There is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
NELSON MANDELA
Carl Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychologist, and psychotherapist whose unique approach to the study of the human psyche became known as analytic psychology. In his pioneering work, he explored the rich terrain of the personal and collective unconscious and their impact on our daily lives, and his conclusions echo through literary and religious thought. His autobiography, Memories, Dreams and Reflections, is a fascinating record of his passionate search for answers to the puzzle that is our human nature.
Three Key Jungian Concepts
The Ego
"To Jung, the ego was the center of the field of consciousness, the part of the psyche where our conscious awareness resides, our sense of identity and existence ... a kind of "command HQ", organizing our thoughts, feelings, senses, and intuition, and regulating access to memory." (journalpsyche.org)
The Soul
"Soul is the word we use to intimate that deepest intuitive relationship we have had with ourselves from our earliest moments of reflection to the present. [It] is our deepest-running, purposeful energy, our longing for meaning ... "(James Hollis)
Individuation
"Individuation is the term Jung used to refer to the lifelong process of becoming the complete human beings we were born to be. Individuation is our waking up to our total selves." (Robert Johnson)
Three Ways We Might Focus Our Conversations
Harnessing the Power of the Imagination
"Active imagination is a dialogue that you can enter with different parts of yourself that live in the unconcious. In some ways it is similar to dreaming, except that you are fully awake and conscious during the experience." (Robert Johnson)
Exploring the World of Dreams
"The dream comes to tell you what you do not know." (Diana McKendree)
"A dream is like a deer at the edge of the forest: If it’s welcomed, it will come out. If you feed it, it will develop a relationship with you. But if you don’t care about it, it will disappear." (Marion Woodman)
Re-seeing Myths and Fairy Tales
“Fairy tales are the purest and simplest expression of collective unconscious processes … They represent the archetypes in their simplest, barest, and most concise form … [and] afford us the best clues to the understanding of the processes going on in the collective psyche.” (Marie-Louise von Franz)
Your inner knowing is your only true compass.
JOY PAGE
In what direction do you want to go?
Testimonials
Jean always treated me with the utmost respect, warmth, and consideration, balancing friendliness with professionalism. Even when our discussions were intense, they never felt overwhelming or uncomfortable. Instead, each successive session opened new pathways of self-discovery. My creativity blossomed—in both my art and my writing—as though she were helping clear away the obstructions of the past preventing me from moving forward on my path of authentic self-expression and creative accomplishments.
LINE D, QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC
Working with Jean as a counsellor has been extremely rewarding. She has helped me take another look at the destructive ways in which I see myself. She brings her own acute perceptions, understanding, and illumination to situations in my life, shedding a new light on old wounds. She is kind, patient and compassionate, and her insights, different from mine, add new perspectives. She also brought with her, and shared, a treasure chest of references from which I have drawn inspiration and alternative ways of seeing.
LYNN F, TORONTO, ONTARIO