you will Receive:

• 4 Live Interactive Webinars (via Zoom) with Q & A (listed in Pacific time)
• Recommended Readings and Resources
• A Verified PGI Digital Badge — stackable toward certificate and degree pathways
• 6 CECs

Recommended reading

Adams, Robert. Silence of the Heart. Acropolis Books, 1999. (The green cover is the version to read. It’s out of print, but can still be found.)

Chevalier, Jean and Gheerbrant, Alain. Penguin Dictionary of Symbols. London: Penguin Books, 1996. 789-791.

Hillman, James. Healing Fiction. Barrytown, NY: Station Hill Press, 1983.

Johnson, Robert A. Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche. Harper San Francisco, 1991.

Jung, C.G. “The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.” The Collected Works of C.G. Jung. Volume 9, Part 1. Trans. R.F.C. Hull. Ed. Herbert Read et al. Bollingen Series XX. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1980.

—. Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York: Vintage Books, 1961.

—. The Red Book. Ed. and trans. Sonu Shamdasani. W. W. Norton & Co. New York: 2009.

Katz, Jerry, ed. One: Essential Writings on Nonduality. Boulder, Colorado: Sentient Pub, 2007.

Prendergast, John. The Sacred Mirror: Nondual Wisdom & Psychotherapy. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House P, 2003.

*Please note: Because these courses are designed as interactive, experiential journeys, live attendance is required to qualify for the microcredential.